What Does DLC Mean In Gaming? (Revealed!)

DLC stands for downloadable content in gaming. This refers to additional expansions for the game that you can buy separately, on top of the base price of the game. This can include everything from full content expansions with new parts of the game to play, to simple cosmetic items such as clothing for your character.

DLC encompasses quite a lot of stuff, then, though people usually use it to describe additional, expanded content for the game that means you have more to actually do.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What does DLC stand for in gaming?

DLC stands for downloadable content in gaming.

This refers to just about any optional, additional content which the developers make available for the game—usually sometime after its release.

Most often, when people talk about DLC, they are referring to expansions to the actual game in some way.

This could mean hours of new content, new missions in the story, new areas to explore, new NPCs to meet, and so on. DLC means additional content for the game.

However, as I mentioned, DLC can also describe a fairly wide range of other things you can download for the game, too.

This could include simple cosmetic items to make your character look different, in what they’re wearing or perhaps what weapons they are using.

It could be a simple cosmetic, in the sense that it only changes the appearance of your clothes or weapons.

It could also add entirely new items into the game, with new stats and perks.

It could really be anything depending on the game.

As I say, though, usually when people talk about DLC, they mean additional content that expands the hours of gameplay offered by the game.

Perhaps the best example of this is in the Elder Scrolls classic, Skyrim.

This game featured three DLCs, two of which were enormous expansions to the game featuring new areas, quests, and characters to meet.

At the same time, Skyrim’s third DLC featured a new homebuilding aspect to the game—without significant new quests.

All of this counts as DLC.

In short, DLC is anything that adds additional things to the game—usually for a price!

Where do we get this term?

Where does DLC come from?

It kind of depends how you define DLC, but in terms of the phraseology itself, “downloadable content,” that is easier to pin down.

Even before the term DLC, though, it was all but the standard for games to feature “expansion packs”.

Typically, this was additional content for a game as described above.

The difference, though, was that it usually came on an additional, physical disk that you had to buy.

You couldn’t download it—so in that sense, it wasn’t DLC at all!

However, even as far back as the days of the Atari 2600, players could use a phone line to download games from a directory onto a blank storage cartridge for their Atari.

They would need a proprietary modem to do this.

Our modern understanding of DLC, though, began in 1997, with the title Total Annihilation.

This was the first game, a real-time strategy game, to feature additional content which you could download from the internet for your game.

The term DLC became popularized in the mid-2000s with seventh generation consoles featuring built-in internet connections as standard.

Then, developers could easily make additional content which the platforms could make it easy to access.

What does no DLC mean?

Often, you’ll see “no DLC” on second hand game cases on sale.

This refers to the fact that, though the game being sold did have DLC, it is not included on the disk in question.

This is just to clear up any confusion about whether it’s included on the disk you’re buying.

It does not mean that the game itself has no DLC.

Are DLCs free?

That depends.

Typically, the biggest DLCs are not free, and very often, gamers will split hairs about the meaning of the term when it comes to whether or not you have to pay for it.

DLC is often simply a term arbitrarily reserved for paid additional content—although not always.

Games very frequently receive free updates, though, which are functionally the same as DLC since you have to download them.

However, you usually don’t have to opt-in—they are simply automatically downloaded to your copy of the game.

So, DLC can be free, but the meatiest DLC generally is not free.

Can I play DLC without the game?

No, you can’t play the DLC without having the base game installed.

The DLC needs the base game to be able to function, so without it, you’d have no way of loading the DLC in the first place.

DLC is not intended as something you can purchase separately from the game.

As I said, it’s an expansion to an existing game, and though downloadable content as a phrase could indicate a standalone game, it just usually doesn’t.

DLC can mean a handful of different things, then, but the basic sense is always the same.

It’s additional content for a game you’ve bought, whether that’s actual additional content in the sense of extra game hours, or just cosmetic items.

Usually, they are not free, although they certainly can be—but then, for many gamers, you tread a line between DLC and just a free update.

In any case, DLC is always good to look for if you’re after additional content for your favorite games.

More in Gaming Meanings

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

Was this article helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!