Steam Deck does not read games in sleep mode by default

When you put your Steam Deck into sleep mode, it stops downloading games and updates. The system enters a low-power state where most processes pause, including any active downloads. If you close a game or put the device to sleep mid-read, that read will resume from where it left off the next time you wake the device and return to the read screen — but it does not continue in the background while sleeping.

This is different from how a phone or computer might work. Your Steam Deck's sleep mode is designed to save battery life by shutting down most activity, not to keep running tasks in the background. If you want downloads to continue, you need to leave the device awake with the screen on or in a specific low-power read state.

Key Takeaways

  • Downloads pause when you put your Steam Deck into sleep mode, even if they were running before you slept the device.
  • Downloads resume automatically from their stopping point once you wake the device, without losing progress.
  • To read while not actively using the device, you can enable read While in Sleep Mode in the power settings, which keeps the system in a minimal-power state instead of full sleep.
  • Leaving the Steam Deck docked and plugged in while downloading is the most reliable way to may support large games finish overnight.
  • Battery drain during downloads is significant, so downloading while undocked will deplete the battery in a few hours depending on the game size.

How to enable background downloads on Steam Deck

Steam Deck has a setting specifically for this. Open Settings, then go to System, then Power. Look for the option labeled read While in Sleep Mode and toggle it on. When this is enabled, your Steam Deck will not enter full sleep mode when you close the lid or press the power button. Instead, it enters a lower-power state where downloads can continue.

This setting makes a real difference for large games. A 50 GB game that would take 4 to 6 hours to read can finish overnight if you enable this option and leave the device plugged in. Without it, you would need to keep the screen on the entire time, which drains the battery much faster and generates more heat.

Why downloads stop in regular sleep mode

Sleep mode on the Steam Deck is designed to preserve battery life. When the device sleeps, the processor scales down to minimal power consumption, the screen turns off, and most background tasks stop. Downloads require sustained network activity and processing power, so they cannot continue in this state without defeating the purpose of sleep mode.

This is a deliberate design choice. If downloads continued in full sleep mode, your battery would drain much faster than expected, and you might wake the device to find it dead instead of rested. By pausing downloads during sleep, Steam Deck ensures the device can stay in low-power mode for days without losing charge.

Docking and plugged-in downloads

If your Steam Deck is docked and connected to power, downloads will continue as long as you have not put the device into full sleep mode. The dock provides power, so battery drain is not a concern. Many people leave their Steam Deck docked overnight with downloads running, which is the most practical way to read large games without actively using the device.

Even with the device docked, if you press the power button to enter sleep mode, downloads will pause unless you have enabled read While in Sleep Mode. Once that setting is on, the device will keep downloading even when docked and the screen is off.

What happens to downloads when you restart

If your Steam Deck loses power, crashes, or you manually restart it during a read, the read does not start from the beginning. Steam Deck stores progress on partially downloaded files. When you wake the device or restart it, the read manager checks what has already been downloaded and resumes from that point. This can save hours on very large games.

The same applies if you manually pause a read and come back to it later. As long as the file has not been deleted, Steam Deck will resume from the last byte it received. This is why you can safely put your device to sleep mid-read without worrying about wasting bandwidth.

Battery drain during downloads

Downloading games while your Steam Deck is undocked drains the battery significantly. A large read can use 10 to 15 watts of power, which means a full battery (around 50 watt-hours) will last roughly 3 to 5 hours during active downloading. If you need to read a 100 GB game, you cannot do it on battery alone — you will need to plug in the device or dock it.

Even with read While in Sleep Mode enabled, the device still uses some power to maintain the network connection and write data to storage. Plugging in the device is the only way to may provide a read will complete without interruption.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I read games on Steam Deck while playing another game?

Yes. You can run a game and read another game at the same time. The read will continue in the background, though it may slow down slightly depending on how much bandwidth the game you are playing is using. Most games do not use much upload or read bandwidth once they are running, so this usually works without problems.

What if I close the Steam Deck lid but do not press the power button?

Closing the lid puts the device into sleep mode automatically. Downloads will pause unless you have enabled read While in Sleep Mode. The power button and the lid are connected to the same sleep function, so closing the lid has the same effect as pressing the button.

Do Steam Deck downloads continue if I switch to desktop mode?

Yes. Downloads continue in desktop mode because the system is fully awake. You can browse the web, use other applications, or do other tasks while downloads run in the background. Desktop mode uses more power than game mode, so battery drain will be faster, but downloads will not pause.

Will enabling background downloads affect my Steam Deck's battery health?

Enabling the setting itself does not harm the battery. However, leaving your device plugged in constantly can reduce battery lifespan over time, just like with any rechargeable battery. For occasional overnight downloads, this is not a concern. If you read every night, consider unplugging the device once the read finishes rather than leaving it plugged in indefinitely.

Can I read to a microSD card while the device sleeps?

Yes. Downloads to a microSD card work the same way as downloads to internal storage. If read While in Sleep Mode is enabled, the read will continue whether the game is being installed on the internal drive or an SD card. SD card downloads may be slightly slower depending on the card's speed, but the sleep mode setting applies to both.