Valve pushed a new beta update for the Steam Deck, and it includes a feature players have wanted for a long time. The handheld now supports display-off downloads. The update is available in the Beta and Preview channel, and it lets the Deck continue downloading or updating games while the screen is off. This reduces battery drain that usually spikes during large downloads.
The new mode keeps the device in a low-power state as it finishes active downloads. When everything completes, the Deck goes to sleep automatically. The feature is on by default when the handheld is plugged in. Users can also enable it on battery by going to Settings, then Power.
Valve’s post explains how the mode works. When a download is active, pressing the power button brings up a small prompt asking if you want to keep downloading with the screen off. Selecting Continue puts the Deck in low-power mode while the download runs in the background. The handheld can also enter this mode automatically after a short idle period.
If the user taps a button during this state, a simple status screen appears with download progress. You can wake the full system or let it continue with the display off. When the Deck runs this mode on battery, it drops into full sleep at twenty percent to prevent a complete drain.
The update also fixes issues with SteamOS updates that failed under some proxy configurations. Remote Play gets a small correction too, bringing back the performance graph during streaming.
The display-off download mode is a practical step for users who update large libraries or travel with spotty power access. Valve is rolling it out through the beta channel before a full release.