How regions restriction exactly works?

[попочкой трясёт]

I am living in Russia and facing situations, when games, i would like to purchase have region restrictions. Some games have warning notifications on their store pages like Bioshock Infinite, but other dont, like Dishonored. But when I check this game package on the site steamdb.info (https://steamdb.info/sub/17209/), it shows that the game is available for purchase only in CIS Region. Does Dishonored have region restriction, or it is just purchasing restriction and in fact I can run this game being in any other countries except CIS region?

My second question due this subject is next: If i purchase the game with region restriction like Bioshock Infinite or Tomb Raider, then move to for example America or Europe, where i cant run this games, can I delete this games from my account and then buy this games second time in store without this restriction?

Sry for my English

[Jerry]

Regarding your second question, a while ago I read, a game, that has been activated on your account for 90 days or more becomes globally available to you. So you do not need to rebuy your games, if you change your region, but some of the more recent purchases might remain locked for a while.

[попочкой трясёт]

Originally posted by Jerry:

Regarding your second question, a while ago I read, a game, that has been activated on your account for 90 days or more becomes globally available to you. So you do not need to rebuy your games, if you change your region, but some of the more recent purchases might remain locked for a while.

Sounds intresting. Frome where did u read this info? Unfortunately the warning on the store page of this games says "This version of the game will only be playable in Russia, ...". Who knows, will this region restriction ends in 90 days...

[Count_Dandyman]

With the russian region restrictions there are also cases where the games contain only russian language settings and even when games become playable anywhere alterations like that made to the version of the game you get don't change.

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

Originally posted by Jerry:

Regarding your second question, a while ago I read, a game, that has been activated on your account for 90 days or more becomes globally available to you. So you do not need to rebuy your games, if you change your region, but some of the more recent purchases might remain locked for a while.

Sounds intresting. Frome where did u read this info? Unfortunately the warning on the store page of this games says "This version of the game will only be playable in Russia, ...". Who knows, will this region restriction ends in 90 days...

He is correct, 90 days after activation every game in your library loses all region restrictions.
Can confirm that 100%. Bought region restricted games multiple times while on holiday and exactly 90 days after adding them to my library i could download/install/play them in my home country.

[попочкой трясёт]

He is correct, 90 days after activation every game in your library loses all region restrictions.
Can confirm that 100%. Bought region restricted games multiple times while on holiday and exactly 90 days after adding them to my library i could download/install/play them in my home country.

Man, can u tell or give a link of this info, it is pretty intresting and sounds fair for customers. So, the question is, why this info about 90 days doesnt noticed in restriction warning on the store page. And can u say in which country u have bought this games, which kind of games and in which country u launched this games (If u dont want to say, i dont insist)

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

He is correct, 90 days after activation every game in your library loses all region restrictions.
Can confirm that 100%. Bought region restricted games multiple times while on holiday and exactly 90 days after adding them to my library i could download/install/play them in my home country.

Man, can u tell or give a link of this info, it is pretty intresting and sounds fair for customers. So, the question is, why this info about 90 days doesnt noticed in restriction warning on the store page. And can u say in which country u have bought this games, which kind of games and in which country u launched this games (If u dont want to say, i dont insist)

There is no offical statement of Steam regarding this function but its a well known fact by now.
Has been that way for around 5 years. Think about it, without that system your whole library could become unusable if you move to another country.
As for myself, i activated around 30 region locked games over the years where it always worked that way.
A few examples, the Wolfenstein games "Wolfenstein The New Order", "Wolfenstein The Old Blood" and "Wolfenstein II"
The games are censored here in Germany and you cant activate keys from uncut versions.
So i bought them uncut during a holiday in England and activated them.
After returning to Germany they did not play anymore but exactly 90 days after adding them i could install/play the game like every other in my library.
A few other games are "South Park - The Stick of Truth" ( censored in Germany), " Dead Rising 2 Collection " ( banned in Germany) and similar.

I also often bought russian versions of games during my visit with relatives because they are so cheap there. Those are always region restricted but again, after being back in Germany and waiting 90 days they worked fine.

[попочкой трясёт]

There is no offical statement of Steam regarding this function but its a well known fact by now.
Has been that way for around 5 years. Think about it, without that system your whole library could become unusable if you move to another country.
As for myself, i activated around 30 region locked games over the years where it always worked that way.
A few examples, the Wolfenstein games "Wolfenstein The New Order", "Wolfenstein The Old Blood" and "Wolfenstein II"
The games are censored here in Germany and you cant activate keys from uncut versions.
So i bought them uncut during a holiday in England and activated them.
After returning to Germany they did not play anymore but exactly 90 days after adding them i could install/play the game like every other in my library.
A few other games are "South Park - The Stick of Truth" ( censored in Germany), " Dead Rising 2 Collection " ( banned in Germany) and similar.

I also often bought russian versions of games during my visit with relatives because they are so cheap there. Those are always region restricted but again, after being back in Germany and waiting 90 days they worked fine.

Thanks, this is very usefull expirience information. By the way, did u change your currency while u was in England or Russia or U used euro for purchasing?

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

Thanks, this is very usefull expirience information. By the way, did u change your currency while u was in England or Russia or U used euro for purchasing?

No i bought retail shop versions with keys, not directly on the Steam Store.
Your store region does not change just because you are in another country, would be still the same prices.
And there are a lot of rules to switch steam store country.
Not worth the hassle when i could just buy keys for games outside of Steam.

[попочкой трясёт]

Originally posted by Ogami:

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

Thanks, this is very usefull expirience information. By the way, did u change your currency while u was in England or Russia or U used euro for purchasing?

No i bought retail shop versions with keys, not directly on the Steam Store.

I thought retail key verion is mostly region free. Do u think 90 days rule works same on bought in steam store games?

[Ogami]

If you buy retail versions in Russia they are every bit as region locked as the ones you buy on the Steam Store. The reason the games are region locked is the much lower prices in those regions, that does not change with retail versions. Most of the time those are even cheaper then the Steam Store versions.

[попочкой трясёт]

Originally posted by Ogami:

If you buy retail versions in Russia they are every bit as region locked as the ones you buy on the Steam Store. The reason the games are region locked is the much lower prices in those regions, that does not change with retail versions. Most of the time those are even cheaper then the Steam Store versions.

I also readed that in region locked games dont work achievmets. I mean, if u play in a game in Russia, get some achievment, and in a different country achievments disapier. Did u meet some of this problem?

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

That is not correct, no. Achievements don't care about your physical location.

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

I also readed that in region locked games dont work achievmets. I mean, if u play in a game in Russia, get some achievment, and in a different country achievments disapier. Did u meet some of this problem?

Thats 100% false, achievements dont care about your region.
As long as you can start the game the achievements will work, period.
Achievements are also locked to your profile once unlocked, not the individual games.

[попочкой трясёт]

Thats 100% false, achievements dont care about your region.
As long as you can start the game the achievements will work, period.
Achievements are also locked to your profile once unlocked, not the individual games.

Thanks!

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Yostugi Ononoki:

Thats 100% false, achievements dont care about your region.
As long as you can start the game the achievements will work, period.
Achievements are also locked to your profile once unlocked, not the individual games.

Thanks!

ONE thing you need to look out for are games that are languange restricted on top of the region lock. For example most games from UBISOFT or ACTIVISION have ONLY the Russian language/text ingame available if you buy games in that region.
That will not go away, even after 90 days. Those games have a seperate entry in the Steam DB, similar like the Wolfenstein games here in Germany which only offer the German language because of the censored/changed dialogue.