Guide for gamers: Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 + Steam

Every gamer knows what Steam is and more than likely uses it. Steam accounts are also bought and sold for real money, which makes them very attractive to cybercriminals. We’ve already discussed this and made a simple recommendation: If you like computer games, don’t neglect cybersecurity. That means you should never turn off your antivirus while gaming or chatting. Never!

From time to time, however, people complain that antivirus software slows down their computers, affecting their gaming. That’s why we want to explain how to set up Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 to work effectively and without slowing down Steam or other game libraries.

Our developers have marked Steam as a trusted group in all our solutions by default. That’s why Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 doesn’t affect games and Steam performance if you haven’t changed these settings manually.

But sometimes Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 blocks some software from launching. This might happen if, for example, you downloaded a program from an unknown source. If you think that Kaspersky Internet Security 2017 is blocking Steam or Steam games, check the Application Restriction rules.

How to set up network rules for Steam in Kaspersky Internet Security

1. Open Kaspersky Internet Security 2017, then choose Settings → Protection → Firewall.

2. Choose Configure application rules.

3. Make sure all Steam executable files are allowed.

You’ll find more in our Knowledge Base on how to use Firewall in Kaspersky Internet Security 2017.

Appropriate network rules will ensure that your security solution will not stop Steam and Steam games from connecting to the Internet. Now we turn to local access privileges.

How to modify Steam application rights

1. Open Kaspersky Internet Security 2017. Choose Settings → Protection → Application control.

2. In Rules for applications, personal data protection, click the Manage applications link.

3. Find Steam (e.g., in the Valve folder). Right-click it and choose Details and rules.

Set the rules for Steam. You can see how to do that here.

Improve system performance

1. Open Kaspersky Internet Security 2017. Choose Settings → Performance.

2. Set up the parameters as in the screenshot below.

Now the antivirus will not scan your operating system for viruses or show notifications when you’re playing computer games. Its influence on frame rate is also minimized. You can find out more in our Knowledge Base about how to improve computer performance using Kaspersky Internet Security 2017.