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I bought The Sims 3 last year, and now I wanted to put it on Steam, so it's easier to launch and so I have access to a premium account. I'm given two options: Activate a product on Steam, or Add a Non-Steam game. The Sims 3 can be purchased, but I can't activate it. I've been entering the code on the back of the booklet for a while now, I've looked at it carefully and I'm entering it right. When I add a non-Steam game, I don't know what to add. I go to my Program Files, and go to the Sims 3 Game bin, and there are 3 applications. Sims3Launcher, TS3, and S3Launcher. I'm not sure what to add, and when I tried one, it considered it a Non-Steam game. Does anyone have some advice? Thanks in advance.

Any game that you add that way is going to be considered a non steam game unfortunately.

Well is there a way to activate it? I've been trying the code on the back of the manual, but is that the only way?

If you didn't buy it on steam, it's never going to think it's a steam game. To verify it with steam, you would have had to have bought it with steam.

Well, poop. So even if I buy TF2 for $10 on Amazon, I still can't use Steam?
Edit: Wait, if I buy it on a DVD, can I still get updates and other things like that?

Wonderboy wrote:Well, poop. So even if I buy TF2 for $10 on Amazon, I still can't use Steam?
Edit: Wait, if I buy it on a DVD, can I still get updates and other things like that?

Well for one, TF2 is free, so buying it for $10 on Amazon is ripping yourself off. As for the updates, don't hold me to this, because I only heard this from a friend, but he said if you buy the Orange Box disc, it gives you the code to "Activate a product on Steam" like what you tried with the Sims, except it specifies "use this code to activate on Steam." So if he's right, you should have access to the updates. But keep in mind, the updates require a download, too. And starting from Version 1.0, I'm not sure how many GBs it will have to DL to get it fully updated.

Activating the game with Steam is the only way to get updates from Steam and have it tied to your account, otherwise you're just running it through Steam, which does practically nothing.

Here's a list of games you can activate retail copies with on Steam.

Twilight_Warrior wrote:

Wonderboy wrote:Well, poop. So even if I buy TF2 for $10 on Amazon, I still can't use Steam?
Edit: Wait, if I buy it on a DVD, can I still get updates and other things like that?

Well for one, TF2 is free, so buying it for $10 on Amazon is ripping yourself off.

Hidden/Spoiler:

I am aware of your situation with the download. You have a couple options.
A. Go to a friend's house or place with computers and internet access. Bring a large flash drive or external harddrive. (or if you're using a laptop, your laptop). Download the game there, transfer the files to your PC at home.
B. Start the download. After getting to X amount of GB (saving room for other downloads in the month, pause the download. Resume download after you have more data allowance.
(I did the pause, shutdown, restart, thing with my TF2 download on our family desktop. It's safe as long as Steam doesn't crash in the middle of the download.

Oh, and one final warning, if there's a map or a sound clip or something that a TF2 server uses that you don't have installed, it will automatically download it. Bear that in mind if you still want TF2

As for the updates, don't hold me to this, because I only heard this from a friend, but he said if you buy the Orange Box disc, it gives you the code to "Activate a product on Steam" like what you tried with the Sims, except it specifies "use this code to activate on Steam." So if he's right, you should have access to the updates. But keep in mind, the updates require a download, too. And starting from Version 1.0, I'm not sure how many GBs it will have to DL to get it fully updated.

Well, I might just go to my friend's house with my laptop, and if it's laggy on it (I don't know how well my Sandy Bridge i3's integrated graphics will perform with TF2) I'll just transfer it. That list Fingerfood posted didn't have The Sims 3, so oh well. Hopefully I'll see you guys on TF2 in the near future. Thanks a lot guys! I appreciate it.
EDIT: I actually just bought The Orange Box for $30. I guess I saved $10 and got TF2.