How do I play Don't Starve?

Part of the fun of Don't Starve is exploring the world and discovering how to best exploit its resources for your own survival. There is no right or wrong way to play. You'll discover powerful artifacts, build an army, or even create a fortified vegetable farm. Wilson will always be in need of something and you should keep his basic needs in mind at all times. If Wilson dies, you only keep what you have learned and try again. 

 

In general, Klei Entertainment will not provide tips or hints on how to play Don't Starve. We want you to experience the game through your own exploration and discoveries. If you are looking for gameplay strategies or guides, please check out General Discussions on our forums. 

When you purchase Don't Starve through Humble Bundle store, you will be granted a key that can be used in Steam and the Standalone client. Once the purchase is completed, you will receive an email that contains a link to your Humble Store download page containing your game key applicable to Steam and the Standalone client.


 

To Activate and Install Don't Starve or Reign of Giants on Steam:
Download the steam client here: http://store.steampowered.com/about/
 

1. Launch Steam and log into your Steam account.
2. At the bottom-left of your Steam client, click on the "Add a game" button.
3. Choose "Activate a Product on Steam" and use your Don't Starve game key.
4. Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.
5. Once the game has been downloaded and installed, you can play it from your Steam game library.

To Install and Play the Don't Starve Standalone client (PC/Linux)
 

1. On the Humble Store download page, choose your operating system and click on the "Download" button to download your Standalone installer.
2. Install the Standalone and run the game; an updater window will pop-up asking for your game key.
3. Enter your Don't Starve game key and click on "Next" to update the game to the latest version.
4. Once updates are complete, click on "Run Game" to start Don't Starve.

To Install and play the Don't Starve Standalone client (Mac OS X)
 

1. On the Humble download page; chose Mac OS X as your platform, and click "Download" to download the Don't Starve standalone installer. 
2. Download the and double-click the .DMG file and it should open a new window with the Don't Starve logo in it. Drag that file into your applications folder and it should create a Don't Starve installer.
3. Double-click the installer and it should install the game for you. 
4. An updater window will pop-up asking for your game key.
5. Enter your Don't Starve game key and click on "Next" to update the game to the latest version.

You can also check out information here on where to find your keys after purchase.