What are your thoughts on steam key sites? have you even bought a key from sites like g2a? are they a scam or are they cool, also do you have a story to share about steam keys.

i was planning on getting a mystery pack from g2a or whatever its called but im not sure if its a scam or not.

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[–] suzyq 21 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I've only ever used Humble Bundle to buy steam games not on steam itself. I haven't had a single steam key issue in the 13 odd-years that they've been around. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

@suzyq Correct answer. Other than Humble, key resellers are almost unanimously peddling stolen keys.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Big difference, humble, like other stores, is a key seller. There are plenty of legit ways to get e.g. Steam keys from stores that have a partnership with Steam. Humble, Gog, and lots of others sell completely legit keys.

Sometimes indie even include a Steam key themselves if you purchase their game from elsewhere, like their own site (like Rimworld) or itch.io (like Dwarf Fortress).

The shady part with G2A etc, the resellers, is that they get their keys from... anywhere really. They buy and resell "second-hand" keys and don't care where they may come from, which is why some end up cancelled when the publisher discovers they were acquired illegally.

And especially among small publishers and indie, the resellers are a huge pain in the ass because in the end cancelling the keys is their decision, and they know it won't be popular. Most of the time the end user believes the game is being unjustly removed from their library because they have paid for it. Many don't even realize that it matters who is being paid.

[–] suzyq 2 points 1 year ago

Thank you for breaking it down and explaining it. I honestly didn't know everything you wrote and I'm glad I do now!