How long do CD Keys last

[zane79908]

I’m new and was wondering how long game CD Keys last without activation.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Until forever or the keys get pulled by the dev/pub, whichever happens first.

[nullable]

How long do trees last?

The answer depends on a lot of variables and there is no specific answer to an completely unqualified question. And no general answer will be of any value because the range of possibilities is so large and even then how much do edge cases matter.

CD keys can last as long as the administrator of those keys is functioning and doesn't put particular limits on them. Decades potentially. However CD keys for completely defunct products may only last while the product is viable/available. And that may vary from service to service platform to platform product to product. There's no specific answer.

[IFIYGD]

Yeah, the only CD Keys I have ever gotten that had very short expiration dates (redeem before dates) were from the Yogscast Jingle Jam, though there may be other charity events or giveaways that set limits on how long the keys are good for. They were all clearly marked that they had to be redeemed before a certain date, so if you are getting them from a legit source, if they have a set expiration date, it should be listed on the site.

[zane79908]

I ask because I just bought a game digitally and I won’t have a computer to play it on for a few months

[nullable]

Originally posted by zane79908:

I ask because I just bought a game digitally and I won’t have a computer to play it on for a few months

You can redeem a key on a web browser here https://store.steampowered.com/account/registerkey you don't need a PC explicitly.

Although I don't expect waiting would be an issue.

[Kargor]

I generally prefer to activate keys sooner rather than later -- doesn't really matter what shop I bought them from, a redeemed key is worthless for any data thief...

[_I_]

you can buy games or add keys that your pc does not support
they are added to steam library

even a game is pulled from steam store in the future, you will still be able to play it