How to get Left 4 Dead the PC Game

Left 4 Dead, a new survival-horror pc game by Valve (and based on the Source engine) was released on November 18th 2008! The game follows you and 3 other companions (fellow humans or computer controlled) through several campaigns as your characters work together to fight for survival from the zombie apocalypse.

A free game demo was available for a short time and closed on November 18th 2008. The short demo resulted in great interest among the pc gaming community. As of February 3rd, EA has sold 1.8 million retail (not including steam and worldwide sales figures) copies.

This guide will show you how to find and download the game using Valve's Steam download-able game service.

Things You'll Need

• A computer w/ an internet connection
• A (free) Steam account
• Free time

Instructions

1. Download and Install Steam (if you do not already have it installed of course.)

   (Note: If you already have Steam skip to Step 3.)

   The first thing you will need to do is to download the Steam client. It is a small program that will manage your Steam games. Open a web browser and head over to "http://steampowered.com" (see resources section for a click able link). Now click on the green button with the text "Get Steam Now" (see screenshot.) Save the file to an easy to find location on your computer, such as a download folder or your desktop.
   Once the download is complete, double click on the icon for the program you downloaded. Follow the simple prompts to install the program, the default settings are okay for the majority of people.

2. 

   Set up a Steam account.

   Either through the start menu or the icon on your desktop open Steam (the program you just installed). Now click on "Create a new account" to set up your steam account. It is a simple and quick process, Steam will walk you through setting up your account. If you do encounter problems or have questions you can visit "http://support.steampowered.com" (see resources for a more specific click able link.)

3. Log into Steam

   Start the Steam game application (if it is not already running) and log into your account.

4. 

   Download the Game!

   The program should open to the "Store" tab automatically. If not, simply click on the tab to open it. In the search box at the upper left, enter "Left4Dead" (without the quotes) and hit Enter. Now find Left4Dead in the results list and click on the blue link. There is a Purchase Game link under the large photo in the center of the screen. Click on this link. Follow the prompts to purchase and install the game. Steam will begin downloading the pc game! You can feel free to pause the game download at any time as it will resume where it left off (it is a fairly large download.)

5. Play!

   Once the computer game has finished downloading, simply double click on it in the "My Games" tab/section.

   Have fun!

Tips & Warnings

• It is a fairly large download and so depending on your internet connection it can take a long time to completely download the file.

• You can safely pause the download or restart the computer as Steam will continue downloading where it left off (you may need to log in again if you restart.)

• The game focuses on requiring cooperative gameplany in order to survive, so watch your companions backs so they can watch yours!

• Be sure you are running the latest graphics card drivers in order to get the best gaming experience.

• Left4Dead is an "M" rated title by the ESRB and so parents should determine if it is suitable for their teens to play it.

• To purchase the game from Steam you will need a credit card. Valve is a respectable company and has been around for a long time; however, if you do not feel comfortable using a credit card you can also purchase the game in a retail store.

Resources

• Steam
• Steam Support: Information for New Users
• How to Update Your ATI Graphics Driver in Microsoft Windows