Valve also reacts to the current situation and changes the update system from Steam. The corona pandemic and the associated quarantine measures are currently putting a heavy load on the network infrastructure. Many providers such as Netflix and YouTube have already throttled their transfer rates. The main aim of these measures is to keep the networks stable for workers who are currently in the home office.
The new update rules for Steam
Automated updates are affected. These will continue to take place, but the system will change as follows: Only for games that have been started within the last three days will the automatic updates be downloaded immediately. You can still update other titles manually, even when you start them, they are automatically updated.
Steam also gives tips on how to relieve your home connection yourself using the client options:
- Lays Time window for automatic updates so that the library does not update during working hours.
- Automatic updates can also be switched off or activated manually for individual games. To do this, select the game in your library with a right click and go to "Properties". Here you can set your preferences under the "Updates" tab.
- You can do that Limit connection speed to Steam manually. You can relieve your network during working hours.
- Steam suggests that you should move unused but already installed games to an external hard drive rather than uninstall them. If you want to play it again, you will have to download it from scratch, which in turn will burden the network.
You can find detailed instructions and other options on the Steam support page.
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The changes that Valve is making are less drastic than those of many streaming services. They shouldn't have any significant impact on your gaming experience, the download speeds are not affected – at least from the Steam side.
Coronavirus information and protections
The Federal Health Administration offers a comprehensive FAQ on the subject of coronavirus, as well as daily news and instructions on protection against infection. You can also reach the independent patient advice service on the following telephone number: 0800 011 77 22