How to Use the Offline Mode on Steam Deck

The offline mode allows access to games without internet connection

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Key notes

  • The Steam Deck offline mode allows you to play games without having an active connection.
  • Playing offline mode can cause data loss because your progress wonโ€™t save.
  • Steam Deck offline mode may prevent the system from fixing bugs.

The Steam Deck is a gaming handheld computer by Valve. It’s one of the best handheld PCs for gaming. However, using the Steam Deck mostly requires you to have a stable internet connection.

Downloading games from the Steam shame store, updating games, and many other things require it. Nonetheless, the Steam Deck Offline mode allows you to play games on the handheld without having an active connection.

Furthermore, the Steam Deck offline mode doesn’t require you to connect to the internet before accessing games. Hence, there are things that users must do before completely switching to the offline mode.

For instance, you need to open and load the games you want to play to download any updates, if available. Also, downloading games is not possible while in offline mode.

Moreover, there’s been controversy about Steam Deck offline mode vs. airplane mode. The offline mode doesn’t require you to toggle any settings on the device.

So, just disconnecting the internet allows Steam Deck to enter offline mode. It is a way to bypass the online requirements of games.

However, the Steam Deck Airplane mode is a feature available in the settings. It is a simulation of the commercial flight experience for an adult passenger. The user gets to experience and explores the airline travel experience in real-time.

Can I use the Steam Deck offline?

Users can play games on the Steam Deck while offline. In other words, you can navigate through some features without connecting to the internet. However, not every part of Steam Deck is accessible in the offline mode.

Nonetheless, users can enjoy playing several games on the Steam Deck while in offline mode. Although not all games support being played in the offline mode, users can bypass lots of online requirements in games by going offline.

You may be interested in reading our guidelines on downloading and installing multiple games at once on Steam.

How do I use the Steam Deck in offline mode?

Playing your favorite games on Steam Deck while not being connected to the internet is easy and can be done via Steam’s built-in Settings.

What you need to do is download your game with all the latest updates, uncheck the donโ€™t save account credentials on this computer option, and then enter Offline mode.

1. Log in to Steam while connected to the internet.

sign in to steam

2. Launch theย game you want to play offline, wait and see if it downloadsย any extra files.

3. After downloading theย entire game file, click theย Exit buttonย and go back to Steam.

4. Press theย Steam Deck buttonย and selectย Settingsย from the left tab.

steam deck button

5. Go toย Accountย and uncheck theย donโ€™t save account credentials on this computerย option.

6. From the main Steam window, selectย Steamย and click onย Go Offline. Doing this will make the games you opened earlier available in offline mode.

click to go offline in steam

Is Steam deck’s offline mode safe?

As good as the offline mode sounds, there are lots of things that can go wrong. Some problems you may encounter with the Steam Deck offline mode are data loss and the inability to access updates.

However, using this prevents your game history and progress from being saved to the cloud because there is no internet connection.

So, you won’t have any data backed up while playing in offline mode. Likewise, the game won’t be able to update because you are playing it in offline mode.

Furthermore, the offline mode prevents the handheld from having access to updates and patches for fixing bugs. When the Steam deck software is not up-to-date, it impedes its performance. Consequently, it can cause the Stream deck stuck in an offline mode error.

Why is my Steam Deck offline mode not working?

Several things may cause the Steam deck offline mode not working problem. However, some games are not available in offline mode because they require an active internet connection before you can play them.

Also, the Steam deck offline mode may not work if the game you want to play needs to download some extra files or requires an update.

So, users may encounter errors if they don’t follow the appropriate steps for using the offline mode.

Finally, users may find it beneficial to read through our article on how to fix Steam when it’s unable to sync files.

Also, we recommend that users facing the Steam download keep restarting to read through our article for easy fixes.

If Steam Deck can’t reach Steam servers, you might be forced to use the Offline Mode until you manage to resolve this issue.

You can leave your comments and suggestions in the comments below.

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