Hi!
Would it be possible to purchase a game from the same region (EU) that is blocked in one country bot not in another (because it is banned there) via VPN? I allready tried it out a bit, the game comes up in the search results when I'm connected via VPN, but I'm not sure if my account could be suspended when I actually buy it...?

9 years ago

Comment has been collapsed.

don't just don't. don't risk your account it's against the SSA.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Thanks! Would it be different when the game is bought on humble bundle (or similar)? Could this be activated?

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

talk to the trades from Romania/Bulgaria / Canada :)) You can activate those on your account. There are only specific games have restrictions for Germany e.g. Wolfensteins (cos of nazi attributes) Choose a reputable trader, give some money trough paypal, it wil be cheaper in EU 2 anyway

Mortal is cheaper in Canada for instance https://steamdb.info/app/237110/

9 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

With game is blocked in germany?

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

The Commandos series for example, Quake III, Mortal Kombat...

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Quake 3 ? For what reason?

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

First two tittles... just wow.
Someone should spent week long holiday in Somalian prison for that.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Buy it somewhere else, you can activate it normaly.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Dont do it imho... As long as you "live" in a Country you have to "abide" by its law... Although technically it is possible you to add a game that is purchased from somewhere else (within the same region(and Humble bundle keys are mostly ROW keys.)) Both Steam and you will be in trouble if caught somehow...(forensic-wise)
I am not sure if steam has a fail-safe for this kind of attempts. But I wont risk it. (and if I were "steam" I will definitely put a fail-safe system for this)(LOL "if I were steam" it will be so much fun...")
This case is way too different from; for example buying a game via vpn from Russia/Canada because it is cheap. This attempt is against "steam terms and conditions" But your case it is against law in effect in your Country.(so both you and Steam will be responsible and accountable)

Be Safe!!!

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

95% of the games you can´t buy in steam in germany you can buy elsewhere here with no problems...cause the other shops have an age-verification that steam does not have, so if someone activates them via vpn...he violates the TOS, but on the buyer side he is not breaking any german law.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Makes sense... I dont know the detail of the "law".
if it restricts age for certain games then your argument is valid..
if it restricts play and sale totally for specific titles, for all ages then it does not matter how you got the game... (gift,vpn purchase or heck even if you play a pirated copy you are responsible...)

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

The law restricts the distribution of these games, you can own them, just don't sell them. And it seems you also cannot import them, but the examples I found only cover physical media, it could be that even the download could be illegal... :-/

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Bah!...
Lets start our own Country ....
with Blackjack and Hookers.... and steam platform without steam s..t. and s...ty laws...

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

if it´s about youth-protection there are just special conditions sellers must obey, you can buy commands even at amazon.de...and your speculation about that the download could be illegal is just ridiculous, of course it´s also possible for shops with a legit age-verification to let you download it.Many companies use for e.g. the post-ident-verifaction for downloads

9 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Any friend outside Germany but in row region can get it for you. Even blood dlc for shogun 2 is blocked in germany...

Better have it gifted and be in "grey" area than actually break eula and use vpn yourself.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

You got to be careful, there are a few games where you cannot activate and play the ROW-Version in Germany

  • Wolfenstein: The New Order
  • Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
  • maybe more
9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

yeah some games are censored for the German market
So if you want to play these games you need to buy from German market
or retail steam cd key with German tag
otherwise you will not be able to play it

9 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

As already said, don’t use a VPN to buy anything, ever! Valve really doesn’t like that and you might just get your account suspended. Using a VPN only to activate a game with a region lock will likely go unnoticed, but I still wouldn’t recommend it.

As for the legal side of things: As an adult you’re allowed to buy, own and play anything you want in Germany. Importing (i.e. indexed games) for personal and private use is also allowed.

The reason we have to endure this patronizing with all these messy restrictions is to one extend because of the strict, complicated and partly even stupid German laws and to the other extend because of publishers, developers and Steam (Valve) not understanding, misunderstanding or not even willing to understand these laws and therefore not selling certain games, although they were allowed to, and sometimes even completely locking games away, although no law exists that would require such measures.

Most games unavailable in the German Steam Store activate and run perfectly fine if you try to activate a key code or receive them as a gift copy, some refuse to activate if you’re logged in with a German IP (but work once the hurdle was taken) and even less will not even launch. So far only Bethesda’s Wolfenstein: The New Order and The Old Blood and Square Enix’s Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition are to blame of the malpractice of implementing a launch lock.
It’s especially stupid on Square Enix’s part, as the they could openly and freely sell SD:DE in Germany if they wanted to. Instead they locked it away in advance without any legal reason, justifying it by stating that the original Sleeping Dogs is indexed, yet there’re are no locks at all for the original SD (ROW version) if you try to activate/play it from Germany.

Other publishers are smarter, who don’t apply region locks or censor their games in advance, like Devolver Digital for example. The gore level of their game Shadow Warrior could’ve easily gotten it indexed in Germany, but with it being a digital release only it went completely unnoticed by the authorities and they just keep selling it via Steam without any trouble.

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Thanks for this detailed insight!

9 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Sign in through Steam to add a comment.