Downloadable content (DLC) is a form of digital media distributed through the Internet.

The phrase is used to refer specifically to content created for video games that is released separately from the main video game release. The phrase has, however, also been used to refer to any type of digital entertainment media distributed online.

Precursors to DLC

The earliest form of digital distribution in video games was the Atari 2600's Gameline service, which allowed users to download games using a telephone line. A similar service, Sega Channel, allowed for the downloading of games to the Sega Genesis over a cable line.

While the Gameline and Sega Channel services allowed for the distribution of entire titles, they did not offer Downloadable Content for existing titles. Perhaps the closest the services came to offering true DLC was Shiny Entertainment's special edition of Earthworm Jim offered over the Sega Channel, though it too was still a stand-alone download.

On personal computers

As the popularity and speed of internet connections rose, so did the popularity of using the internet for digital distribution of media. User-created game mods and maps were distributed exclusively online, as they were mainly created by people without the infrastructure capable of distributing the content through physical media.

The overwhelming majority of such content was available for free, and the phrase "downloadable content" is rarely used to refer to such content, instead being termed "user-created content." Nonetheless, user-created maps and mods are widely recognized as the precursor to the downloadable content of popular console video games today.

On consoles

The Dreamcast was the first console to feature online support as a standard; DLC was available, though limited in size due to the narrowband connection and the size limitations of a memory card. These online features were largely considered a failure, and the Dreamcast's immediate competitors, the PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, did not ship with built-in network adapters.

With the advent of the Xbox, Microsoft was the first company to successfully implement downloadable content. Many original Xbox Live titles, including Splinter Cell, Halo 2, and Ninja Gaiden, offered varying amounts of extra content, available for download through the Xbox Live service. Most of this content, with the notable exception of content for Microsoft-published titles, was available for free.

Microsoft was the first company to charge for downloadable content, with the 2002 video game Mech Assault.

With the Xbox 360, Microsoft integrated downloadable content more fully into their console, devoting an entire section of the console's user interface to the Xbox Live Marketplace. They also removed the need for credit cards by implementing their own Microsoft Points currency, a strategy that would be adopted by Nintendo with Wii Points and Sony with the PlayStation Network Card.