Running a steam game without steam

[Nover]

I'm looking to run a game I have on steam, like ARK Survival Evolved, without ever looking at steam. Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

[Theblaze]

Pretty much all games on steam requires steam, there are few games you can run without having steam running in the background.

Originally posted by Nover:

[...] Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

Depends if the game is available elsewhere like GOG and such otherwise no, it's not possible to put your games elsewhere.

[ReBoot]

Start the game from Windows' start menu. Or stop playing drama queen.

[Nover]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Start the game from Windows' start menu. Or stop playing drama queen.

Maybe you could explain your stupid ass answer?

[Start_Running]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Start the game from Windows' start menu. Or stop playing drama queen.

This. When you install a game you have the option of creating a desktop shortcut, and a startmenu icon. If you did not you can simply do that from the library.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by Nover:

Originally posted by ReBoot:

Start the game from Windows' start menu. Or stop playing drama queen.

Maybe you could explain your stupid ass answer?

A stupid answer is required for a stupid person. You are asking to play a steam game OUTSIDE of steam. If you are wanting to do that, search in google for other places that would have the games which you want to play, not exactly rocket science.

[Spawn of Totoro]

Originally posted by Nover:

I'm looking to run a game I have on steam, like ARK Survival Evolved, without ever looking at steam. Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

You can have Steam start minimized with your system and keep a desktop icon on your desktop for ARK. Then you can start ARK with out having to look or think about Steam.

The developers require Steam running for the game. There is no way around that. You could get ARK for the PS4, XBOX or Switch if you want to avoid Steam altogether.

[isomorphic_projection]

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

Originally posted by Nover:

I'm looking to run a game I have on steam, like ARK Survival Evolved, without ever looking at steam. Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

You can have Steam start minimized with your system and keep a desktop icon on your desktop for ARK. Then you can start ARK with out having to look or think about Steam.

The developers require Steam running for the game. There is no way around that. You could get ARK for the PS4, XBOX or Switch if you want to avoid Steam altogether.

Doesn't matter anymore, last update. Reversed the memory usage. Small mode now uses more RAM then big mode.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by isomorphic_projection:

Originally posted by Spawn of Totoro:

You can have Steam start minimized with your system and keep a desktop icon on your desktop for ARK. Then you can start ARK with out having to look or think about Steam.

The developers require Steam running for the game. There is no way around that. You could get ARK for the PS4, XBOX or Switch if you want to avoid Steam altogether.

Doesn't matter anymore, last update. Reversed the memory usage. Small mode now uses more RAM then big mode.

Despite that is untrue, Totoro also suggested that op could go to a different platform to play the game.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by Nover:

I'm looking to run a game I have on steam, like ARK Survival Evolved, without ever looking at steam. Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

Some possibilities:

1. Check the web to see whether the game is known to be DRM-free on Steam. If so, they may tell you how to get it working.

2. You can try running the game executable while Steam is off. (For example, don't start Steam, or exit Steam -- not just the window, but make sure you right-click the tray icon for this.) It may or may not run, depending on whether it requires Steam.

3. If these don't work, buy the game from a DRM-free source. If you can't, ask the publisher to release it on a DRM-free store.

I mean, you're essentially asking to circumvent Steam being a means of DRM (i.e. "digital rights management", or basically copyright controls).

Steam has four forms of DRM, from what I understand:

* "soft DRM", which is basically no DRM, aside from just the conveniences/perks of the Steam platform (e.g. install management, cloud saves, trading cards, etc.)
* games that don't run (or don't run right) because they make Steam API calls and if Steam isn't running they fall flat on their face. If a game depends on Steam for multiplayer, it probably belongs in this category.
* Steam Wrapper DRM, which according to its details (linked here) says it obfuscates some of the game's stuff.
* Steam CEG, or custom executable generation, which I think means that the game executable that Steam installs is tied to the hardware and won't work if you bring it to any other hardware.

The first one is true DRM-free games on Steam.

If there exist any ways to circumvent the others, discussing them is probably not allowed here anyway. Except maybe the second, if the dev confirms that they intend the copy to be DRM-free. (Which has happened to me once.)

[Nec]

You can check if it will run without steam by closing steam completely. Then go to your steam directory in windows explorer, steamapps/common/YourGame . From there just run the .exe of the game you are trying to use without steam. If it works it works, if it doesn't it'll most likely tell you to load steam or something.

[ClintonCM]

Originally posted by Nover:

I'm looking to run a game I have on steam, like ARK Survival Evolved, without ever looking at steam. Is it possible to put my games somewhere else, and never think of steam again?

Why?

[eram]

when moderators are telling you to leave steam and play on console you know it's bad.

[feytharn]

Originally posted by eram:

when moderators are telling you to leave steam and play on console you know it's bad.

Which, of course, he didn't. He just told him that this is the one way to play Ark without using Steam.

[eram]

Originally posted by feytharn:

Originally posted by eram:

when moderators are telling you to leave steam and play on console you know it's bad.

Which, of course, he didn't. He just told him that this is the one way to play Ark without using Steam.

As opposed to playing with steam, so without steam. What you trying to say? I just said without steam aka console. You just agreeing with me.

[feytharn]

Originally posted by eram:

Originally posted by feytharn:

Which, of course, he didn't. He just told him that this is the one way to play Ark without using Steam.

As opposed to playing with steam, so without steam. What you trying to say?

He did not tell him to leave Steam and play on console. He told him that if he wanted to (leave/not use) Steam and play Ark, he could only do so on console. That is something very different.