Help - I own a physical copy of this game from when I was a boy, how do I activate it here?

[dddz54]

I tried putting in the product key on the manual and Steam said it was invalid. Anyone else in a similar position or was able to resolve this issue?

[Stracci909]

First off, that entry is for steam product keys, not manufacturer keys, so what you entered is indeed invalid.

Second, it depends on your os, but the disk game will not be playable at all on win 11, 10, and 7 (after a specific update) due to the discontinuation of SafeDisk DRM required for the game to boot.

So, your options are:
1. Contact origin support and have them convert your disk key to a digital copy.
2. Purchase a digital copy of the game from steam or GOG. It goes on sale for at least 75% a few times a year on both sites.
3. DO NOT PURCHASE FROM ORIGIN. Key redemption is fine, but purchasing from origin store will only give you an unpatched and unpatchable version of the game


More information:
https://community.simtropolis.com/forums/topic/759312-simcity-4-deluxe-wont-start-on-windows-10/
https://simtarkus.wordpress.com/category/origin/

[dddz54]

Thank you very much, that was very informative