How will Steam Deck’s Dynamic Cloud Sync feature work?

With the Steam Deck set to have its official launch next week, Valve has added a new feature for cloud sharing, which will bring in a lot of quality of life for users.

The new feature, known as Dynamic Cloud Sync, will carry over progress from the user’s deck to their PC or any other Deck that they wish to log into with their profiles.

What’s impressive about this feature is that it will carry over the saves when their deck is in "suspend mode" and the game in question is not fully exited.

In the latest Steam blog post, Valve will go over all the feature updates for Dynamic Cloud Sync and what players can expect from it when the Steam Deck finally goes live in February 2022.

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Steam Deck’s Dynamic Cloud Sync is a game-changer

The device's Dynamic Cloud Sync will automatically upload all the “all modified save game data” to the cloud, according to the blog. This, in turn, will allow players to pick up the game where they left off if they decide to continue the title on their PC or any other Deck.

Additionally, the handheld gaming device will also automatically download saved updates when taking it out of suspended mode. It will instantly sync with the latest save upon waking up, providing a seamless transition between the two platforms.

This, according to many in the community, is a game-changer and will be one of the biggest selling points for Valve’s upcoming device. A seamless cloud experience is something that companies like Nintendo have struggled with over the years. If Valve can get it right, then the Steam Deck is most definitely something gamers, both casual and professional, will fawn over.

Also, while Dynamic Cloud Sync will be free to use, it will not be automatically implemented into the device or the game. Developers will be required to integrate dynamic cloud save APIs into their titles and then launch an updated version for the platform.

Fortunately, even if Dynamic Cloud Sync is not active, SteamOS will automatically track players' progress on their deck. Valve points out in the blog:

“Any user who suspends their Deck while your game is running and then tries to resume the game on a different device will be prompted to first return to their Deck to close the running process or continue without their most recent save game progress.”

Hence, without the dynamic feature, players will still be able to track their progress and save across platforms, but they will only be able to launch the game on PC or another Deck if the title has been properly shut down on the initial device.