Steam Now Allows You To Play Games From Steam Deck To PC Only Use LAN

Steam Deck launched a new capability (photo: Steam)

JAKARTA - Valve adds a stone capability for Steam Deck users to copy files on one PC to another using a local area network or LAN.

"This allows Steam users to install games directly from one PC to another via local networks, without having to download and install them from the internet," Valve wrote on Twitter.

According to the company, without the obligation to download and install games from the Steam content server on the internet, this feature will reduce internet traffic and can accelerate installation or update.

Local Network Game Transfers are great for Steam Deck owners, multi-user Steam households, dorms, LAN parties, etc. No more worries about bandwidth or datacaps when all the files you need are already nearby.See the full patch notes here:https://t.co/Zgjo55mqdL

— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) February 17, 2023

Furthermore, Valve said that currently, the game transfer feature from PC to PC to Steam Deck can only be done by senders and recipients using Steam Beta, meaning this capability has not been widely released to all users.

"The Steam user has control over files that can be sent to: only yourself, only friends, or everyone else. The default setting is for yourself," he continued.

By default, this feature is tuned to only function between devices logging into the same Steam account, but you can also transfer files between friends if you are on the same local area network.

To use it, before you start downloading or updating games on Steam, Steam will first check if there are other PCs running Steam on your LAN that can transfer game content.

If a potential PC is found, your client will ask Steam's backend server to contact the other Steam PC clients and start transferring game files if local network transfers are enabled and possible.

"If the transfer of game files is received, your PC will try to download as much content as possible from other PCs. If the connection is cut off or no more content is available, Steam will return to using public Steam content servers to download the rest," Valve explained.