Valve has been delaying adding this feature to Steam for years, so users are creating their own tools to improve downloading files

As a dedicated Steam gamer, I’ve noticed that Valve is continually working on enhancements for their digital store. While they’re making great strides, there’s one feature we’ve been eagerly waiting for that hasn’t been implemented yet – automatic computer shutdown upon completion of game downloads or updates. So, in the spirit of community innovation, Steam enthusiasts have taken matters into their own hands and added this modest but useful novelty to our gaming experience!

It’s worth noting that Avaneesh13 isn’t the pioneer of this concept. In fact, similar tools have been developed earlier, some even on platforms like Steam or Reddit. Occasionally, web users also suggest employing command-line methods.

On the other hand, it appears that users are encountering difficulties with both options. The initial solution raises apprehension because it requires file downloads from unofficial sources.

From another perspective, the second option demands the usage of the command line interface, which might seem intimidating to some users due to its association with messing around with Command Prompt (it’s not overly complicated, but the average user may feel uneasy about it). Primarily, the user can only schedule a system shutdown after a specified time. However, if you’re planning to download large amounts of data (such as when using this feature extensively), even brief fluctuations in internet speed could cause the download to take longer than initially indicated by Steam.

Returning to the Avaneesh13 tool: SteamDown allows you to schedule a time for the application to close Steam, or even the whole system, if there’s no activity related to downloading for some time. Additionally, the user has the option to fully shut down the system or just put it in sleep mode.

For details, refer to the internet user’s post, which you can find on Reddit.

Did Valve forget about this feature?

Some players are puzzled as to why Valve hasn’t implemented this feature for over a decade, given that they’ve been asking for it. Back in the day, you could find discussions where individuals expressed their discomfort about leaving their computers on overnight because they needed to wait several hours for games or updates to download. With the significant increase in game sizes over the years, even with faster internet connections, a single game can still take an extremely long time to download.

It’s evident that the proprietor of Steam values the development of his platform significantly. In more recent times, Valve has rolled out a multitude of fixes, enhancements, and new features for their store and game library. However, the ability to automatically shut down the system post-download is yet to be implemented on Steam. Could it be unveiled this year? Regrettably, at present, users must rely on informal solutions.

2025-06-26 13:02

Did Valve forget about this feature?

Read More