Steam is one of the most popular gaming platforms for PC games. You can directly buy games from the Steam store or add a new game if you have purchased the product key from another store. On Steam, you can also buy the DLC of a game, or you can activate them if you have an activation (product) key of the DLC. In this article, we will guide you through adding and installing a DLC on Steam in a few simple clicks.
How to Install DLC (Downloadable Content) on Steam
Step 1. Launch the Steam app and click on the ‘Library‘ to select your game.
Step 2. Click on the ‘Store page’ to buy a DLC, or if the DLC is available for free, you can directly select the desired DLC and download it to the next page.
Step 3. Click on ‘Download‘ to install the game, please note the “Download’ option will be available only after the purchase of the DLC
Step 4. Once downloaded, the DLC will be automatically installed in your base game, and you can find it inside your game.
If you want to ensure whether the DLC is installed on your PC or not, click on settings cogwheel at the home page, and select Properties.
You can find a separate tab for DLC at the right side on the next screen
here you can find the DLCs that are installed and ready to play.
How to install DLC on Steam using Product Code
If you have bought DLC for a steam game through a third party store, you can easily add it to your Steam Library and install it in few simple clicks.
Step 1. Click on ADD A GAME
Step 2. Click Next to accept the terms and then entire the Unique Product Key you have, after entering the Keys click on Next and you will receive the successful activation of your DLC.
Now, after adding the DLC, you can follow the same steps from 2 to 3 to download and install the new DLC. After the successfull activation of the DLC, you can found the ‘Download’ option on the store page.
How to troubleshoot DLC issues on Steam
- Unfinished download/install: One of the important reasons for issues accessing DCLs in-game is an unfinished DLC or not correctly installed.
To fix this issue, check the download section of Steam Library and try a fresh re-install to fix any issues with the download or a corrupted file. - Validate the game flies: Any issue with accessing the locally stored game files also creates problems with launching DLCs in-game. Click on settings cogwheel at the game page, then click on Local Files. After that, you will see options to check the downloaded files, click on ‘VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILE.’ It will recheck and validate the downloaded files and eliminate any issue with the locally stored files
- Restart Computer and reconnect with Steam Client: Sometimes, and important changes in a program do not validate properly until rebooting/restarting the computer. If everything seems alright yet the game does not work, go ahead and reboot your computer to and launch the steam client. It will fix any issue related to the computer that was interrupting with the DLCs.
Finally, if nothing works to fix an issue with DLC on Steam, it may be a bug or a unique issue related to this particular game. Fortunately, such issues usually have specific workaround developed or found by the fellow gamer or concerned game support Head out to the Steam community to find a thread related to this issue and utilize the given workaround to fix it.
You can also reach out to the “Steam Support” for any specific issue related to DLC or any Game.
Stacy is the Hardware Editor at Get Ignite. She worked for a number of leading tech publications, including Engadget, PCMag, Laptop, and Tech Times, where she served as the Managing Editor. Her writing has appeared in Spin, Wired, Playboy, Entertainment Weekly, The Onion, Boing Boing, Publishers Weekly, The Daily Beast and various other publications. She hosts the weekly Boing Boing interview podcast RiYL, has appeared as a regular NPR contributor and shares her Queens apartment with a rabbit named Lucy.