https://www.steamgifts.com/about/guidelines
Giveaways
Creating
All giveaways must be for Steam redeemable gifts or Steam redeemable keys.
Beta keys which do not provide unrestricted access to the full game in the future, guest passes, demos, and coupons cannot be given away.
Giveaways need to accurately reflect the game being given away. If the game is not available in the giveaway list, please contact support to have the game added, instead of posting the giveaway under an incorrect name.
When a giveaway has ended, the gift is required to be sent to the winner within one week.
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The key point is "provide unrestricted access to the full game" which this one seems to do according to their profile.
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Yes that's the thing, a beta keys can be used like some kind of demo (not full game), or give differents" version/branch" of the game (not up to date with the full release), but also could give access to the full release as a reward for beta testers.
For example, I own a game I got directly from the devs for testing, in the Steam properties I can choose to play the "regular" game like everyone else or use the "testing version" with devs tools (changing weather, spawning items, speeding in-game time, infinite ressources, god mode etc)
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Which game is it?
Any keys generated before release get beta auto-included in the name even if from the regular sub.
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https://store.steampowered.com/app/761830/Mr_Prepper/
So I got the game almost a year before the "official" release, and indeed it is included in the account details page (see pic below), but it's not in my library tho.
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If you mean Elegy of Fate, then its release date was May 28. Recent, but if there was a beta testing period, it is now over. AWA give out keys that activate the same way. Also, non beta keys can and have been revoked.
As far as it relates to SG, you have activated the game, the GA creator can ask for it to be marked as received from support. If it is later revoked, you can change it to not received. If the time has passed since you can mark it as not received yourself, then you contact support to change your feedback. You can also contact the GA creator and ask them to delete the GA.
From my own experience, I have had some beta keys keep working for years, well after the release date. I have also had retail keys revoked.
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It depends on whether that key is actually supposed for beta testing only or maybe the developer used it as a promo with no intention to ever revoke it. Beta keys which do not provide unrestricted access to the full game in the future should not be given away, see Guidelines. So, if your key is revoked you may create a support ticket to reset your gift status to "Not received".
// I am not a support so you may request for further explanation.
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This key has been activated as a beta test, which indicates that it will soon be deleted from the account.
Does the library entry contain "Beta test" or similar? Can you buy it from its store page? Is the game limited in any way? Then contact giveaway creator, ask for a full game key and if there's no reaction after some time, report it.
Or did the activation only say "Elegy of Fate for beta testing"?
Then it doesn't matter anymore, because it's already released. It's just one of the up to 2500 keys a dev can generate before release. Valve calls that "Release state override".
Since you are referring to another game which was taken away: if that was a full game after release, it had to be a revocation. Devs can do that (but also with usual keys), you get notified by Steam. This happens at times due to assuming fraud or missing payment from partner/bundle websites.
Instead of buying the game in such a case, you could have also asked the giveaway creator to delete the giveaway.
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this.
"wait and, if any problem, ask to delete"
best option, imo.
also, not the case, but better restrict GA's with beta keys to a small group/whitelist by clearly stating is a "beta" key.
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Beta test keys don't necessarily have an expiration date.
If the game successfully activated, and is on your account, then it's fine.
Don't immediately jump to conclusions.
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I've received a fair number of games with beta test keys, and only one has ever been revoked from my account. In the case of the game being revoked, the devs stated it would be revoked after the testing period was over, so it was clearly conveyed.
You should be fine :)
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basically, it's probably fine. if your game does happen to be revoked, the burden lies with the giveaway creator to replace it, not you.
Does the library entry contain "Beta test" or similar? Can you buy it from its store page? Is the game limited in any way? Then contact giveaway creator, ask for a full game key and if there's no reaction after some time, report it.
..is really solid advice.
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This is a really poorly explained and enforced area on SG. I once had a moderator threaten that if I did not mark the beta key as game received, then I would be suspended.
[quote]Beta keys which do not provide unrestricted access to the full game in the future, guest passes, demos, and coupons cannot be given away.[/quote]
How does anyone know if it provides full access or anything about the future? Best I was ever able to make of it was to create a ticket (ask a mod) and if they say it's received then document it and activate. The other practical approach is to mark all beta keys as received which makes the rule kind pointless. But why be practical? It's a casual site so let's make unclear rules and administratively complicated processes, then complain about it.
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Click on the Steam link of the GA. If the Steam page says you own the game, then as far as SG is concerned, you own the game. If it is later revoked, you can change your feedback, even if that requires a ticket to do so.
If you're wondering what the difference is, take Fashion Police Squad: https://steamdb.info/search/?a=all&q=fashion+police
There are two games. The full game is the first one, 1319460. While the beta is a separate library entry, 1709770.
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I'm familiar with Steam DB and beta versions. I own some beta version games, so I checked the Steam page and it says that I do own them. So if this is the rule that SG uses and no one knows what will happen in the future, then the rule is useless and should be removed, as has been argued before. It supports the practical approach that I indicated which is to just activate beta games as received because from what I've seen the rule isn't enforced anyways.
This has all been argued before and it goes nowhere. I don't usually comment in the forums anymore and I'm not interested in debate. The OP asked for advice. I gave mine.
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I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for responding and sharing their knowledge.
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I won a beta test activation key in the last draw.
GAME:
Elegia do Destino
This key has been activated as a beta test, which indicates that it will soon be deleted from the account. And when this goes away, my account will be penalized by the steamgifts website, as it already happened to me and I had to buy the game, and so I could ask for the account to be unlocked to participate again or create sweepstakes. I would like guidance from the site's support on this issue.
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