Valve has made some changes to Steam in order to reduce bandwidth use while people are at home in lockdown and self-isolation.

As announced in an update, games that have been played in the last three days will get an immediate update. For other games, an update will have to be requested. There is also the option of using the download manager for other updates.

"We know a lot of you (like us here at Valve) are stuck at home right now trying to work or attend school remotely," said Valve.

"Or maybe you're just playing a bunch of great games on Steam. Whatever the case may be, we know that with so many people at home trying to get things done at the same time, it can put a stress on your home’s internet bandwidth.

"With that in mind, we thought it was a good time to remind everyone of some of the features the Steam client offers relating to downloads, so that you can manage your home bandwidth and help everyone in your house handle this unique situation we all find ourselves in."

On top of the changes made by Steam, users can make their changes to better their bandwidth. It is recommended that they schedule auto-update windows, choose to not have automatic updates for games that are not played frequently and "self-throttle your own connection to Steam."

Last week, two games were made free on Steam as the publishers wanted to make self-isolation during the Covid-19 outbreak easier. Furthermore, Steam broke its simultaneous active player record – 7.25 million.