DLC
Downloadable content · Add-on
DLC, or downloadable content, is extra content for a game you already own, such as an expansion, new levels or characters, that installs on top of the base game and cannot be played without it.
DLC is sold or given away separately from the game it belongs to. Valve’s documentation for developers lists the usual kinds: expansions, new maps or levels, extra characters, and supplementary items such as artbooks or wallpapers. It can be free or paid.
On Steam, DLC does not appear as a separate game in your library. The platform treats it as part of the game once you own it: the base game shows as one entry, the add-ons are listed in its properties, and Steam updates and installs them together with the game.
DLC matters when you decide what to buy. A “complete” or “deluxe” edition usually bundles the base game with some of its DLC, and a season pass is a promise of DLC that has not all been released yet.
It also follows its own refund rule on Steam. A DLC purchase can be refunded within 14 days if the base game has been played for less than 2 hours since the DLC was bought, and the content has not been used up, changed or transferred. Some third-party DLC is marked non-refundable on the store page. The full rules are in our guide to Steam refunds.
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