For RAGE, we’ll be using Steamworks for activation. You’ll simply need to be online once (per PC you’re using) to activate the game. Once the game is activated via Steamworks, you can take Steam into offline mode.

I can confirm that Skyrim will be using Steamworks. We'll have more details soon.

What is Steam and SteamWorks?
Steam is a Digital Distribution (DD) and Digital Rights Management (DRM) platform used to distribute, update and play games online. Its main purpose is to allow players to buy games online and download them directly to their PCs with the Steam client, but it's also used by games distributed on physical media, such as DVD discs. Games that use Steamworks, which includes Steam-activated physical DVD discs, are activated online using the Steam client, and can't be launched without the Steam client running alongside the game. Thus the Steam client is required for both physical DVD and digital installations; it will be installed automatically for DVD installations from the disc, and there is no difference in the resulting install whether Skyrim is purchased online through Steam or on physical DVD. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_%28software%29 for more information.

Do I need Steam to run Skyrim on PC?
Yes. Skyrim is strictly tied to Steam for both physical retail DVD discs and online digital-only purchases. To play Skyrim, you launch the Steam client and then launch Skyrim from the Steam library, leaving the Steam client running in the background. Directly launching the Skyrim executable found in the Steam folder will also launch the Steam client, as Steam is hooked into the Skyrim executable.

Can I just run Skyrim without Steam running in the background?
No. The Steam client must be running to play Skyrim, and discussion on circumventing Steam by running Skyrim by any other means will not be allowed within these forums.

Do I need to be connected to the internet to activate Skyrim?
Yes. There is no such thing as offline activation.

Do I need to be connected to the internet to play Skyrim?
No. Steam is able to run in offline mode, meaning that you need to get online only once to activate Skyrim and install any required updates/patches, and don't need to be connected to the internet to play it. See https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=3160-AGCB-2555 for the official guide, and the last entry in this FAQ for more detailed instructions on how to set the Steam client to offline mode so that it can stay offline for a long time. The Steam client is often updated, and the offline mode is known to be still a little buggy nowadays, hence it is advisable follow the latter instructions to set the client in permanent offline mode once you have activated Skyrim if you need extended offline time, and regardless of any further Steam client updates.

I have preordered my physical DVD copy of Skyrim; how am I supposed to install it? Do I need to install the Steam client first?
No. What you're actually installing when you completely install Skyrim from the DVD is the Steam client itself (as long as you haven't installed Steam in your system yet), which will then automatically copy the required game files from the DVD to your hard drive. You'll be asked to enter your Steam account name and password to log onto Steam authentication servers, then setup will start. If you don't have a Steam account you'll be asked to register one before installing Skyrim. Note that some of the files may be pulled from the internet through the Steam client to complete the installation, rather than all being on the DVD.

I want to order the Collector's Edition of Skyrim, but I don't have an optical/DVD drive. Will I still be able to install it when it arrives?
Yes, as long as you have a broadband internet connection. You can activate the DVD key of any SteamWorks game, including Skyrim, in your Steam client and download and install it over the internet without ever needing the DVD at all.

I have purchased a copy of Skyrim through Direct2Drive, GamersGate or some other digital download portal, not a physical DVD version. Won't that be different from the Steam version? Will they be incompatible for modding?
No. There will be no difference nor incompatibility. Skyrim is exclusively on the Steam platform. These sites are selling Steam activation codes for Skyrim, similar to the SteamWorks DVD key. When you buy a code, you will activate it in your Steam client, which will then download and install Skyrim, just as if it was bought through Steam. So, there will be no difference from a version bought directly through Steam itself.

Where am I supposed to install Skyrim?
Any Steam game is always installed into the main Steam folder without prompting for install location. However, you may choose where to install the Steam client itself, which will determine the install location.

What if an update/patch comes out? May I just download the patch and install it, with the Steam client still set in offline mode?
No. There will be no manual updates or patches available for download anywhere; the only way to update Skyrim is to get online and let the Steam client download the updates for you. Then you will able to get back offline and play Skyrim as usual.

I'm on a slow/dial-up internet connection. Can I still activate Skyrim when I install from physical DVD disc? Will I be able to download required updates/patches?
Possibly. You will be able to activate Skyrim on a slow or dial-up connection. Steam activation data files are usually in the order of a few megabytes, so should only take a few minutes to download. However, at activation time it is required to install any required updates/patches.

Will I be able to play Skyrim as soon as it releases?
Yes. There will be more details on preloading Skyrim on Steam closer to release.

I have a question or concern about Steam, or DRM in general, that's not answered here.
Then you're encouraged to refer to the Unofficial Steam/DRM Discussion found in the http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/forum/18-community-discussion/ forum or visit the http://store.steampowered.com/forums/.

Thanks to dAB for helping put together this FAQ

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Discussing or linking to P2P content within this forum is prohibited. Given the nature of these resources and their use with piracy, under no circumstances can they be linked to within our forums. Violations of these rules will result in a warning or account suspension.

Bittorrent links and discussion are prohibited within our forums, with exception to use of bittorrent links relating to modded content (from clean torrents). Violations relating to bittorrent content will result in a warning/suspension. Similarly, we do not allow discussion methods of circumventing the Steam check or of Cracks that violate the terms of a game's EULA. Open admission to pirating copyrighted materials will result in an account ban.

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What effect could steam have on your ability to make an unofficial patch?

The fact that the CK requires Steam for one. You have to factor that in whether you like it or not. If it messes with using the CK as much as it messes with the game, it won't be easy at all and some of us might just decide it isn't worth the hassle.

I don't like people telling me what to do with my property, so of course I absolutely despise Steam.

Beside the above, Steam removes the pressure that Valve, as a gaming company, would otherwise be exposed to, to release games regularly -- which is why it's taking forever and a half for another HL, for instance, to come out. I'm not okay with that, either; that kind of "relaxed" attitude toward development just strikes me as "laziness".

I don't like people telling me what to do with my property, so of course I absolutely despise Steam.

It isn't your property, you just own a licence.

It isn't your property, you just own a licence.

I don't like people telling me what to do with my property, so of course I absolutely despise Steam.

Beside the above, Steam removes the pressure that Valve, as a gaming company, would otherwise be exposed to, to release games regularly -- which is why it's taking forever and a half for another HL, for instance, to come out. I'm not okay with that, either; that kind of "relaxed" attitude toward development just strikes me as "laziness".

valve release loads of games what are you talking about

Such as? The special bundles of indie games that they put together in support of their own IPs don't count.

They release about one or two a year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valve_Corporation#Games

I see one a year for the passed four years, one of which, L4D2, is a sequel so it doesn't need much work. L4D/2 are simple games. Alien Swarm is a simple game, too. That leaves Portal 2, which, while rather complex, is short.

Their output is not what it would be were it not for Steam.

Moving along.

Nope. The install on the game disk is actually missing about 200 MB of files that you must get from steam. Looks to be intentional. So when you connect to steam to get those files, it grabs the updates as well.

Here's a valid question I got from another thread: What evidence leads you to believe this is missing content rather than a 0-day patch?

I see one a year for the passed four years, one of which, L4D2, is a sequel so it doesn't need much work. L4D/2 are simple games. Alien Swarm is a simple game, too. That leaves Portal 2, which, while rather complex, is short.

Their output is not what it would be were it not for Steam.

Moving along.

how many games do you think they should be releasing then

So the CK requires steam to start big deal so does the game, and if liking it or not is a factor it apparently doesn't matter since I haven't heard anyone quit the team due to it requiring steam.

Also how exactly does it "mess" with the game? I've seen you claim this a couple times but I've seen no evidence.

Depends on your jursdiction and the contract you signed during the transaction.

It's a big deal because it wasn't necessary to begin with. For the CK or the game. Skyrim is a single player sandbox, not a multiplayer online game. It has zero need for any of the junk that Steam brings along for the ride.

I've seen more than enough evidence of it in the hundreds (maybe thousands now) of posts in the support forums, and on forums elsewhere too numerous to count. ALL DRM consumes resources above and beyond the game it's tied to. Steam is no different. Those resources, when combined with an already uber-demanding title, can exhaust what you have available in a flash.

This is what's leading to so many people complaining about crashes and other general instability. Not Bethesda's defective code. Not bad drivers. The DRM. Those of us who spent the bulk of our time playing under the 1.1 patch that didn't have the stealth DRM update applied enjoyed a game with no crashes to speak of, and no lag to speak of either.

While I have yet to experience a crash after allowing Steam to update me ( I waited for official LAA support ), it has introduced lag due to the DRM and constant network traffic that wasn't present before. Getting it to play nice and remain in offline mode simply hasn't worked, despite numerous claims that such things actually do. This kind of crap is exactly what I didn't want to have to deal with, and now I'll have to deal with it doubly so when the CK is out. It's seriously enough to make me question why I bothered with all this and didn't just stay with the 1.1 setup and use SkyEdit instead.

Your claim of hundreds if not thousands of steam issues sounds dubious at best.

I'm sorry if I'm coming across super pro-steam, or something, I'm not, I've just seen nothing backing up these claims. My problems with steam rest solely with how they operate.

Dubious only because you don't want to see it.


Been down this road dozens of times and don't care to travel it again for your sake. I've also been over this whole "I'm not pro-Steam" crap before too, only to find that I was dealing with someone who was being disingenuous at best. It simply isn't worth the time to rehash it all over again when there's dozens of threads about it right here on the forum, and 25 threads here in this specific one dealing with all the problems Steam causes.

Ah, perhaps you refer to the one I certainly didn't sign. Unless you mean the promise I made to Amazon.com to pay them for a product rather than something mated to malware.