Region locked Steam cd key policy

[Dinglepop]

I was about to buy a game from steam but a friend of mine told me he had a key I could by from him and get the game cheaper that way. I don't know where he got it but it is region locked to the commonwealth of independent states and I do not live in the cis and know it will result in a ban if I use a vpn to fake my residence but I am going to travel to Russia in a few months so will I get banned if I activate it in Russia but keep playing it when I get back to Finland? I would also like to know what is Steam's policy with region locked products since I could not find it anywhere in the rules.

[Cathulhu]

No, if you travel physically nothing bad will happen.
You may encounter a 90 day cooldown after activation where the game can only be played in the CIS region.
Additionally, you may encounter a reduced selection of languages compared to international versions.

[Satoru]

Or you know just wait for a sale instead

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Satoru:

Or you know just wait for a sale instead

This. Instead of relying on shady methods (which may get your account restricted for breaking the SSA), get it cheap on a sale.

[karl-police2025[GER]]

Originally posted by Adolfin the german dolphin:

I was about to buy a game from steam but a friend of mine told me he had a key I could by from him and get the game cheaper that way. I don't know where he got it but it is region locked to the commonwealth of independent states and I do not live in the cis and know it will result in a ban if I use a vpn to fake my residence but I am going to travel to Russia in a few months so will I get banned if I activate it in Russia but keep playing it when I get back to Finland? I would also like to know what is Steam's policy with region locked products since I could not find it anywhere in the rules.

How do I know when a CD Key or retail product is region restricted?
Region restrictions on CD Keys should be noted by the publisher on the retail packaging of the product. To be safe, ask the retailer if there are any region restrictions on this product before purchasing. If you have issues with the purchased product, please contact the retail store where it was purchased.

I’m getting an error 'Game not available in your territory' when I’m trying to add a CD Key to my account. What should I do?
You will see this error message if you have purchased a regionally restricted copy of a game and you try to register its CD Key in a different region. If you do not live in the designated region for that game you must contact the seller for a refund. Steam Support cannot offer refunds on CD Keys purchased from 3rd party retailers.

More about this can be found here: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=1266-QFZC-2141

[Dinglepop]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

No, if you travel physically nothing bad will happen.
You may encounter a 90 day cooldown after activation where the game can only be played in the CIS region.
Additionally, you may encounter a reduced selection of languages compared to international versions.

Oh ok. But is there a danger if I stay just a few days that they think I would be using a vpn? I live very close to the Russian border and I know I won't be staying long. I don't know if my consern is justified and well it's my friend's key and I could by it off sale but that's cheaper.

[ReBoot]

Originally posted by Adolfin the german dolphin:

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

No, if you travel physically nothing bad will happen.
You may encounter a 90 day cooldown after activation where the game can only be played in the CIS region.
Additionally, you may encounter a reduced selection of languages compared to international versions.

Oh ok. But is there a danger if I stay just a few days that they think I would be using a vpn? I live very close to the Russian border and I know I won't be staying long. I don't know if my consern is justified and well it's my friend's key and I could by it off sale but that's cheaper.

Since that would be within the rules, it's safe. You may encounter downsides mentioned by Cathulhu.