It looks like Valve has quietly added a Steam feature that people have been asking for for a long time: the ability to add a game to your library without having to download it. It might seem like a small thing (and it really is), but it’s something that players have only been able to do in the past with workarounds that weren’t the most practical approach. It’s only a very useful feature when downloading free games, but it seems to have some uses outside of that as well.
This new Steam feature was not released in any kind of patch notes for Steam this week, so this scam feature was only noticed by people who shared their news online after their discovery. Twitter user robot brushFor example, take a screenshot of the option in the image below (which you may need to expand) which shows the usual Play Game button next to a new button that says Add to Library. Twitter user friend murwall Putting this into context for those who may not have understood what was going on from the first tweet alone.
Steam has added an “Add to Library” button without having to start the installation process. Finally a long time. https://t.co/rO5ywsJHLo
— Alejandro LL. (morwul) August 13, 2022
As others have pointed out in answers there and in other children where this feature has been discussed, this add to library option was already available to some extent. There was no dedicated button for this action, and to achieve a similar effect, players could finish downloading the game in the first confirmation window that appeared to add it to your library, but it was not downloaded at the time. This workaround is now basically condensed into the single button you see in the image above.
For paid games, this won’t really help because you’ll have to buy the game anyway before adding it to your library. But since free games are prevalent these days with no end to this monetization method in sight, this feature will only become more useful as more free games come out. This will also come in handy when claiming free DLC for a game you already own.
One caveat is that it doesn’t appear to be an option available on the Steam website at the moment and only exists within the Steam app itself. It’s also not clear if the Add to Library button is present on free or temporarily free games, as there are no games promoted in this way on Steam at the moment, but these shows are never far from each other, so we’ll see soon Whether the button works this way too.
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