How do I Activate, Download and Play my games in Steam?

After you have installed the Steam Client, created a Steam account and logged into it,  you can then activate your games. 

* For a reminder please read [How do I install Steam?] and [How do I create a Steam Account?]

Once a game is activated on a Steam account it can't be activated in another Steam account, it is locked to that Steam account. 

If you wish to install and play your games on a different computer then simply download Steam onto that computer, Login to your Steam account, then download the game. 

Method 1 - How to activate from within your Fanatical account
[fastest if you're logged into your Fanatical account]

1. From within your Fanatical.com Account, click on 'Your Account' in the top right of our website, then 'Order History and Keys'.
   
   
2. Find the order that contains the key you want to redeem and click on 'View Order and Keys' to access it.   
   
   
3. Find the individual game that you would like to activate from this order and click on 'Reveal Key', the key for the order will be unlocked and displayed on the screen.
   
   
4. Click on 'Redeem' and you will be taken to Steam to redeem your key.
   
    - Log into Steam if you are prompted for your Username and Password
   
   
5. Confirm the product code is correctly entered in the box...
   
   
   
   
6. Click on 'Continue' and your game will be added to your Steam library. 
7. Once the key is added you can close the website and run the Steam Windows/Mac client. 
   You are not able to download games to your computer from the website. 
   See below 'How do I download and install my game'

 
Method 2 - If you only have the Steam key
[fastest if you don't have access to your Fanatical account]

If you don't have a Fanatical account or you only have the Steam key has been gifted to you then visit:
https://store.steampowered.com/account/registerkey to activate your key. 

Method 3 - Activate your key from with the Steam game client
Make sure you've installed the Steam Game Client onto your Windows PC or Mac.   You'll need this to download the game after the key is activated so if Steam's not installed and you need help then please click to read this 'How to install Steam' article.

1. Run Steam and click on the [+] in the bottom left and choose 'Activate a game on Steam'.

2. Follow the prompts and enter your product key when asked.    The game will then be added to your game library. 

3. Follow the advice, 'How to Download and Install my game' below.

How to Download and Install my game

1. If Steam isn't already running then Run the Steam Client on your computer:
   1. In Windows click on START or the Windows flag in the bottom left of the screen
      - Type STEAM and then choose Steam from the list.
   2. On Mac, hold the Command button and tap Space. 
      - Type STEAM in the box and then choose Steam from the list.
2. Log into Steam if you aren't already logged in. 
3. Choose 'Library' to see your list of games.
4. Choose the game you wish to install and click on it.
5. Choose 'Install' to install the game.
6. Follow the on-screen prompts.

How do I play my game

Once a game is downloaded, use the Steam Client to play the game. 

1. If Steam isn't already running then Run the Steam Client on your computer:
   1. In Windows click on START or the Windows flag in the bottom left of the screen
      - Type STEAM and then choose Steam from the list.
   2. On Mac, hold the Command button and tap Space. 
      - Type STEAM in the box and then choose Steam from the list.
      
      
2. Log into Steam if you aren't already logged in. 
3. Choose 'Library' to see your list of games.
4. Choose the game you wish to install and click on it.
5. Choose 'Play' to play the game.
   
   
   
   
6. You can alternatively use the game shortcuts on your desktop to start the game if you created one during the installation.

If your game includes extra Downloadable Content, this article explains where you'll find it.