Key lock per region

[Mr. Furball 69]

Hi,

I wanted to buy some games in a licensed key retailer. In the game's pages it shows Latin and South America or Brazil, where I live, as regions available for activation. I bought from them before and they're solid, but this time the activation parte caught my attention and I asked support (from thes retailer, notbthe stram) if the region was just required for the act of activation and they said that it was for playing too. But... can they even know? Maybe they don't want responsibility so they say now that you can't do either, because Steam itself says in the region restriction info page that it's up to each publisher to put a reagion lock if not bought from the steam store. I'm asking this because even though I have no plans of moving anytime soon, I would still like to know that I won't have to buy the game twice. I've read about 90 days lock and that I can contact steam in case if I'm moving for some games may become locked.

If anyone has experience of any info about this I would appreciate. I've looked some forums and it seems fine, but I don't think it were the exact same cases. Someone was asking for gifting, others were asking if buying with account on another country.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

They do know. Don't circumvent the region restrictions.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

They do know. Don't circumvent the region restrictions.

:qr:

I'm not circumventing. I'm going to activate where I live. I'm not going to do anything shady. I'm asking if I will be able to play the games I bought as CD Key in another country in case I ever move. I said that maybe the person in support who answered me doesn't know the exact rules for the correspondent plataform, because she said that I will only be able to play where I bought, but in forums people say that after 90 days you can play anywhere or that you can contact steam support, etc.

[Ogami]

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

They do know. Don't circumvent the region restrictions.

:qr:

I'm not circumventing. I'm going to activate where I live. I'm not going to do anything shady. I'm asking if I will be able to play the games I bought as CD Key in another country.

If its a region locked key the game will not activate or play if you are not in that region.
Even if you activate it in the correct country and then move to a country outside of the region restriction the game will no longer play.
You will get a error when pressing play, something like " you are currently not in the region this game license was bought for. The game can not be played".


BUT, and thats a big BUT, after 90 days in your library a game loses ALL region restrictions.
So after 90 days you can play it in another country.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by Ogamooo:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

I'm not circumventing. I'm going to activate where I live. I'm not going to do anything shady. I'm asking if I will be able to play the games I bought as CD Key in another country.

If its a region locked key the game will not activate or play if you are not in that region.
Even if you activate it in the correct country and then move to a country outside of the region restriction the game will no longer play.
You will get a error when pressing play, something like " you are currently not in the region this game license was bought for. The game can not be played".


BUT, and thats a big BUT, after 90 days in your library a game loses ALL region restrictions.
So after 90 days you can play it in another country.

I don't think Valve ever released an official note, but from tests from lots of user the 90 days restriction is basically official. Ok. I'm not moving in the next 90 days, or the next 3 years. I asked because I saw people talking about it, but in a circumstance a bit different of they bought in steam store or something, so I thought that maybe the 90 days expiration didn't happen for cd keys.

Thank you.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by Ogami:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

I'm not circumventing. I'm going to activate where I live. I'm not going to do anything shady. I'm asking if I will be able to play the games I bought as CD Key in another country.

If its a region locked key the game will not activate or play if you are not in that region.
Even if you activate it in the correct country and then move to a country outside of the region restriction the game will no longer play.
You will get a error when pressing play, something like " you are currently not in the region this game license was bought for. The game can not be played".


BUT, and thats a big BUT, after 90 days in your library a game loses ALL region restrictions.
So after 90 days you can play it in another country.

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

[Cathulhu]

Activating a product key or buying it on Steam makes no difference, just like with everything else on Steam.
Well, with two exceptions:
1. Activating a product key does not count as a purchase for the market or limited account restrictions
2. You can't refund a game you've activated with a product key on Steam.

And yes, it entirely depends on the game/publisher if it has regional restrictions or not.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

Activating a product key or buying it on Steam makes no difference, just like with everything else on Steam.
Well, with two exceptions:
1. Activating a product key does not count as a purchase for the market or limited account restrictions
2. You can't refund a game you've activated with a product key on Steam.

And yes, it entirely depends on the game/publisher if it has regional restrictions or not.

While I was searching, I found most threads of people wanting to change vpn and that made me feel better thinking that is probably something so silly and obvious that I can keep the game that nobody searches.

I've noticed that the ones I register keys didn't show on my purchase history, but it seemed indeed that after acquiring wouldnt make a difference between games.

Thanks!

[Judgmental Amaterasu]

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

Originally posted by Ogami:

If its a region locked key the game will not activate or play if you are not in that region.
Even if you activate it in the correct country and then move to a country outside of the region restriction the game will no longer play.
You will get a error when pressing play, something like " you are currently not in the region this game license was bought for. The game can not be played".


BUT, and thats a big BUT, after 90 days in your library a game loses ALL region restrictions.
So after 90 days you can play it in another country.

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

No. Some keys for games are for a specific region only and won't even activate if used outside of that region.

[MancSoulja]

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

Originally posted by Ogami:

If its a region locked key the game will not activate or play if you are not in that region.
Even if you activate it in the correct country and then move to a country outside of the region restriction the game will no longer play.
You will get a error when pressing play, something like " you are currently not in the region this game license was bought for. The game can not be played".


BUT, and thats a big BUT, after 90 days in your library a game loses ALL region restrictions.
So after 90 days you can play it in another country.

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

You're using old and incorrect information.

There's no such thing as activation and play locks anymore. They're the same thing.

Almost all games on Steam are now region locked, the days of buying RoW Russian keys for pennies and redeeming them in Europe for example, are long gone.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

You're using old and incorrect information.

There's no such thing as activation and play locks anymore. They're the same thing.

Almost all games on Steam are now region locked, the days of buying RoW Russian keys for pennies and redeeming them in Europe for example, are long gone.

But thats the thing I said I wasnt doing it. Im asking of redeeming it in the right region and then if I will be able to play in case I ever move. And Im not using any information. Im asking. You said how they are the same thing now, but the last of your comment reffers to buying keys from other regions. How are they the same thing now? And if games are region locked it's because of the publishers choice, isn'? Which in the end doesnt have to do with my key being for my region only.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by Fiddle:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

No. Some keys for games are for a specific region only and won't even activate if used outside of that region.

I know that keys are for specific regions, as I said, but he/she commented about 90 days lock

Originally posted by Fiddle:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

One more thing. That depends on the game, right? Not the key? If it's not a region locked game, I could activate the key in Brazil and move on the next day? Because as it's stated on the website, it's region activation locked, but they never explain about running the game. Anyway, just a doubt.

No. Some keys for games are for a specific region only and won't even activate if used outside of that region.

Yes, thats what I said. I know that keys have activation restrictions and they should, but Im asking when it comes to playing the game. If I will be able to play games with keys I bought for Brazil and activated in Brazil in case I move to another region.

[MancSoulja]

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

You're using old and incorrect information.

There's no such thing as activation and play locks anymore. They're the same thing.

Almost all games on Steam are now region locked, the days of buying RoW Russian keys for pennies and redeeming them in Europe for example, are long gone.

But thats the thing I said I wasnt doing it. Im asking of redeeming it in the right region and then if I will be able to play in case I ever move

Yes, after 90 days like you said.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

But thats the thing I said I wasnt doing it. Im asking of redeeming it in the right region and then if I will be able to play in case I ever move

Yes, after 90 days like you said.

That's my question also. That would be because of the publisher's decision anyway? Not even because my key is for my region only, since the game is already region locked?

[MancSoulja]

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

Yes, after 90 days like you said.

That's my question also. That would be because of the publisher's decision anyway? Not even because my key is for my region only, since the game is already region locked?

No it's a store wide thing, regardless of the game or its publisher they all become region free after 90 days. I assume this is to align themselves with the laws of certain countries.

[Mr. Furball 69]

Originally posted by MancSoulja:

Originally posted by Mr. Furball 69:

That's my question also. That would be because of the publisher's decision anyway? Not even because my key is for my region only, since the game is already region locked?

No it's a store wide thing, regardless of the game or its publisher they all become region free after 90 days. I assume this is to align themselves with the laws of certain countries.

But not because of the key. These things you mentioned come above anyway, so it's not that I won't be able to play in case I move to another country because I bought this key here.