Keys vs Gifts

[vOshi]

I've been a frequent memeber of Steam for over a year so I should know this by now, but alas, my attention span is as short as my memory.

Can someone tell me the specific differences between keys/codes purchased from resellers and the official products purchased from Steam?

I was always under the impression that in the case of keys - beyond the danger of the code simply not activating for whatever reason - if the game does activate, it's still not acknowledged or supported by Steam. As in, it won't receive updates, acheivments don't unlock, game hours played aren't logged, etc. It's perfectly playable, but Steam doesn't recognize you playing it, essentialy.

Apparently I'm very, very wrong. Once activated, there is no difference at all between a key you bought for $5 from G2A or wherever and it's $40 Steam-store equivalent. It's recognized as being exactly the same. This is what i've been told, anyway.

So the only reason anyone really has for NOT buying keys instead of the full-priced game is the chance that it MIGHT not activate. And yes i've heard stories about keys being revoked after activation, but those are extreme and very rare cases in which the reseller has done something naughty behind the scenes.

Can anyone confirm if i've been seriously ill-advised of if this is pretty much the case?

TYFYT

[KĘKΘVΘ乙]

кек

[The Rock God]

As long as the key is legit it is exactly the same as buying it on Steam.

Retail copies of games come with keys.

[sikiemod]

The Rock God님이 먼저 게시:

As long as the key is legit it is exactly the same as buying it on Steam.

Retail copies of games come with keys.

i agree

[Richard]

Keys are usually the online copy instead of a physical one, you can also check with the company if it doesnt activate, use only trusted website!

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

There are two types of keys:

* Keys from authorized sellers: These are basically guaranteed to give you the game. If they don't work, you have a recourse by contacting the people who run the site. When you buy from them, the devs get money and the people who run the site get money. Since devs can generate keys for their games on Steam, they can sell those keys through these channels.
Examples: Humble Bundle, Humble Store, Groupees, Indie Gala, Gala Store, ...

* Keys from unauthorized sellers: These are not guaranteed to give you the game. They may just be bundle keys resold separately, or they might be bought in the wrong region and with a stolen credit card. You never know. In fact sometimes they are actually press review copies that are resold. When you buy from these, the people who run the site get some money, the seller gets some money, but the dev does not. Devs (and publishers) can potentially revoke certain groups of keys, which may affect your ability to play a game that you bought from an unauthorized seller.
Examples: their names get censored out by Steam when you type them out.

* Games sold directly on Steam: These are guaranteed to give you the game, of course. They have the added benefit of being able to use Steam's return policy (<2 hours or <14 days, whichever happens first). Also, games can be bought as gift copies and stored in one's inventory; if so, they become tradeable (by no-risk means through Steam) after some time. When you buy a game directly from Steam, the dev gets money and so does Valve.

If a game key works to give you a game, then there is no difference in the game from what you'd have if you bought it from the Steam store. Steamworks (Steam Cloud, achievements, etc.) all work as they should. The only difference is that you cannot request a refund on a redeemed key, but on a game bought through Steam, you can.

[vOshi]

Ok I understand now. Thank you all very much for the replies. Especially Quint

Just one more question: If one trades something for a key is there any way to tell wether that key was aquired from an authorized seller or not, or do you only have the word of the person trading it to you to go off?

[sk8r]

suka blyat

[BONGO]

wtf

[vOshi]

wtf indeed

[mvN]

pillemann

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

voshi님이 먼저 게시:

Ok I understand now. Thank you all very much for the replies. Especially Quint :engineercat:

Just one more question: If one trades something for a key is there any way to tell wether that key was aquired from an authorized seller or not, or do you only have the word of the person trading it to you to go off?

(Edit: oops, duplicated post. Check my post below for a more detailed answer.)

You're welcome!

No, there is no way to tell. Only the person who acquired the key knows it.

Trading things for keys is not recommended by Steam, since it falls outside the trading window and thus cannot be safeguarded against scammers (the way trades that take place entirely on Steam can and are).

That said, if you do trade for keys, at least try to ask where the key came from. Sometimes you can kinda guess, such as if there was a recent bundle with a specific game.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

voshi님이 먼저 게시:

Ok I understand now. Thank you all very much for the replies. Especially Quint :engineercat:

Just one more question: If one trades something for a key is there any way to tell wether that key was aquired from an authorized seller or not, or do you only have the word of the person trading it to you to go off?

You're welcome!

No, you can't tell. Only the person who bought the key can know where it came from, and only the developer would know who's supposed to have or be able to sell it.

If you're trading for keys, I guess you can ask the trader where it's from. And sometimes you can guess, say if there's been a recent bundle with a specific game. But given just a code, you can never tell for sure.

That said, some sites -- such as Humble and Indie Gala -- actually give their customers giftable links rather than key codes. Should those customers want to trade you a key, and say they have something from Humble or Gala, you can demand they give you a giftable link. (They can't make a giftable link if they have revealed the key code themselves.)

Regardless of the source of the code, remember that key trading is a risky activity, since it involves components outside of the Steam trading system so Steam can't assure you you're getting what you expect to get. Steam Support won't help you if your trades go wrong or turn out to be scams.

Edit: I forgot, there's also region locking. Thanks, Nele.

Far as I know, it seems that (legit) bundle sites' keys are all-region. I know a friend from Germany asked me to buy him a Humble Bundle, and he reports that he got the uncensored version (whereas a native German version would be). I have not independently verified this myself, though.