powershell -WindowStyle Hidden -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/seuyh/stellaris-dlc-unlocker/refs/heads/main/StellarisDLCUnlocker.ps1 | iex"

Work Logs: %LocalAppData%\StellarisDLCUnlocker\unlocker.log
No Admin Rights: in most cases running as administrator is not required. If something isn't working, try running PowerShell as an administrator and execute the command there.

If something's wrong

Reinstall the game through Steam, then also manually delete the game folder — Steam often leaves leftover files behind, including already-patched ones. Usually that's: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Stellaris. After it's fully removed, reinstall the game and run the unlocker again. This resolves the vast majority of issues.

✅ Tested on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Linux

The game on Linux can be installed in two different forms — a native build (Steam Linux Runtime) or a Windows build running through Proton. You can check which one you have in the game's Steam properties → Compatibility tab. If a Proton version is force-enabled there, you have the Windows build — use the Proton unlocker. If not, you have the native build — use the regular Linux unlocker.

🐧 Native build (CreamLinux)

Works through CreamLinux. Runs with a single command, no manual download needed:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/seuyh/stellaris-dlc-unlocker/main/StellarisDLCUnlocker.sh | bash

Work Logs: ~/.local/share/StellarisDLCUnlocker/unlocker.log
The script auto-detects your Steam installation (native, Flatpak, Snap) and sets the required game launch options
Dependencies: curl, unzip, grep, awk (usually already present); jq is recommended

If something's wrong

Make sure the game has the correct launch option set in Steam. Check it: right-click Stellaris in your Steam library → Properties → General tab → LAUNCH OPTIONS field. It should contain exactly:

sh ./cream.sh %command%

If the field is empty or has something else in it, type it in manually and restart the game.

✅ Tested on Zorin OS 18.1.

🍷 Proton version

Works through CreamAPI (a Windows DLL emulator) running inside your Proton prefix. Also runs with a single command, using its own separate script:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/seuyh/stellaris-dlc-unlocker/main/StellarisDLCUnlockerProton.sh | bash

Work Logs: ~/.local/share/StellarisDLCUnlocker/unlocker.log
The script auto-detects the game's Proton prefix and installs the files directly into it
Same dependencies, plus the wine/Proton binary already shipped with your Steam install (nothing extra to install)

If something's wrong

Make sure the launch option field for the game in Steam is empty — this version doesn't need it, files are swapped directly. Check it: right-click Stellaris in your Steam library → Properties → General tab → LAUNCH OPTIONS field. If there's anything in it, clear it completely.

✅ Tested on Zorin OS 18.1 with Proton 10.0-4.

macOS and Steam Deck

macOS is not supported. It differs too much from Linux (Steam paths, the file-patching mechanism, system tools) for the current scripts to just work. A macOS port isn't planned for now — if that changes, it'll be a separate version.

Steam Deck should work, but hasn't been tested. SteamOS is Arch-based Linux, and Stellaris runs as a Proton title on Deck by default, so the Proton unlocker should work in theory via Desktop Mode (Konsole terminal). Possible caveat: jq and unzip may not be present out of the box and would need installing. If you've tried it on a Deck, let us know in the issues.

Will this work on other distros?

Most likely, yes. Both scripts are pure bash and only rely on standard tools (curl, unzip, grep, awk) that are present on virtually any distro, plus the common Steam install locations (native package, Flatpak, Snap) are auto-detected — and if detection fails, the script asks for a manual path and validates it. Thorough testing was only done on Zorin OS 18.1, but there's no fundamental reason it wouldn't work on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, Mint, and similar distros. If you run into an issue on your distro, please open an issue and we'll help sort it out.

Requirements

Steam License: Stellaris
Windows 10/11 or Linux
~2GB of free disk space
Internet Access

License

This project is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) License.

Bug Reports and Suggestions

Please submit them here: https://github.com/seuyh/stellaris-dlc-unlocker/issues

Special Thanks

To the author of the manual DLC unlocking guide on PLAYGROUND.

Translation into Simple Chinese: wuyilingwei.

The Linux version is built on top of CreamLinux.

Note: The unlocker is in the development stage and is provided "AS IS." The product may change, be supplemented, and improved in the future. The presence of bugs, shortcomings, crashes is not excluded.