New Valve patent will allow for playing games before they have completed downloading

A newly discovered patent filed by Valve could mean players will be able to instantly start playing their games before they’ve finished downloading them. The patent was filed in March 2020 and published only recently.

Theoretically, this technology would work by locating which parts of the game are typically needed by players first. This could also improve loading times for larger games.

There is no official confirmation from Valve if this technology will actually be utilised or if it will be implemented into the upcoming Steam Deck console, a handheld PC comparable to the Nintendo Switch.