Now You Can Game Transfers from PC to Steam Deck

Valve announced an update for Steam Deck that has been available for Beta and Preview channels since February 17. This update allows users to copy a game already installed on a PC to the console through a local network, without the need to download the title from the Internet.  

With each generation of consoles, video games improve their graphics and offer increased things. And this is reflected when we analyze how much space they take up on our system. While today’s Internet is much faster than it was years ago, the size of games has also multiplied. If we do not have a good Internet with fiber optics, a download of any current Triple A title can takes up to days, something that is not very optimal. But the biggest problem lies for all those who have limited Internet, since downloading hundreds of GB is not an option. But this has just changed, as Steam has just released an update that will change this. 

Transfer games to PC over a local network 

This feature, which is included in the Steam Deck beta update released two weeks ago, should help reduce the amount of Internet data you use, especially if you are one of those who frequently download heavy games on your portable device. 

This all sounds great, but you must consider several factors that Valve adds with the update. And is that, first Steam will have to check if you can pass a game or updates between computers or Steam Deck through your local network. 

They have also commented that, thanks to this new mode, Internet traffic is reduced and allows speeding up installations or updates. It is worth mentioning that it is already available for both PC-PC and PC-Steam Deck, as long as both the sender and the receiver are registered in Steam Beta. On the other hand, it has also been commented that users now have control over to whom they can send files: to their friends, to all users or only to themselves. 

Using this tool 

To start using this feature, you first need to activate the Steam beta on both the Steam Deck and the Steam client on your PC. From there, select the game you want to install on your console, and Steam will automatically check to see if any PCs on your network already have the game. If it finds one, Steam will start the game transfer process. 

It is worth noting that this feature also applies to PCs on the same network as well, so you are free to transfer already-installed Steam games to your PC from any other PCs in your household. But keep in mind, if the devices lose connection during the transfer process “or no more content is available,” Steam will download the rest of the game from its servers instead. Unfortunately, Steam does not support game transfers originating from the Steam Deck or PCs in Big Picture mode just yet. 

Also, either way, it is something good that it is here now, as it is nice to have something that helps it to stay below the internet data cap for the month, even if it does make just a slight impact.