How to Install Rar Game Files

By Alexis Lawrence

Updated September 22, 2017

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Like other ZIP files, RAR files actually contain multiple files, or sometimes just one large file, in a single, small container. When you download a game in the RAR file format from the Internet, all of the necessary game components are included, but you cannot install the game directly from the RAR file itself. You must first extract the zipped contents of the RAR file and make the individual files inside the RAR available for use.

Download WinRAR from the RARLAB website The free program can extract the files from any RAR file. RARLAB offers Windows, Mac and Linux versions of the WinRAR program, and has versions of the program available in multiple languages.

Navigate to the folder on your computer’s hard drive where the RAR file is stored. On Windows systems, downloaded files generally save into the “C:>Downloads” folder, while on Mac systems, downloads usually save to the desktop.

Right-click on the RAR in the folder and choose the “Extract All” option in the context menu that appears. When the “Extract” window pops up, choose the folder on your hard drive where you want to save the contents of the RAR file and click “Extract” again. If you do not set a new output folder, the individual files stored in the RAR file save into the same folder as the original RAR.

Double-click the “setup.exe” file that WinRAR extracted from the RAR game file. The installation wizard for the game launches on the screen. Follow the installation screens to install the RAR game onto your computer.

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