How to activate product key on steam

However, what happens if you buy a Steam game through another platform like Humble Bundle? In these cases, you'll be given a CD key that you need to activate on Steam. In this article, we show you how to do that. You can obtain a Steam product key through a variety of sources, like game discount sites or printed on a card in a physical purchase. These keys are a combination of letters and numbers. These keys are specifically designed to be activated on Steam.

It's important to note that you can't refund product keys once you activate them on Steam, unless the retailer grants an unlikely exception. The usual Steam refund process is only valid for purchases made directly through Steam. When you try to activate your Steam product key, you may get an error that the key is invalid or a duplicate. This often happens if you bought your key from a shady site, so be aware before buying discounted game keys. The duplicate error means that the key is already registered to another Steam account.

How to. About This Article. Written by:. Co-authors: 5. Updated: January 2, Categories: Steam Games. Article Summary X 1. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 55, times. What is it? Will it cost me? Is it reliable? Do I want it? Ask wikiHow, it helps with lots of questions for me. More reader stories Hide reader stories. Did this article help you? Cookies make wikiHow better. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Simon Clark Dec 1, Anonymous May 28, Share yours!

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Arminius View Profile View Posts. I have spent countless hours trying to find a way to activate a game without running the Steam client. Last edited by Arminius ; 4 May, am. Bitmaker View Profile View Posts. Originally posted by Ara :. Last edited by Bitmaker ; 15 Jun, pm. Per page: 15 30 Date Posted: 19 Oct, pm. Posts: Start a New Discussion.