Forum: gaming.stackexchange.com
Tags: <steam>
Title: How do I continue downloading a game in Steam while playing?
Question: I have many games on Steam and many more I will buy, but I have a problem and I hope you can point me a solution.  When I download a game,  is it possible to launch and play a single player game under Steam and continue downloading others games in the meanwhile ?  Steam stops my download as soon as I launch any game, and I am looking for a way to prevent this.

Answers:
sents: text: Global option You can now allow downloads during any gameplay from the downloads settings: Per game option You can now tell Steam to continue downloading updates/games while playing games from your games' properties.
text: Note that this setting is not available for non-steam games , which will always use the global setting.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/51318/3ventic
score: 126
sents: text: The way I do it is: Pause all of the downloads manually.
text: Launch
text: the game I want to play.
text: Alt-Tab back to Steam window, resume all downloads manually.
text: Alt-Tab back to the game and enjoy.
text: It seems that it only stops the download for you on launching a game.
text: I have not found an "official" way to do it, but this way works until they give us one.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/580/aranasaurus
score: 119
sents: text: Steam used to block all downloads as soon as you launched a game.
text: However, there is no need for a workaround anymore, thanks to the new content system: when you download a game, it is possible to launch and play a single player game under Steam and continue downloading others games in the meanwhile.
text: Fixed downloading new update while game is still running Reference: Steam client updates .
text: In addition, the new content system will allow us to build several new features that we’ve often heard requested.
text: Upcoming client releases will include things like download scheduling, bandwidth throttling, and prioritizing which games get downloaded first.
text: You’ll also be able to download an update to a game while you’re playing that game ; Steam will apply the update after you exit the game.
text: Reference: Steam news .
text: Some people are talking about downloads being suspended, but I have never experienced this problem.
text: I suggest choosing another server and trying again if this happens to you.
text: Apparently, a new feature is coming.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/3921/Wok
score: 38
sents: text: While playing, hold Ctrl, Alt, and Del to go to pick a menu.
text: Pick the "Start Task Manager" then you can go to window.
text: Open steam then resume the downloading then click the picture where you were playing.
text: ENJOY!
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/11496/DaSniperShot113
score: 7
sents: text: After the game was started, you may also ALT-TAB back into steam, and then right-click and press "Pause Download" (even though it says "Paused" already), and then right-click and choose "Resume Download".
text: I have noticed that some games do not pause your downloads, but most games do.
answer_details: author: gaming.stackexchange.com/users/19208/gameaddict
score: 5

Summary of the answers:
In the Global Option, you can allow downloads during gameplay.  You can also ALT-TAB back into Steam and click "Resume Download".
The official way is to change the global option in the downloads settings. There is also however a workaround, if you alt-tab out of the game and resume the download from there.