Since there is almost no country in the world right now operating normally and we are all stuck in our homes, video games is a lot of people's go-to time-consuming activity. However, with the incredible amount of people downloading new games to play, going through their backlog, or updating their library, it takes its toll on your home’s internet bandwidth. Valve decided to change Steam's auto-update feature to accommodate for the sudden influx in players.
From now on, Steam will move the updates related to some of the titles you haven't played recently to the platform's "next off-peak local time period." Not only that, it will even automatically spread out these updates over several days. As for games you regularly play, the platform will automatically update the titles you played within the last three days, and as usual whenever you launch a game.
All of these so far are automatic changes done for those who don't know where to change their update schedules and behaviors, which is why Steam gave everyone a quick guide on where to go and what to do if you want to limit the bandwidth used by the platform, scheduled updates, and more. There are several pieces of advice on how players can help ease the load on internet service providers during these tough times, including self-throttling your connection, and moving infrequently played title from SSD to HDD storage.
Valve isn't the first to try and help internet service providers during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Sony recently announced lowering download speeds for European PlayStation Network users, followed by American network users a few days later. Microsoft has also announced it is taking steps, limiting the ability for users to change avatars and changing when updates are rolled out.
Read more about how the COVID-19 novel coronavirus is affecting the gaming world at our Coronavirus Gaming Convention Cancellations and Game Delays Hub.
What do you think of Steam's latest changes to their auto-update system? How much will it help internet service providers with the amount of players flooding in to spend their time playing video games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
