I bought Civilization 6 from humble bundle, however, the game is region lock. My friend from another country activated the game for me but I still can't play it in my own country. Any ways to fix this? Or can I play the game without restriction after 3 months?

6 years ago

Comment has been collapsed.

Ask HB support. They'll be able to give you a proper and official reply.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Do they assist people with activated keys, I don't think they will give me a new key lol.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

You bought a game for you, but why your friend activated it for you? O.o

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I think OP's friend was in another region.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I could not activate the game in Australia for some weird reasons.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

It's because Australia is a too powerful Civ already, no reason to give them home field advantage on top.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Deleted

This comment was deleted 1 year ago.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

does the country from my profile count? I live in Australia (the actual country) but chose Christmas Island for no particular reasons.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

i think store region is set via the IP you have used while using steam the first time... profile region is for show status only...

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Seems like Im stuck with Australia

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Deleted

This comment was deleted 1 year ago.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Apparently like you say games are getting unlocked after exactly 3 months from the day of activating the game on your account. I found this thread on reddit which also tells the same.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

thanks but does steam still work like this because it was a year ago

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

It should work, I don't think anything really changed. Also you can try contacting HB support in the meantime as some other users suggested and asking them what to do, because there is really nothing about regional restriction for Civ 6 on their website.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

yep It still work like this. I purchased a deus ex collection and it was region locked but the games unlocked few days ago.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I wonder, is it the same case with the ones that have some extra DRM, like Uplay or what not?

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Really good question, though, honestly I have no idea. Uplay has region lock too...It would be weird if steam unlocked the game but you were stuck on Uplay. I couldn't find any info about it, sadly.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Deleted

This comment was deleted 3 years ago.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

it's hb's fault, they should have put a region warning. try their support and see if they can revoke it and give you an AU key.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Im trying now, but don't think it will help because I already added the game into my library.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

thanks, but i still have no idea why they give random keys from other regions

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/HWJyZ/humble-bundle-february-2018-monthly-bundle-incl-sid-meiers-civilization-vi-2-dlcs/search?page=3#jFYtbsZ

That implies that you should've gotten US key that works in Australia too unless you live on Christmas Island.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Christmas Island is just a Country I chose for my profile, not my actual store

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Try switching it to Australia? Wouldn't surprise me it's something that stupid since it just doesn't work on that Island no matter what key you get. Where was the friend that activated it?

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

He activated the game in China.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

that shouldn't give them any right to ignore your request. it's their fault the game wasn't tagged as region locked, they sold something that isn't row.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

True, thanks for you help.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

This is why region restrictions are bullshit.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Yes, in this case, it's bullshit. But without region lock, we here can't get cheaper games. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

You can't get cheaper games anyway since the games that are cheaper by region can't be traded to more expensive regions.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

there were two options for Valve&Co when trader abused the store regions...

  • making all games same price for every region wich would kill gaming in countries like russia...

  • or region lock, to get sure people in "poor" countries can still buy games...

some region locks can base on licence restrictions or local laws...

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Just wanted to say that the part about people in "poor" countries getting cheaper prices only applies to some regions. Russia isn't poor by any stretch of imagination, it has an upper/middle income, and yet it gets very attractive prices.

For comparison, people in Africa (ROW), where the average income is either lower, or much lower (depending on the country) than Russia's, and yet we pay the same price for games as in the US. It's hardly fair or balanced. I can't say I fully understand the economics behind regional pricing, but I think market shares have a great deal to do with it, Russia with its demographics must account for a large number of accounts/sales, that's why it gets its own price. The sales from African countries must be negligible and too low to warrant prices that are more in line with the level of incomes there.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

that's usually the case why Valve does not adjust Prices/currencies for countries where they barely make sales. recently they added a bunch of new currencies, like Vietnamese Dong. Vietnamse customers were waiting for this for a long time though. if you think about it, like 3 years ago, there were only around 12 currencies on Steam, now they have 40.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

that's why i use the "..." :)

"Russia isn't poor by any stretch of imagination"

well it is... and for sure when it's about imagination...

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I doubt the prices would be THAT much different. I've always been against region restrictions. They only originally existed so the companies can make more money instead of having a fair price worldwide.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

yea i think it was only realy worth for indie devs... big companies make enough money, at least the ones that are left...^^

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Umm, I'm no expert, but wouldn't a VPN solve the problem? If you don't find it unethical.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I tried many VPNs but none of them worked, any suggestions? thanks

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Well, I've only used TunnelBear on my iPad a couple of times and it worked great. Apart from that, I'm really no expert, as I said, can't be of too much help. :/

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

still appreciate for you help, have a good day.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

You can use a VPN and then change you steam address so after that Steam will think that you live there and you can play the game.
Edit:
its a risky thing to do but it will work a few of my friends doing this and don't have any problem.
But if you are not in a Hurry then wait for itself to unlock

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

and also you can get a ban hammer for doing this ^^

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

VPNers may cry :D

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

A few of my friends doing this they had no prob but yeah its risky But only risky when you use other Country Curencys to buy Games or Other things like cards and steam stuff

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

never mess with locations and store via VPN...

activating games is "tolerated" by Volvo nothing more... most other things can end in a account lock...

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I never use VPN tho, I have friends in China to log on to my account to buy games for me.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

sounds risky, but i never saw proofed reports about locks for this...

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

can confirm that it works. Have just today unlocked an region restricted game that i have akvitaved with vpn. Had to wait 3 month The game was a Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition (row) that cant be aktivated in germany. Can now install and play the game.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

3 months? what happens after 3 months? I have no idea. Could you please tell me?

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

After the aktivation i have recived the message when i have tried to start the game: You cant install the game, the game doesnt availible at your region. Today i have tested this again. now i can install the game without any problems.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Does it work for all regions because some people said it doesn't

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Steam region locks vanish exactly 88 days after activation (speaking of those locks that won't let you install or play the game). I have verified this numerous times as I activated my friend actived region locked stuff (key and gifts) with VPN quite often.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

According to my friend, the product is a little weird because its in Asia, and never happened before (he works for a steam keys website in Asia) .

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Are you sure that YOU bought the Humble Bundle and not your friend? If you bought it, is your paymenth method (credit card/PayPal) based in Asia? there are a bunch of Region locks (see here https://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/HWJyZ/) but no indication about Australia and what keys they get. If you bought in from HB, contact their Support, they are usually pretty quick (1 day) resonding to tickets.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

When you say not my friend, what does it mean by that? Also, my payment method is based in Asia and bought it from HB, does the support help if I activated the key and the game has been added into my library?

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I was asking whether you are sure that you bought the bundle. not that your friend bought it.
asian payment method explains why you got an asian key. I would still try contacting them, and explain your situation, maybe they can revoke the key you activated and send you a ROW key instead. other than that, you can wait it out and play in 3 months.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Does it work for all regions because some people said it doesn't

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I have my friend has activated keys and gifts from CIS/RU, SA and US/NA regions, and those that had a "no install/no play" lock always worked after exactly 88 days, no matter if they were RU gifts (back when it worked) or US keys.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

change your accounts region (not via vpn but you can change it via your friends pc), it will fix.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

I think you cannot change the region, unless you have a proof, like a payment method or address from that country.

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

can i tell my friend to log on to my account in another country to change it? And is the account region the one you find under account details?

6 years ago
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Yes, but it doesn't change anything if you chamge it i think (I never changed it). Steam activation checks your IP when there are region restrictions. If you change your region in steam successfully you see the region's pricing, that's pretty much the only difference. Installing or playing the game with an Australian IP address still won't work I think. But you are free to experiment and report back.

6 years ago*
Permalink

Comment has been collapsed.

Sign in through Steam to add a comment.