If I can only buy games as gifts on Steam and not as keys, where do 3rd party resellers get theirs?

[BACK]
If I can only buy games as gifts on Steam and not as keys, where do 3rd party resellers get theirs?
Posted On: October 16, 2023

3rd party game key resellers like Kinguin or G2A sell game keys right? Supposedly the key sellers are just other users. I as a user as well cannot seem to buy keys from Steam though? I can only buy the games as a gift.


With that in mind, where do these 3rd party resellers buy their keys to begin with? I highly doubt they buy it from the developer themselves since there seems to be a bad relationship between the two groups.


Question from user user9564371 at stackexchange.


Answer:

I as a user as well cannot seem to buy keys from Steam though?


There are a number of legitimate sites which provide Steam keys with purchases, such as Humble Bundle, Fanatical, and Green Man Gaming. In addition, the developer/publisher of the game can generate keys and sell them however they'd like, or even give them out freely. Steam provides an API for both of these cases.


Cheap keys on reseller sites are usually one (or more) of:.


Purchased during a sale.


Purchased in a country with lower prices, but still considered the same "region".


Included in a "bundle" which contains multiple games for dirt-cheap (Humble Bundle and Fanatical have a lot of these).


Given away en masse by developers on sites like SteamGifts.


Leaked from some database.


Only in the last case are the keys illegally obtained (and will likely be revoked). Unfortunately there's no way to tell a legitimate key apart from an illegitimate one on these reseller sites.


Answer from user BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft at stackexchange.



[BACK]
If I can only buy games as gifts on Steam and not as keys, where do 3rd party resellers get theirs?
Posted On: October 16, 2023

3rd party game key resellers like Kinguin or G2A sell game keys right? Supposedly the key sellers are just other users. I as a user as well cannot seem to buy keys from Steam though? I can only buy the games as a gift.


With that in mind, where do these 3rd party resellers buy their keys to begin with? I highly doubt they buy it from the developer themselves since there seems to be a bad relationship between the two groups.


Question from user user9564371 at stackexchange.


Answer:

I as a user as well cannot seem to buy keys from Steam though?


There are a number of legitimate sites which provide Steam keys with purchases, such as Humble Bundle, Fanatical, and Green Man Gaming. In addition, the developer/publisher of the game can generate keys and sell them however they'd like, or even give them out freely. Steam provides an API for both of these cases.


Cheap keys on reseller sites are usually one (or more) of:.


Purchased during a sale.


Purchased in a country with lower prices, but still considered the same "region".


Included in a "bundle" which contains multiple games for dirt-cheap (Humble Bundle and Fanatical have a lot of these).


Given away en masse by developers on sites like SteamGifts.


Leaked from some database.


Only in the last case are the keys illegally obtained (and will likely be revoked). Unfortunately there's no way to tell a legitimate key apart from an illegitimate one on these reseller sites.


Answer from user BlueRaja - Danny Pflughoeft at stackexchange.



[BACK]

What do the Fruit Ninja notifications under the Gold Apples buttons mean? What do the Fruit Ninja notifications under the Gold Apples buttons mean?

Posted On: May 8, 2023
As you can see, there's a "(1)" under both the Gold Apples and Starfruit buttons. I've tried tapping them, but there's nothing seemingly pertaining to the "notifications&quo...[More]


Is there any way I can give myself 360° vision in game? Is there any way I can give myself 360° vision in game?

Posted On: July 6, 2023
A key gameplay mechanic in Project Zomboid is that your character can only see what's in front of them, even though the game has an isometric perspective. Anything behind becomes shrouded. That...[More]


in Zelda, Are the names of lightroots the names of shrines spelled backwards? in Zelda, Are the names of lightroots the names of shrines spelled backwards?

Posted On: June 22, 2023
Looking at your map in Tears of the Kingdom, you might notice that each lightroot is directly beneath a shrine. However, something I noticed when watching a video on Youtube is that the Nisoij lightro...[More]


Why isnt Minecraft using the full amount of RAM? Why isnt Minecraft using the full amount of RAM?

Posted On: April 6, 2024
Before you jump to conclusions, I've tried to solve this before asking.I cannot seem to get Minecraft to go above 5% of the allocated memory. Here's what I've done: set the max fps to like 130, update...[More]


I think I may have missed out on Lae'zel as a companion.... I think I may have missed out on Lae'zel as a companion....

Posted On: April 6, 2025
How cooked am I? Will this ruin the story and lock me out of any potential endings? Do I need to load way back and make sure?For context she is not my companion by the time I meet up with the gith on ...[More]


In Lucky Luna, how many gems do I lose when I die? In Lucky Luna, how many gems do I lose when I die?

Posted On: March 11, 2023
Whenever I die in Lucky Luna I lose some of my gems. The amount of gems I lose seems to vary. What determines how many gems I lose when I die? Question from user Stevoisiak at gaming.stackexchange....[More]


Is it still possible to start and finish a quest from Chapter 1 after starting Chapter 2? Is it still possible to start and finish a quest from Chapter 1 after starting Chapter 2?

Posted On: July 27, 2023
Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition is divided by chapter. When I start Chapter 2, will I still be able to activate quests from Chapter 1? In my journal, all previous chapter quests disappeared after ...[More]


Can't find the last conjuration in Hogwarts Legacy??? Can't find the last conjuration in Hogwarts Legacy???

Posted On: April 18, 2023
So I have been spending hours and hour to get the platinum achievement on PS5. Now I only miss the last achievement (Collectors edition).I have checked all the butterflie locations, all caves and e...[More]


Astarion hates me? Astarion hates me?

Posted On: September 28, 2023
Help, Astarion dislikes everything i do and every decision i make. Do i need to be a bad person in order him to like me? I love helping people and speaking to animals (i'm a druid) but he seems to...[More]


What’s you favorite spell in Hogwarts Legacy? What’s you favorite spell in Hogwarts Legacy?

Posted On: March 23, 2023
I really like depulso it’s really cool that you can slam enemies into each other with it. Also revelio used to be my favorite spell but after hearing it over 10,000 times in one hour it’s ...[More]