Disc wants me to enter product code

[TheCoolAndroidYT]

I have a physical game disc for Civilization 5, but when I try to install it, steam wants me to type in a product code.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

I have a physical game disc for Civilization 5, but when I try to install it, steam wants me to type in a product code.

Do you not have the CD Key for the game to be registered on your account?

How did you acquire this physical disc? Was it new or used?

[TheCoolAndroidYT]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

I have a physical game disc for Civilization 5, but when I try to install it, steam wants me to type in a product code.

Do you not have the CD Key for the game to be registered on your account?

How did you acquire this physical disc? Was it new or used?

:qr:

We bought it new at Walmart

[Ogami]

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

We bought it new at Walmart

There should be a piece of paper with a Steam key inside the game box. If there is no extra paper then other popular places for the key are the backside of the manual or the inside of the disc cover inlay.
Check those first.

[TheCoolAndroidYT]

Originally posted by Ogami:

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

We bought it new at Walmart

There should be a piece of paper with a Steam key inside the game box. If there is no extra paper then other popular places for the key are the backside of the manual or the inside of the disc cover inlay.
Check those first.

😳 I don't have a manual or paper in the case

[Pscht]

Take the case apart and look absolutely everywhere. If you still can't find it go ask Walmart.

[B-o-B]

When exactly did you buy it?
Perhaps you've installed it previously and it resides on another account?

[no154370]

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Do you not have the CD Key for the game to be registered on your account?

How did you acquire this physical disc? Was it new or used?

:qr:

We bought it new at Walmart

Originally posted by B-o-B:

When exactly did you buy it?
Perhaps you've installed it previously and it resides on another account?

OP already gave the answer from the post i quoted for where he bought the game.

as for your 2nd question "bob", it is totally irrelevant to this thread.

"bob", kindly read all the posts in this thread before asking a question that is already been answered.

[xarvn]

Originally posted by Ogami:

There should be a piece of paper with a Steam key inside the game box. If there is no extra paper then other popular places for the key are the backside of the manual or the inside of the disc cover inlay.
Check those first.

Just to corroborate:
https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/201332913-Locating-the-CD-Key

Originally posted by TheCoolAndroidYT:

😳 I don't have a manual or paper in the case

I would take that back to the store and explain that the game is missing the manual and CD key.

[Cathulhu]

Maybe it was re-wrapped by the store after a return.

[Kargor]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

Maybe it was re-wrapped by the store after a return.

Yeah, there are always stories about people buying game, registering the key, returning the thing, and it's even accepted by the store...

Modern times...

If it's a Steam game, then the disk it utterly useless (unless it has some extras, like a making-of video) -- the key is the valuable item in there.

[xarvn]

If theft/fraud rather than manufacturing oversight took place then I suppose the OP is somewhat lucky as he might honestly be able to claim that the game box is missing essential materials. Imagine however if the CD key was there in the box but was found to have already been used--the store might be less inclined to accept exchange/refund.

[Cathulhu]

And how would a store find a "i opened this new box without a product key" more believable than a "this code was already used" story more believable if any of those can not be investigated and verified by the store?

[xarvn]

Originally posted by Cathulhu:

And how would a store find a "i opened this new box without a product key" more believable than a "this code was already used" story more believable if any of those can not be investigated and verified by the store?

That is true. Much is left to the discretion of the store. I have personally experienced instances of missing product keys but have not yet gotten a code that won't activate out of a retail box. I am biased toward the assumption that manufacturing defect is more common than say a theft where someone returns an item with all materials re-wrapped as if unopened. Assuming that the motive of the thief is monetary gain, his stolen keys would be harder to invalidate if the key code is unknown to customer and store. Selling a stolen key that might later be identified and deactivated is not going to work long term. Of course there might be instances were theft is done by key generator in which by chance a legit code is somehow duplicated. I assume such instances are rare if the key codes have many possible combinations.

[Kargor]

Originally posted by xarvn:

Of course there might be instances were theft is done by key generator in which by chance a legit code is somehow duplicated. I assume such instances are rare if the key codes have many possible combinations.

Only Valve has a key generator :-)

You could trial-and-error random keys (I suspect that's how legitimate keys are generated as well -- create a random key, then check whether it's been generated before), but that's why Steam blocks you after a few attempts (they even count valid keys... people sometimes get hit by this with large-ish bundles), and I'm pretty sure some alarms will go off at Steam HQ if a lot of key failures are seen.

[xarvn]

Originally posted by Kargor:

Only Valve has a key generator :-)

You could trial-and-error random keys (I suspect that's how legitimate keys are generated as well -- create a random key, then check whether it's been generated before), but that's why Steam blocks you after a few attempts (they even count valid keys... people sometimes get hit by this with large-ish bundles), and I'm pretty sure some alarms will go off at Steam HQ if a lot of key failures are seen.

Activation keys used to be based on algorithms which allowed keys to be tested usually during activation to determine authenticity without the need of a centralized database to keep track of every single license. However, algorithms could be reverse engineered either by means of collecting enough samples, or by other methods. As you say, keys are now randomly generated thus there is no way of reverse engineering them other than by brute force, which as you point out, Steam thwarts by limiting the number of activation attempts for a given period of time.

In the past, Steam too used to use algorithm based keys as one might infer from the following article about Portal 2--a game which came out in 2011:

https://www.eurogamer.net/man-finds-steam-key-generating-bug-valve-gives-him-15-000

Civ 5, being a 2010 game may also have had a similar history.

Anyway, I was trying to say that Walmart might see more people trying to return/exchange retail games that were missing the printed keys than customers returning games that were complete with all the materials but with keys that were already used.