Steam activation key serial key or number

Overview

Types of Keys

• Standard
  This is the most common type of key on Steam, which is usually tied to a store or Steam Key package. These keys are appropriate for retail boxes or sales on other sites. These keys will unlock the product once it has been released and marked as playable on Steam.
  
• Release Override
  These keys are used to grant access to a product prior to its release on Steam. Release Override keys are intended for small beta tests and press/influencer access. We will look at each request on a case by case basis, and in general less than 1000 keys work well for this purpose. It is never OK to sell release-override beta keys.
  
• Dev Comp (or devcomp)
  These keys are intended for developer use only. They are used to automatically provide developers with access to the product. You should not need more than a handful of Dev Comp keys.
  NOTE: Dev Comp keys should never be distributed to customers.

Steam Key Rules and Guidelines

• You should use keys to sell your game on other stores in a similar way to how you sell your game on Steam. It is important that you don't give Steam customers a worse deal.
  
  
• It's OK to run a discount on different stores at different times as long as you plan to give a comparable offer to Steam customers within a reasonable amount of time.
  
  
• Occasionally it may make sense to offer your game in a bundle or subscription, timed at the right point in a game's life cycle. Keep in mind that the perceived price in the bundle/subscription should be a price you are willing to run the game at a standalone price or discount on Steam. Philosophically, you can think about it like any other discount: if you’re making an aggressive offer in one place, make it elsewhere too. We want to avoid a situation where customers get a worse offer on the Steam store, so feel free to reach out to us via the Developer Support tool if you want to talk through a specific scenario.
  
  
• Steam keys shouldn't be given away for free if you aren't also offering the same deal (i.e., give the game away for free) to Steam customers. If you want to run a giveaway on Steam, please reach out to us at Steampublish@valvesoftware.com
  
  
• Steam keys shouldn't be sold in bulk. For example, you should not sell your game on sites that offer customers the option to purchase large numbers of copies of your game for a lower price. You should also not include your game in bundles on sites that allow customers to purchase multiple copies of the bundle for a lower price.
  
  
• We reserve the right to deny requests for keys or revoke key requesting privileges for partners that are abusing them or disadvantaging Steam customers.
  
  
• If we detect that you have requested an extreme number of keys and you aren't offering Steam customers a good value, we may deny your request.
  
  
• We reserve the right to remove key requesting privileges from any partner whose sole business is selling Steam keys and not providing value or a fair deal to Steam customers.
  
  Keys cannot be generated for the following:
  
  • "Free" products
    If you want to give away keys for a free package or something that will never go on sale (event giveaways, special promotions, etc), please contact Valve.
    
  • Steam Bundles
    Steam keys cannot be generated for Steam bundles. You will need to generate keys for the individual apps in the bundle.

Using Keys

Requesting Keys

Retrieving Keys

Tagging Keys

Querying Keys

Banning Keys

Additional Guidelines

• Request keys in small batches.
  Think carefully about how many keys you need. You may want to work with a smaller amount of keys and request more if necessary. Only provide as many keys to third party distributors as they will reasonably need. If you or any of your distributors make a mistake or something happens with those keys, you'll be in better shape if you don't have to worry about a large number of stolen keys. In general, you should treat keys like cash.
  
  
• Be cautious with your Steam keys.
  We've heard many reports of fraudsters impersonating journalists or storefronts to acquire keys, and then reselling those keys for profit.
  
  
• Pre-Purchases.
  We generally discourage developers from running pre-purchase offers on Steam. If you offer your product for pre-purchase outside of Steam, and that pre-purchase grants the user a Steam product key, those keys should unlock your product at the same time it is made available for purchase via Steam.
  
  
• Beta Testing
  Keys are a great way to let players into your game early for testing or closed alpha/beta access. If you plan to run a larger beta that requires more than a few thousand release override keys, please reach out to Steam directly.
  
  
• Bundles off Steam.
  You are free to use keys to distribute your product via bundle offers off Steam. We've learned from developers that pay-what-you-want bundles are a great revenue opportunity when your product is very far along its life cycle.
  
  As with any system that distributes your product keys, there is a non-trivial risk that bundle purchasers will actively resell keys to your product and undercut your full-price sales. Participating in a bundle is equivalent to running it at a very deep discount, and can damage the effectiveness of future promotions. Consult our Discounts & Promotions Best Practices documentation for more information.
  
  
• Crowdfunding.
  Keys can be used to fulfill crowdfunding rewards and grant backers access to your product. Providing backers with beta testing keys prior to release is also OK, but only backers should receive those keys --they shouldn’t be sold outside of the crowdfunding campaign unless your beta is also available for sale via Steam.
  
  Steam keys can only be promoted as a reward for products that have already confirmed Steam distribution -- it’s not OK to use the Valve or Steam logos to market a product that is not currently under Steam Distribution Agreement. For ongoing crowdfunding that does not have a set end date, it is only OK to sell Steam keys if the product is also available for purchase via Steam at no higher than it is offered via your crowdfunding campaign. If you are selling Steam keys for a beta or early access version of your product, you must follow the early access requirements listed below.
  
  
• Keys and Early Access Titles.
  If you are requesting Steam keys to distribute or sell your Early Access title outside of Steam, you will need to include the materials specified in the Steam Early Access Branding Requirements.
  
  Please note that Steam keys cannot be sold on other sites unless the product is also available for purchase on Steam at no higher a price than is offered on any other service or website.

FAQ

Many recent Feral games require activation using a unique code before they can be played. This code is referred to as a Product Key.

Games which do not require activation using a Product Key are:

• Games purchased from Apple’s Mac App Store.
• Games purchased from Steam. *

* You can also purchase Steam games through the Feral Store and other vendors. These have a slightly different method of activation. For more information on this, please see the Steam game FAQ point.

For all other games, you must enter your Product Key into the six empty boxes in the Activation tab in the pre-game Options window in order to activate the game.

If you have bought the DVD version of the game

• The Product Key is printed on the back of the game's manual.

• Be careful to type it correctly, and be aware that sometimes numbers and letters can look similar, for example, "B" and "8".

If you have downloaded the game

• The Product Key should have been emailed to you by the vendor that sold you the game.

• We advise that you copy the code from the email and paste it into the Activation tab. This method will avoid any potential input errors. To do this:

  1. Highlight the Product Key and copy it using the key command Command (⌘) + C.
  2. Click the Paste button to the right of the six empty boxes in the Activation tab to transfer the Product Key.

• If you did not receive a Product Key, contact the vendor.

The Save button below the six empty boxes will only become active once the correct code has been entered. If it remains greyed-out, the entered code is incorrect.

If you have bought the game on DVD, you have the option of playing the game with the disc in the drive rather than activating it online.

If you have downloaded the game, or if you have the DVD version and would rather play without the disc in the drive, click the Activate Online... button. This will send the code to Feral and enable your machine to play the downloaded version of the game, or play without the disc in the drive.

Each Product Key can be used to activate the game on 5 machines at any one time, and should not be distributed to anyone else.

You may wish to deactivate your game at a later date. For more information and instructions on how to do this, please see the “How do I deactivate my game?” FAQ point.

If you have entered the correct code and are still unable to activate the game, contact us through support@feralinteractive.com.

Table of Contents

What is Steam? 

Steam is a digital distribution platform developed by Valve Corporation in 2003 for the express purpose of distributing game software, hosting multiplayer functionality, and social networking.  It is similar to other digital content services such as iTunes or Google Play and is currently the world's largest digital retailer for personal computer based video games.  To utilize Steam, you must have a Steam account and the Steam game client, both of which are free.

Redeeming your Steam keys

To redeem your product keys to Steam, you can either redeem via the Steam Redemption page or follow these steps to redeem to your Steam client directly:

1. Navigate to your download page, and click the Reveal your Steam key button. This will generate your Steam product key for registering to your account.
   
    TIP: If you have not received your download page yet, try using our Order Resender tool.
   
   Example: A download page containing Steam keys for Might and Magic games.              
2. Select the whole key, and copy it to your clipboard.
   
   Example: A Steam product key for Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
   
    Note: if you see an error message about keys being exhausted after revealing your key, it means that we are temporarily out of keys. Never fear though! When keys are exhausted, we will reach out to the game's developer/publisher to obtain more keys. Check back on your download page later and we'll have a key available for you!
3. Once you have installed the Steamclient, launch the client and enter your login credentials. When you are logged into your account, click the button in the bottom left corner that says "+ ADD A GAME…" to register the product key to your account. 
4. In the pop-up window, select the "Activate a Product on Steam" option. This will open up a new window.
   
   Example: Where you can register product keys to your Steam account.
5. Follow the prompts, and paste or enter the numerical key you copied from your download page into the "Product Code" field.
   
   Hit "NEXT>" If your key is valid, Steam will accept it and you will be taken to your library where you will be able to download and play your newly registered game!
   
    Note: If the key extends beyond the reach of the key field on your download page, simply double-click inside the field to select the whole key. This way, regardless of how much of the key looks to be cut off, you will copy the whole thing!
   
   Example: A product key being registered into a user's Steam account.
   
   
6. From your LIBRARY tab you can see all games registered to your Steam account. You can then select a game and it will bring up a splash page with a large INSTALL button you can click on to install your games.  Once your games are installed, the Install button will change to a PLAY button!
   
   Example: Installing Universe Sandbox 2

 TIP: If you are not seeing the product you redeemed through Steam, try the search bar at the top and ensuring that you have filtered your view with the correct platform: 

And that's how register your product keys to Steam! Hopefully this information will help so you can get right to playing your game!

Helpful Information

• You can install Steam to multiple computers and download your games to those computers through your Steam account.
• Many Steam installation problems can be resolved by verifying the integrity of the game cache. This function will do a check to see if there are any missing or improperly installed files for your game. Simply right click on the game title in your library to bring up the properties menu to locate this option.
• If you run into any problems with the Steam client or your Steam account, please check out the Steam Knowledge Base or contact Steam Support. We also highly recommend checking out the discussion forums in case your fellow players have found solutions to any problems you may be facing.
• If you need to locate Downloadable Content (DLC) for Steam, please check out this article on locating your Steam Content.
• For all other billing and receiving issues related to your purchase through Humble Bundle or the Humble Widget, please check out Humble Bundle Support or ask a Humble Support Ninja for assistance.

How can I obtain a Steam key?

Many of the games that we sell in our Humble Monthly subscription, game bundles, and in the Humble store provide Steam keys! Looking to support our unique collection of developers and charities? Feel free to check out our selection over at www.humblebundle.com or sign up for our newsletter to hear about great games. Just make sure the Steam Icon  shows up on the game you are looking to purchase as we may not provide Steam keys for certain games!