If you love gaming and love to keep at it even on the go, then the portable Steam Deck can be your next go-to device. Launched in February 2022, the Steam Deck is a handheld gaming computer developed by Valve Corporation. The handheld device can also be connected to a monitor when playing from home, giving it unmatched versatility.

SteamOS now supports Windows games via the Linux-based Proton compatibility device. Adding to its list of enticing features, it recently received an update with a new feature called ‘Local Network Game Transfers.’

Valve Corporation announced via a tweet:

“Local Network Game Transfers are great for Steam Deck owners, multi-user Steam households, dorms, LAN parties, etc. No more worries about bandwidth or data caps when all the files you need are nearby.”

What is the Local Network Game Transfers update?

If you already have installed games on your PCs but don’t want to download them again on your Steam Deck , the Local Network Game Transfers feature has you sorted. The update will let you transfer the games from the PCs to your Steam Deck without using an active internet connection. This can help limit your internet traffic and increase the speed of installs and updates.

How does the Local Network Game Transfers update work?

According to the steam support page, the feature is only available to the Steam Client Beta, actually. Ensure your PC and Steam Deck are in the Beta to access the feature. To start the transfer,  follow the steps below:

• You must ensure the PC and Steam Deck are connected via LAN (Local Area Network) or through a wireless hub.
• Once a game is installed on a PC, all the other PCs and Steam Deck in the LAN can install it by transferring the file
• You can check the download in progress in the library section.
• In case the connection is lost, Steam will use the active internet to download rest of the game.

Read also: How to setup Discord on Steam Deck

What is the ‘only my devices’ and ‘only my friends’ option?

There are four major settings that can be used for PCs and Steam Decks when transferring a game. The default setting is ‘only my devices’, which allows you to transfer games only to devices on which you are logged in. The other three settings are as follows:

• Off: this setting will not allow the client to look for your device or transfer or download from any other PC connected via LAN.
• Only my friends: The setting will allow you to transfer from/to devices your steam friends that are connected to on the LAN.
• Any user: It will allow you to transfer from/to any user with a Steam account connected to the LAN.

Valve Corporation, which also owns Counter-Strike, partnered with AMD to create a custom APU for the device to improve on the handheld gaming experience. It comes with Zen 2 + RDNA 2, a powerful combination that makes the latest AAA gaming experience more efficient and smoother.

Read next: Best Steam Deck Accessories