Hi all, I'm eager to buy the expansion Gods and Kings, but Im looking to alternatives thats cheaper than steam (yet still can be activated in steam). I wonder if any of you have done that and can share your experience? I see plenty of sites that sells cd-keys but never tried it before...
Recommendation on where to buy G&K cdkeys?
- Thread starter KhaaL
- Start date
woodshadows
King
wouldn't that be pirating?
woodshadows
King
i dunno if its pirating, hence the question mark. i thought the only strictly legal way to buy this game was through steam.. perhaps I'm wrong. buying 'cd keys' sounded like some pirating thing, like you have the software downloaded from wherever and then you pay someone for a cd key in order to play it - meaning no money is actually going to the game developers.
Unless the said resellers have an insider who can manipulate the register of cd keys or a magic formula, the only way to obtain cd keys is through the publisher / developer. In case of steam, there is plenty of resellers who sell products outside of steamstore, such as humblebundle and greenmangaming.
But its hard to know what is and what isnt a "authorized reseller" according to steam.
But its hard to know what is and what isnt a "authorized reseller" according to steam.
woodshadows
King
from a quick google search it appears most of these cd keys come from asian/russian regions, where the game is purchased for significantly less. a great number of these cd keys are also taken from stolen packages. basically - you're saving $20 or so and 'cheating' the developer out of some money, legal issues aside.
For clarification: You can sure buy the game from elsewhere, but it would still have to be activated via Steam.
You can e.g. buy it from other digital distribution platforms like GamersGate, gamefly.co.uk (formerly Direct2Drive; G&K for 19.99£ at the moment) or GreenManGaming, or also via normal distribution ways like Amazon. In the former cases you'll just get a digital key, to activate the game on Steam, hence the reference to "cdkeys".
There are also non legit platforms, which buy normal boxes somewhere in other areas where they are cheaper (e.g. Russia), and sell the keys in them online (mostley referenced as "key stores"). This is technically legal, but violate Steams EULA (or whatever), and you risk losing access to your game if you buy via these platforms.
Just in case: Therefore we'll not allow any links to such resellers. Nobody shall have to say "I found a recommendation on CFC, and now they took my game away".
You can e.g. buy it from other digital distribution platforms like GamersGate, gamefly.co.uk (formerly Direct2Drive; G&K for 19.99£ at the moment) or GreenManGaming, or also via normal distribution ways like Amazon. In the former cases you'll just get a digital key, to activate the game on Steam, hence the reference to "cdkeys".
There are also non legit platforms, which buy normal boxes somewhere in other areas where they are cheaper (e.g. Russia), and sell the keys in them online (mostley referenced as "key stores"). This is technically legal, but violate Steams EULA (or whatever), and you risk losing access to your game if you buy via these platforms.
Just in case: Therefore we'll not allow any links to such resellers. Nobody shall have to say "I found a recommendation on CFC, and now they took my game away".
Is there a list of legitimate resellers or must I inquire steam support about them individually?
Good question. I'd thought that they have a list somewhere, but a google search shows that apparently there isn't (link).
There is an (unofficial) list here, but else I couldn't find anything.
As a rule of thumb: If the site advertises itself as a "key seller" or similar, then it's most likely not a legit reseller. Else they'd say they sell games, not keys.
Great, thanks for the link!
