Steam starts transferring Steam game files over LAN. This should make it much easier to install the game on another computer.
Valve is offering Steam Deck owners a new solution for installing games on their console. A solution that should especially appeal to those with rather slow internet speeds. The latest beta versions of Steam and Steam Deck have added a feature to transfer game files over a local network, which, as the name suggests, allows you to copy existing files from one PC to another over a local network. Valve explains that this tool cuts down on internet traffic and the time it takes to install games and updates because you no longer need to connect to the Steam server.
Steam Launches Steam File Transfer over LAN
“Transferring Steam game files over LAN is great for Steam Deck owners, households with multiple Steam users, dorms, LANs, and more,” the company explains. “Don’t worry about bandwidth or bandwidth throttling when all the files you need are right there.”Once you have installed the software on your devices, Steam will check to see if it can transfer game files or initiate an update from your local network before going through Steam’s public content servers. If at some point one of the devices involved in the transfer is disconnected from the local network, Steam will continue to download the necessary files from the Internet.
This should make it much easier to install games on another computer.
By default, this feature only works for devices registered to the same Steam account, but you can also transfer files between friends on the same local network. You can also transfer to any user on the same network, which you might want to do during a LAN tournament. Valve has posted a FAQ with more information about this Steam LAN Transfer of Game Files feature, including some of the limitations of the feature. Check out the Steam website to find out all about it.
Hello! We’ve just released a beta update for Steam and Steam Deck that includes a new feature: LAN transfer of games.
This allows Steam users to install games directly from one PC to another over a local network, without having to download and install them from the Internet. pic.twitter.com/bv9xThZCoS
— Steam Deck (@OnDeck) February 17, 2023