If it's a Steam game, it shouldn't matter what OS you bought it for. I do not believe Steam has separate licenses for different OSes. Practical example, I have a Mac, bought XCOM 2 (Windows) from GMG because it had a better discount, and I have had no problems running the game (aside from it being slow because my laptop wasn't up to spec).
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That's what I figured, but I'm not sure why the site is selling regular keys and Mac specific keys. The game originally did not work on Mac and then years later they made a Mac version. I know the version on Steam now will let you play on Windows or Mac, but I was thinking that maybe when they originally released the Mac version, they might have listed it as a separate game on Steam and it only let you download the Mac version. This could be an old leftover key from something like that or maybe even if they did have that in the past, they might have combined it and now everyone gets both versions not matter what you purchased or activated in the past.
I figured someone more knowledgeable than me on how to use steamdb would be able to see if there was a Mac specific version at some point since I think they keep historic data.
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In theory, it is possible to make a certain activated package run on a specific depot (which would be window/mac on this game's case).
At least that's what happened to me with Vertical Drop Heroes HD, a game that has TWO Windows depots, and my key only got me access to the "Press" depot, that was never updated compared to the "main" windows depot. Here's my package and its only depot.
Now, I don't know if this would restrict access on windows x mac depots, since it's not exactly the same case.
Planet Coaster has a Win 64-bit depot and a macOS 64-bit depot, but I didn't find any listed package suggesting "mac only" (or windows only) to some extent. It's not that such package doesn't exist, but maybe their token dumper didn't get access to it.
We could in theory click on all packages individually, and check their depots, to see if any has only windows or only mac, like I've done with the example package back there. But again, there might be additional unkown subs!
EDIT: found 3 packages on that game that doesn't list the Mac depot, suggesting a windows-only key:
https://steamdb.info/sub/268415/depots/
https://steamdb.info/sub/112131/depots/
https://steamdb.info/sub/112132/depots/
So with that in mind, it might be possible for a key to only have the mac depot as well.
EDIT 2: it's possible to enter a depot, and list which packages include it.
27 known packages contain the windows depot
12 known packages contain the mac depot
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Unless there's another package that's missing in SteamDB all 12 packages with the mac depot also have the windows depot.
Why a separate key "for Mac" that also has windows in Gamersgate? Because there's 2 different publishers, besides the developer of the game, Aspyr that made the port is the publisher for Mac. And the price difference must be because Aspyr keys sold to Gamersgate were cheaper.
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Yeah, I'm aware, as I said we can only talk about "known packages" by SteamDB, but there might be unknown packages around.
While I haven't found packages there with "mac and no windows", I've listed 3 macs with win and no mac depots! So the other way around might be possible.
Though I agree, it might be called "mac" just because of the different publisher, indeed. Makes sense. But we can't be certain until tested!
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Thanks for the info. I'm still a bit confused about how the packages, depots, and SubIDs work, but I'm not sure if knowing that will help me get a confident answer. Maybe I'll do some reading over the next couple days before the sale ends.
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Understood. Unfortunately, I can't give you a straight answer on this matter, even after years of messing with Steam, and plenty experiences around.
Resuming the whole Steam background stuff:
To be sure, I'd need to either find a "mac only" package on Steam, but on a game that has mac/win sharing the same AppID, the same as happen to your game (which is not the case people made examples about).
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I wasn't expecting you to explain it to me, I just meant that I would research it online since there is probably info about it somewhere. Thanks for the help again though :)
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No worries, Jensen, I know you never asked for this!
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lol, I had to look that up. At first I thought you might be referencing Jensen Huang from Nvidia because that's the only Jensen I could think of. I still haven't played any of the Deus Ex games. It just reminds me how big my backlog is.
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I'm not sure if Droj is right. I do know I had this question back in the day when I bought a game from, I think, macgamestore. But just because it's physically possible doesn't mean any game store will do that, they usually just sell regular game codes that any other store gets. But then it gets confusing when you have the same game store that lists the same product under different prices, one with (Windows) and one that says (Mac).
I'm not super knowledgeable on steamdb either but one example of a game that is mac exclusive game (kind of) is GTA san andreas
Mac version - https://steamdb.info/app/12250/
Windows version - https://steamdb.info/app/12120/
If you look at the packages, you can actually see there are some packages within the Mac that aren't in the Windows and vice-versa but that's a game with multiple app ids.
Planet Coaster, as you noticed, as 2 depots within one ID. If you click the depots themselves, you can see "packages that include this depot", which may be the licenses that would grant one depot but not the other. All the packages that include the Mac also include the Windows but apparently not vice-versa? All of them (with the exception of one - Planet Coaster: Thrillseeker Edition Released sub id: 137057) are for internal purposes and not meant to ever be sold to a customer.
I don't know if there are any (or many examples) of a cd key a store sold being locked out from one operating system (since they restricted the depot) so usually it's a safe bet. My example of GTA San Andreas (and III + Vice City) gave me both app ids on one purchase.
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Thanks for the info. I need to do some reading about how packages and depots work to get a better understanding of what I'm looking at, but from the few comments here so far, it sounds like it probably comes with both Windows and Mac versions.
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I didn't think about asking them, but I'm not sure if they would even know. I would assume that they would just see that it says Mac and respond saying to only buy it if you have a Mac. That wouldn't give me much confidence in them being right. They may have even been told that it is a key that activates the Mac version, so they labeled it that way, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't also give you the Windows version.
I thought it would be easy for someone that knows more than me to look at Steamdb and see if a Mac only key ever existed, but apparently it is not as easy as I thought it would be.
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IMHO, if key say MAC-version!!?? It does not work in Windws
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But it doesn't look like a Mac only version exists. The only version available on Steam can be installed on both Windows and Mac.
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In a Steam discussions topic they shared a link to a support contact form, it may worth asking them as well:
Link in the reply: https://steamcommunity.com/app/493340/discussions/0/4331979507653623425/
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Thanks. I just sent them a message. I'm not sure if they will respond in time though since it is a weekend and the sale ends on Sunday.
Edit: I sent a message explaining that I wanted to buy a Steam key from an authorized seller and it was listed as Mac specific and asked if they have ever released Steam keys in the past that will only activate the Mac version. They responded saying that there is a version of the game sold on the Apple store that will only work on Mac, but buying a Steam key will let you access both the Windows and Mac versions of the game.
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Back when the shop Wingamestore also had a shop called Macgamestore I bought many "Mac"-Keys for Steam there because they were much cheaper than their Windows equivalent. They all worked on Windows, since I don't own a Mac :)
Otherwise the explanations for depots and such are your answer. When there is a dedicated Steam-Store webpage for the Mac-Version, the Mac-Key will NOT work on Windows.
Example here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/214630/Call_of_Duty_Black_Ops__Mac_Edition/
So a key for this Mac Edition will NOT work on Windows.
If there is no such Mac-webpage on Steam, you can be 99% sure that the "Mac"-key will work on Windows.
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That's what I was thinking, I just wasn't sure if there was a Mac version on Steam at some point in the past and then they changed the Windows version to also include Mac and got rid of the Mac only version. Then this key might only give access to the old Mac only version. As far as I can tell from the info people have gathered here, it looks like there never was a Mac only version in the past, so it most likely will be for both versions.
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I've had a case similar to this a couple of years ago and have asked their support. The only reason they list the Mac and Windows versions separately, is because they're from different publishers (Frontier for Windows, Aspyr for Mac). And there's other games where it is similar (like XCOM2 for example).
That is also the reason why they have different discounts at different times, because not the shops decide those but the publishers. If you look at gg.deals, a lot of shops sell both versions and oftentimes at different prices. Some don't even list them as "(Mac)" and "(Windows)", like for example Gamebillet:
https://www.gamebillet.com/planet-coaster-19001109
https://www.gamebillet.com/planet-coaster-z
or Fanatical:
https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/planet-coaster
https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/planet-coaster-aspyr
Only if you look at the listed publishers, you will see the difference.
In any case I know of, they both activate the full game on Steam including both Windows and Mac versions, so go ahead and get the chepaer one!
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That makes sense. Thanks for the info. Also, from the research some others have done here, as far as they can tell from steamdb, it looks like there never was a Mac only version.
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Gamersgate is selling a version of the game that activates on Steam, but it is called Planet Coaster (Mac) and it is much cheaper than the Windows version.
I know this sounds like a stupid question, but it looks like there is only 1 Steam store page to buy Planet Coaster and it lists both Windows and Mac system requirements. Does anyone know if there is or was in the past a specific Steam key that would only provide you with the Mac version of the game or is Gamergate confused and the key will activate the version that works on Windows and Mac?
I'm not positive how to search things like this on steamdb.info. I tried and it looks like they have nothing listed for a Mac specific version. I do see Windows and Mac versions listed under "Depots", but I think that just means that this version of the game on Steam comes with both. I don't know how to tell if there was a Mac specific version.
Edit: I sent a message to Frontier Developments explaining that I wanted to buy a Steam key from an authorized seller and it was listed as Mac specific and asked if they have ever released Steam keys in the past that will only activate the Mac version. They responded saying that there is a version on the Apple store that will only work on Mac, but buying a Steam key will let you access both the Windows and Mac versions of the game.
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