Have game on disc do I need to rebuy to play on Steam

[belveder69]

I have Elders Scroll Skyrim on disc that I bought on sale last year, have since upgraded my PC and this one doesn't come with a CD / Player or place to put one.

So just wondering is possible to download this on Steam and put my code number in so I can play it on Steam?

[Snapjak]

By using the account you tied the game to originally.

[8ullfrog]

Huh, I actually forgot I bought Skyrim retail. Once a game is on steam, it's on Steam for good.

I think the last time I had this problem it was in reverse. Game was Fallout 3, I bought the retail one assuming it would be the steam version. It wasn't.

Snapjak is right about the key though, One use only.

[belveder69]

Thanks I am the only person to use this game so the code number is to me. Are you I can't download it on Steam ond use my code number?

[8ullfrog]

If it's tied to your account, doesn't it show up in your game list? I've never had to do any sort of disk checks since install.

[Theblaze]

Skyrim is a Steam game, it requires Steam to be played so if you already played the game previously, the code was already tied to a Steam account.

[8ullfrog]

yeah, once it's tied to the account you shouldn't ever have to enter the key again.

[bloodydrain]

No this kind of disc (for steam required games) was made to cut the download time, the retail copy come with a cd key which will work as a digital download tied to your steam account.

[Furiey]

Did you play it on Steam before?

If it is a steam game that you have played before on your old computer then it would be tied to your account and be ready to download from Steam when you install Steam. No need for the disc anymore.

If you have not installed it before, then is it a Steam key?

If it is a Steam key then you can just Activate a Product on Steam and type in the code and the game will download with no need for a disc.

If it not a Steam key then you will not be able to download it from Steam.

[8ullfrog]

I was going to say ALL skyrim keys are Steam keys, but then I remember Bethesda's attempt at killing Steam.

… Fallout 76. Yikes.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

I don't know about Skyrim specifically, but if you have a game on disc that is entirely outside of Steam and you want to use that disc to play it again but you have no disc drive, you can always make a disc image of the game disc on another computer, transfer the disc image using a flash drive, and mount it in a virtual drive in your computer. I've done this to install software from optical discs on computers without disc drives.

This would work unless there's some DRM preventing you from properly making the disc image, of course. (And of course, you should not distribute said disc image.)

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Skyrim is a Steamworks game that requires Steam.

Unless you load it from SKSE.

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by 8ullfrog:

I was going to say ALL skyrim keys are Steam keys, but then I remember Bethesda's attempt at killing Steam.

… Fallout 76. Yikes.

They never tried to kill steam with Fallout 76. All their past online games such as ESO were on Bethesda launcher first and later came to steam.

[voidCaster]

Originally posted by belveder69:

I have Elders Scroll Skyrim on disc that I bought on sale last year, have since upgraded my PC and this one doesn't come with a CD / Player or place to put one.

So just wondering is possible to download this on Steam and put my code number in so I can play it on Steam?

Since nobody mentioned it: If you bought a tablet or notebook PC that comes with no CD/DVD drive, you should pick up what's called "a backpack" device. It's a CD/DVD drive that plugs into a USB port. You can get +/- R/W too. LiteOn makes good ones for insanely cheap.

[Xsurfer]

Find a digital copy from a P2P or contact Bethesda and ask them because Steam never issued you that disk and will not accept your S/N. Asking Bethesda is really your best bet though.

Steam stopped taking the S/N's years ago. GOG still takes a few (on their
Reclaim your game page) but even they don't take them for every game that they sell anymore.

All you really need to do is install a copy of the game then use your S/N from the disk when prompted if it is not locked to that disk which is possible. You can then add that game to Steam but that never really adds it to your account just your library.

And to answer your question specifically. Yes you would need to rebuy it to play it on Steam.

Good luck

[Brian9824]

Originally posted by Xsurfer:

Find a digital copy from a P2P or contact Bethesda and ask them because Steam never issued you that disk and will not accept your S/N. Asking Bethesda is really your best bet though.

Steam stopped taking the S/N's years ago. GOG still takes a few (on their
Reclaim your game page) but even they don't take them for every game that they sell anymore.

All you really need to do is install a copy of the game then use your S/N from the disk when prompted if it is not locked to that disk which is possible. You can then add that game to Steam but that never really adds it to your account just your library.

And to answer your question specifically. Yes you would need to rebuy it to play it on Steam.

Good luck

None of that is correct. ALL copies of Skyrim use steamworks and redeem on Steam. It is not possible to play Skyrim on PC without having linked it to a steam account. So if Skyrim is not on the OP's current steam account then he linked it to a different steam account and would need to figure out which account that was.

Bethesda can't do anything as the key was already redeemed. Steam also will not tell you what account a game is linked to for security reasons.

If the game was unregistered then the OP can follow the instructions in the case to redeem it on Steam because ALL copies of Skyrim redeem thru steam.