Content

• Steps
• Part 1 of 4: Installing the required software
• Part 2 of 4: Finding a Game
• Part 3 of 4: Downloading the game
• Part 4 of 4: Installing and Running the Game

The size of games is growing, so downloading them can take up the entire bandwidth of the Internet connection. If you're going to be downloading games on a regular basis, consider using torrents to get the most out of your internet connection bandwidth. Torrents download games faster than regular sites, and the community helps minimize the risk of virus infection by distributing safe and working files. Remember that in most countries it is illegal to download games for free that do not belong to you.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Installing the required software

1. 1 Download and install the archiver. Most downloaded games are archives that are not supported by Windows. To unpack the archive and extract the game files from it, you need an archiver program. The most popular archivers are 7-Zip (7-zip.org) and WinRAR (rarlab.com).
   • 7-Zip is a free archiver capable of unpacking most archives, including RAR and 7z archives. It is recommended to install this particular archiver.
   • The trial version of the WinRAR archiver will allow you to unpack most archives, but after a certain time, you need to buy this program.
2. 2 Download and install a torrent client. Most games are distributed via BitTorrent, a popular method for exchanging large files between computers. To use BitTorrent, you need a torrent client that downloads torrent files and connects your computer to other people's computers. One of the most popular free clients is qBittorrent (qbittorrent.org). With qBittorrent, you don't have to worry about malware and unwanted programs; If you choose a different client, for example, uTorrent, carefully read the information in the game installation wizard so as not to install unwanted software.
3. 3 Update your antivirus software. Downloading games using torrents is one of the easiest ways to catch a virus. To prevent infection of your computer, install and update your antivirus. You can use Windows Defender, which is built into the Windows system, or install a third-party antivirus such as BitDefender or Kaspersky.
   • For information on how to enable Windows Defender, read this article. Instructions for installing a third-party antivirus program can be found in this article. Remember that only one antivirus should be installed on the computer.
   • In the system tray, right-click on the antivirus icon and select "Update" from the menu to check for available updates and download them.
4. 4 Install the optical drive emulator software. Many downloaded games are in the ISO format, which is the image of a DVD disc. To work with an ISO file, you must either burn it to a DVD or mount it as a virtual disc. If you are going to install a lot of different games, use an optical drive emulator, which will save you money (because you don't have to buy blank DVDs).
   • One of the most popular optical drive emulators is Daemon Tools. During the installation of this program, carefully read the information in the installation wizard to avoid installing unwanted software.
   • Windows 8 and later include utilities that can handle ISO files without additional software.

Part 2 of 4: Finding a Game

1. 1 Understand the basics of torrenting. When using torrents to download files, the torrent file is uploaded to the torrent client. The client then connects to other computers that have the same torrent file and starts downloading game files to the computer. The more users upload a file, the faster it will download.
   • You can find smaller archived games on various resources, but, as a rule, such games are "cropped" (for example, video clips are cut), so it is not recommended to download them. Remember that hard drives are constantly getting cheaper, so it's better to buy a larger drive and download a full game from a torrent tracker.
2. 2 Find a torrent tracker. A torrent tracker is a site that stores torrent files. The torrent tracker can be used as a search engine to find the game you want. To find a torrent tracker, enter "torrent tracker" in the search engine (without the quotes).
   • Most of the trackers that the search engine will find are public, that is, such trackers are open to any user. If you search better, you can find private trackers. These trackers have games that are hard to find; Moreover, on private trackers, you don't have to worry about your privacy. As a rule, to get on a private tracker, you need an invitation from its user.Private trackers require users to download and upload the same amount of data.
3. 3 Find the game you want. To do this, use a torrent tracker. If the game is relatively new, several hands of that game will be displayed in the search results list; if playing old, you will find 1-2 hands or not at all.
   • Remember that in most countries it is illegal to download games for free that do not belong to you.
4. 4 Look at the information about each hand. First, pay attention to the number of seeds - these are users who have already downloaded the game and are now distributing it. The more seeds there are, the faster the game will download; moreover, a large number of seeders indicate a safe and working file. This is especially important for games because most games have copyright protection that prohibits users who have not paid for the game from playing it.
5. 5 Before downloading a torrent file, read the information and comments about it. Make sure that the distribution includes all the necessary game files, as well as tools (files, programs) for breaking the protection. The information section contains a list of files that are included in the distribution. You can use comments to find out if the torrent file contains viruses. If several users indicate the presence of viruses at once, do not download such a torrent file - just find another distribution.

Part 3 of 4: Downloading the game

1. 1 Click Download or Magnet Link to download the torrent file. When you click Download, a tiny file is downloaded to your computer; open it in a torrent client to start the game download process. If you click the "Magnet link", the torrent client will start automatically (without first downloading the torrent file). Any of these methods will work to download the game.
2. 2 Wait for the download process to complete. The download speed is likely to be slow at first, but it will increase as more seeds are connected. Depending on the file size, the number of seeds, and the speed of your internet connection, downloading the game will take anywhere from a few minutes to several days.
3. 3 Increase the download speed of the game (if you like). System and network settings can restrict connections to other torrent users. To increase your download speed, follow these steps:
   • Make sure the internet connection is not being used for other purposes, such as streaming video or playing an online game. If bandwidth is being used for something else, modern routers define BitTorrent traffic as low priority. To quickly download the game, stop any other online activity.
   • In the torrent client window, click "Settings" - "Connection". Check the box next to Enable UPnP. This will allow the torrent client to open the correct ports on the router. Also enable the UPnP protocol in the router settings. To find out how to open the router settings page, read this article.
   • Limit the upload speed. Do this in the "Speed" section of the "Settings" menu. Downloading data at maximum speed will negatively affect the performance of your computer and may cause the download to fail. When downloading the game, set a small value for the upload speed to increase the download speed.
4. 4 After downloading the game, scan the file (s) with an antivirus. To do this, right-click on the downloaded file (or folder) and start scanning. Moreover, you can scan the entire computer, but it will take quite a long time. Scanning files does not guarantee that all viruses will be detected, but it increases the chances of finding malicious code.

Part 4 of 4: Installing and Running the Game

1. 1 Find the README file. Most downloaded games come with a README text file.Be sure to read this file (before installing the game), because many games require some additional steps to be performed in order for the user to be able to launch the game.
2. 2 Mount or burn the ISO file (if needed). If the downloaded game is in ISO format, mount the file as a virtual disc, or burn the file to a blank DVD. In Windows 8/10, right-click on the ISO file and select "Install" from the menu to mount the file to the virtual drive. In Windows 7 and later, the ISO file can be burned to disc: right-click on the file and select Burn to Disc from the menu.
   • If you can't mount or burn the ISO file, read this article or this article.
   • Not all downloaded games are in ISO format. Sometimes the installation file is a simple executable file.
3. 3 Start the installation process. Run the installation from disk or open the installation file. The installation process depends on the game. Strictly follow the instructions in the installation wizard window; otherwise, the game may not start.
   • You may need to launch a cracker during the installation process to bypass copyright infringement protection. Be careful when launching crackers because they are one of the most common ways of transmitting viruses.
   • To secure your computer, first install the game in a virtual machine and run the cracker. Check the virtual machine for viruses. If there are no malicious files, install the game on your computer. For information on how to set up and use a virtual machine, read this article.
4. 4 Start the game. Do this after completing the installation process for the game. Open the README file again, as many hacked games require steps to run. For example, you should open a specific executable file that is located in the game folder, or open a cracker program each time before starting the game.
   • Remember that cyber piracy is illegal in most countries. The steps in this article only apply to games that you own.