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]

Can I check how many stamps Ive collected in Mementos? Can I check how many stamps Ive collected in Mementos?

Posted On: January 30, 2023
When navigating Mementos in Persona 5 Royal, you can collect stamps at the stamps stations for Jose's upgrades. Each time you collect a stamp, it tells you on screen how many stamps you've collected, ...[More]


Can I buy season 2 of The Walking Dead one game episode at a time? Can I buy season 2 of The Walking Dead one game episode at a time?

Posted On: March 25, 2023
I want to buy The Walking Dead Season 2 game episodes one at a time, and not have to buy them all on one disk, at one time. Is there anyway to do that? Question from user user69492 at gaming.stacke...[More]


N++ System Requirements on Mac N++ System Requirements on Mac

Posted On: March 17, 2024
I'm looking at N++ (https://store.steampowered.com/app/230270/N_NPLUSPLUS/) and it doesn't list the system requirements for a mac.This question is not about whether my specific computer can run N++, b...[More]


How to get past this old man in Leaf green? How to get past this old man in Leaf green?

Posted On: March 17, 2024
It's been a while since I last played Pokémon Leaf green.I am playing it with my nephew and he asked me how to get to first gym(Brock's gym to get boulder badge.).Here is the problem:.An old man is l...[More]


How many Pokémon were available at the release of Pokémon Go? How many Pokémon were available at the release of Pokémon Go?

Posted On: January 20, 2023
I have googled for this, but can't really put the proper terms to find an answer. At the initial release of Pokémon Go, how many Pokémon were available? I seem to remember legenda...[More]


Valheim multiplayer difficulty scaling Valheim multiplayer difficulty scaling

Posted On: January 19, 2024
I am looking for a thorough explanation about Valheim difficulty scaling when playing with multiple people inside a same world. The only information I could find with a quick google was this wiki, whi...[More]


Dry eye from not blinking enough During Game Play Dry eye from not blinking enough During Game Play

Posted On: June 10, 2023
Sometimes when I play games that require a lot of focus (CS, Starcraft 2) after 10-20 minutes of game I notice that my eyes are red, from not blinking enough. If this happens to you too how do you ...[More]


Patch 3 kinda sucks? Patch 3 kinda sucks?

Posted On: September 25, 2023
His Majesty has hair - just why? Raphael got a bad dye job (and basic horns?), as a Raphael simp - fuck this shit!. Shared stash. need I say more? Camera now focuses on Tav and you can't ...[More]


Custom Biome by Y level minecraft datapack Custom Biome by Y level minecraft datapack

Posted On: January 16, 2023
I would like anywhere under y28 in the nether to be a custom biome called "nether_depths". I tried using code from the deep dark (since it only spawns deep in the world), but it does not see...[More]


How do I reset my sensor to track Shrines in Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom? How do I reset my sensor to track Shrines in Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom?

Posted On: May 31, 2023
I set my sensor to track the location of an item from the Hyrule Compendium. How do I reset it to start tracking Shrines again? Question from user Stevoisiak at gaming.stackexchange.com. Answer:...[More]