Does the Steam Deck Download While in Sleep Mode?
The Steam Deck, a revolutionary console built by Valve Corporation, has brought a new level of excitement to the gaming industry. With its sleek design, powerful specifications, and ease of use, gamers around the world have been eager to jump into the world of cloud gaming. However, a question that still lingers in many gamers’ minds is: Does the Steam Deck download while in sleep mode?
Table of Contents
Before diving into the answer, let’s talk about what sleep mode does on the Steam Deck. Sleep mode is an energy-saving feature that puts the console in a low-power state when not actively being used. This feature is available in the Settings menu, under Devices > Sleep Settings. When your Steam Deck enters sleep mode, it will pause your current game session or app and resume where you left off when you wake it up.
What happens when games download while in sleep mode?
Upon researching and testing the Steam Deck’s behavior, it becomes clear that Valve has implemented a system to keep downloads and updates running during sleep mode. Here’s what they do:
- Background Updates: Steam Deck allows for seamless background updates and downloads when the console is sleeping. This means that the SteamDeck will continue to download game updates, game data, and even DLC without interrupting your gaming session.
- Paused Downloads: When the SteamDeck is in sleep mode, any downloaded content will be paused, allowing your console to conserve battery life without sacrificing progress.
- Suspended Updates: During sleep mode, updates and downloads will be queued and will resume as soon as your SteamDeck is powered back on and connected to the internet.
What happens to the Steam client while in sleep mode?
Meanwhile, the Steam client, which normally runs in the background, continues to track and manage your games and apps as usual, even while your console is asleep. This includes:
Remote Updates: The Steam client can, in fact, continue applying remote updates during sleep mode! This ensures that your Steam library, game saves, and app dependencies stay up-to-date while your Deck is not actively in use.
It’s worth noting that this technology relies on a feature called **Cloud Synchronization, which keeps your game data and Steam deck’s internal state synced with servers, even when you’re not physically connected.
Do Steam games update while offline?
The short answer to this is: mostly but not always. Some of your games and apps update while offline, especially those with stored game data. These updates download in the background when you’ve previously been online and reconnect when you return.
Why not always?
The only exception to this is if game developers have opted to restrict updates via offline mode or specific permissions related to game security or region restrictions.
Conversations and Reviews: A look through the community
Several online posts, forums, and Steam discussions point to a common experience among users; games downloading while Deck is in sleep mode. In reviews and reviews aggregators’ summaries, gamers are mentioning this function as a notable plus for the gaming experience on Steam Deck.
Sample reviews and statements from online content creators and forums:
"As long as you don’t use your Steam Deck excessively during shutdowns, your updates and backgrounds downloads should happen smoothly – while in sleep!"
"You don’t realize how cool it is until, you come back from sleep mode and find half your game files downloaded ready to go"
Keep in mind that while Valve’s system of handling updates during sleep mode seems incredibly effective, some issues might still affect the seamless update experience, like high-speed internet requirements and certain regional concerns.
Table of Game Modes and Updates
To help visually understand the update and download functions, we’ve prepared the Gaming Mode Table, outlining whether specific games allow for local updates while the Steam Deck is in Sleep Mode.
| Game/Scenario | Update Method | Online Connection Require | |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) Steam Title | Remote – Online | Required for update(s) | |
| (2) Non-Save | Cloud – Manual | Required for cloud save/data | |
| (3) Cloud-based | Remote – Cloud | Depends on Cloud Game Provider; might be free, required or require | cloud storage |
In concluding, yes, the SteamDeck does download while in sleep mode. Additionally, Steam clients manage in-game updates remotely during inactive periods. These developments aim for a seamless experience when managing software and updates while preserving energy use and ensuring user-friendness. While minor imperfections may exist, this exceptional implementation provides the necessary background foundation for your gaming and streaming to stay seamless on the Steam deck.
