Steam finally lets you see how big a game is before you start downloading

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Valve has shipped a recent Steam update that should give gamers an improved user experience. The popular PC gaming platform finally added a feature that tells people how big a game is before they begin downloading.

Now, when you have a game in your Steam library that isn’t downloaded on your computer yet, the banner at the top with the Install button will tell you how much free space you’ll need to download the game. Previously, you wouldn’t know how big the game was until you started the download process.

We first noticed this Steam update thanks to a report from The Verge. And I noticed the handy new feature when I opened up Steam for the first time this morning. But chances are that this update is rolling out gradually to users. So it might not quite be available for everyone yet.

And this isn’t the only improvement that Valve has made to downloads on Steam. Specifically, the downloads page itself got a major overhaul back in September that gave users a lot more details and options for downloads and installations.

READ MORE: How to check how much space a Steam game needs before installing it

These updates arrived just in time for the release of Valve’s new Steam Deck handheld gaming device. Valve will ship the first batch of Steam Deck devices on February 28. And it looks like the company wants to improve the Steam UI to make the Steam Deck experience as good as possible.

While this isn’t a major UI overhaul by any means, it is definitely a welcome addition. Some game sizes are absolutely massive these days. And it’s nice to know how much storage space a game will take up before starting the download.

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