So activating a key doesn't count as a "purchase" to Steam? The exact wording varies from game to game, but always says "purchases made in x area will only be playable in x". Not entirely sure whether Steam would count activating a key as a "purchase" or not :/
Comment has been collapsed.
If you click at your wallet and then at your licenses, you can see that the games you specifically bought from the steam store, show the "steam store" text in their right side. Keys say "retail". Gifts say "gift/guest pass". So, steam understands the difference. :P
Comment has been collapsed.
I am in a really cheap region, the problem is that I'm not always here, or planning to live here forever. I'd rather buy from the Steam Store when possible, but the discounts aren't worth it when it's games that I could be locked out from playing in the future when in other countries, or permanently if I move.
Comment has been collapsed.
Oh, that. If you activate a game on your account, after a year or so they seem to be automatically converted to ROW ones. Nobody knows why, as it is not documented anywhere, but load of empirical evidence shows that if you keep a game on your account long enough, you can access it anywhere, as if it was a ROW game.
Comment has been collapsed.
Fascinating, do you have any idea if this applies to all games? And if not, what 'qualifies' a game to revert to ROW after long enough?
I'm guessing games which are only provided in one language, or those with censorship for example would have to remain locked. The games I'm actually looking at are The Witcher 2, and Saints Row IV. As far as I know neither of them are censored in my region, and neither of them have language warnings on the store page
Comment has been collapsed.
It shall take only three months. In that time period you could only install and play by using VPN, after that it isn't needed anymore. I've often read this regarding not purchasable games in my region. Can't confirm it personally yet, but I'll know it in nearly two months. ^^
Comment has been collapsed.
There are many sites out there provide ROW keys at reasonable price (cheaper than Steam)
Comment has been collapsed.
Well, if it made you feel any better, my Steam store is localized to MY (SEA region) and I can play all of my games just fine here in Egypt (been fine ever since they introduced the local currency). Just a slight hiccup is that all gifts that you purchase is automatically region-locked to SEA and, in my case, if let's say my brother wants to give me a game, I can't activate it since I'm not in Malaysia right now.
Excuse me if that's not your point.
Comment has been collapsed.
17 Comments - Last post 35 minutes ago by Chris76de
26 Comments - Last post 2 hours ago by m0r1arty
16,494 Comments - Last post 2 hours ago by leecee
47,234 Comments - Last post 4 hours ago by ManOman
575 Comments - Last post 5 hours ago by RobbyRatpoison
379 Comments - Last post 6 hours ago by Rosales
102 Comments - Last post 6 hours ago by Reidor
174 Comments - Last post 13 minutes ago by RosimInc
174 Comments - Last post 16 minutes ago by belarus56
55 Comments - Last post 18 minutes ago by CrabdaddyLonglegs
75 Comments - Last post 26 minutes ago by Delisper
394 Comments - Last post 37 minutes ago by indigoviolet
23 Comments - Last post 41 minutes ago by ormax3
937 Comments - Last post 42 minutes ago by Phantomreader42
There are a couple of games I've been looking at which in the Steam store state that purchases made in my country will only be playable in my region (so if I left the country I'd lose my games). As it is I don't always stay in the same place, so I refuse to buy them from the Steam Store.
Does anybody know what would happen if I bought a ROW key from elsewhere and activated it in a region-locked area? Would I then have a game that could be played wherever? Or would the same region lock be applied based on where it's been activated?
Comment has been collapsed.