Question on Steam registration

[Craig234]

If I buy a game somewhere other than Steam (say, Amazon who has a great download sale right now), and then register the game on Steam for the convenience of having it in the Steam library, does this reduce any playing options than if I just installed it outside of Steam? Does it require Steam to play if I register it there?

I've done this with a couple games, tonight was Mafia II ($12.50!), and before I do it with more, would like to know if has restriction, the Steam message seems to suggest it.

 

[DarkForceRising]

As I recall, certain games must be registered to Steam. For instance, I think CODBLOPS and Just Cause 2, among others, are Steam-only, and therefore must be run through Steam no matter what you do. Mafia 2 may also require Steam; I'm not sure.

If you take a normal retail game (from the list here:https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601) and register it on Steam, you can then download and install via Steam or use the normal CD installation (and not need Steam). It should work either way. I've never actually done this that I can recall, but I'm pretty sure this is how it works.

What do you mean by "playing options?"

 

[Craig234]

As I recall, certain games must be registered to Steam. For instance, I think CODBLOPS and Just Cause 2, among others, are Steam-only, and therefore must be run through Steam no matter what you do. Mafia 2 may also require Steam; I'm not sure.

If you take a normal retail game (from the list here:https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601) and register it on Steam, you can then download and install via Steam or use the normal CD installation (and not need Steam). It should work either way. I've never actually done this that I can recall, but I'm pretty sure this is how it works.

What do you mean by "playing options?"

I'm talking about games that do not require Steam initially.

I mean are there any restrictions added by registering on Steam, like before, you didn't need steam to play it, but if you register it on Steam, then you need Steam to play it.

Like if I install the game directly, and it wanted the key to register it, and it came back and said 'sorry, we see you registered this key on steam, so you can't register directly.'

Steam had some message about 'now that you registered on Steam' that seemed to suggest something like this, so I'm checking, as the answer wasn't clear looking for it.

I'm hoping it's simply an added option, without restricting any playing without Steam.

 

[LumbergTech]

keep in mind that many games cannot be "added" to steam if they were not purchased from steam

its a case by case basis

i believe there is a thread somewhere on the steam forums detailing what games can be added

 

[DarkForceRising]

I mean are there any restrictions added by registering on Steam, like before, you didn't need steam to play it, but if you register it on Steam, then you need Steam to play it.

Like if I install the game directly, and it wanted the key to register it, and it came back and said 'sorry, we see you registered this key on steam, so you can't register directly.'

I'm pretty sure you can install it either way after registering, but I haven't actually tried it.

 

[Craig234]

keep in mind that many games cannot be "added" to steam if they were not purchased from steam

its a case by case basis

i believe there is a thread somewhere on the steam forums detailing what games can be added

Ya, I'm talking about games that can be added, but don't require Steam.

 

[LumbergTech]

Ya, I'm talking about games that can be added, but don't require Steam.

I don't think it pings off to the company's server and disables the original key if thats what you mean

as long as there is a version of the game that does not require steam you should be fine

i can see how you would question this because it would effectively allow for two copies of the game, but I haven't heard of it disabling the game before

 

[Ross Ridge]

Ya, I'm talking about games that can be added, but don't require Steam.

I'm not sure that there are any games where the retail package doesn't require Steam to play but includes a valid Steam key so the game can be added to a Steam account without purchasing a second copy. You can "add" anything to Steam as a shortcut that appears in the library, but that won't let you download it through Steam or anything.

Mafia II, for example, requires Steam. You can't install and play it without adding it to Steam, regardless of where you buy it.

 

[Shack70]

Most games not bought through Steam can be added to your Steam library after install. They will show up in your library list and when you launch the game through Steam you can tab out to your friends and send/receive messages. If the game has achievements through Steam and you bought it else where(non-Valve games) you will not get the achievements. A good example is World of Goo. You could buy it from many different retailers but the only way to get Steam achievements for it was to buy it though Steam. Non Steam games show up as "Non-Steam Mod" in your library.

At the bottom of your library is "add a game", use that to add them.

 

[DarkForceRising]

I'm not sure that there are any games where the retail package doesn't require Steam to play but includes a valid Steam key so the game can be added to a Steam account without purchasing a second copy. You can "add" anything to Steam as a shortcut that appears in the library, but that won't let you download it through Steam or anything.

Most games not bought through Steam can be added to your Steam library after install. They will show up in your library list and when you launch the game through Steam you can tab out to your friends and send/receive messages. If the game has achievements through Steam and you bought it else where(non-Valve games) you will not get the achievements. A good example is World of Goo. You could buy it from many different retailers but the only way to get Steam achievements for it was to buy it though Steam. Non Steam games show up as "Non-Steam Mod" in your library.

At the bottom of your library is "add a game", use that to add them.

However, there are games that you can use the retail keys to actually add to Steam, so that you can download through Steam, get achievements, etc.

The list can be found here:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7480-wusf-3601
The button you use is the "Activate a Product on Steam" button, the one right below "Add a Non-Steam Game." These games are the ones being discussed.

 

[Ross Ridge]

However, there are games that you can use the retail keys to actually add to Steam, so that you can download through Steam, get achievements, etc.

Yes, of course. The question is if any of those games, ones that give you a valid Steam key in a retail box, can be bought at retail and played without adding them to Steam. As far as I know there aren't any such games.

In other words, the original poster doesn't have the choice he thinks he has. Any retail boxed game will either come with a Steam key that he's required to activate on Steam to play the game, or will come with a non-Steam key that cannot be used to add the game to his Steam account and have all the convience that offers.

Mafia II, for example, comes with a Steam key in the retail box. You need to activate the game on Steam using this key, you can't play the game without doing so. The original poster didn't have the option of not registering the game with Steam. The only "playing option" that changed when he registered the game was whether he could play the game at all.

 

[Merad]

Yes, of course. The question is if any of those games, ones that give you a valid Steam key in a retail box, can be bought at retail and played without adding them to Steam. As far as I know there aren't any such games.

That's exactly what they are. For example I've used my original Halflife CD key (which dates back to 1998 or whenever it was released) to add HL to Steam.

 

[Ross Ridge]

That's exactly what they are. For example I've used my original Halflife CD key (which dates back to 1998 or whenever it was released) to add HL to Steam.

Uh... sure a retail box sold before Steam ever existed would obviously work without Steam. The question is, is there anything currently sold in retail stores today that includes a Steam key, but doesn't require you to use Steam? If not then the original poster's question is moot.

 

[Merad]

Did you read the list? It has dozens of current games. That's the point of the list... games that can be purchased and used without Steam, but that you can add to your Steam account if you want.

 

[Ross Ridge]

Did you read the list? It has dozens of current games. That's the point of the list... games that can be purchased and used without Steam, but that you can add to your Steam account if you want.

No, that's not the point of the list at all. No where does it say that any of the games listed there work without Steam. Mafia 2, which I'll use as example for the third time, is listed there, but requires Steam to play. So does Civilization V, Empire: Total War, Just Cause 2, and every current Valve game. I don't think you'll find any of the keys listed there in a current retail box, and that same retail boxed copy doesn't require Steam to play. There's probably a number of games that there have a retail boxed version that don't require Steam, but also don't come with valid Steam keys in the format listed there. Note that a number of the keys listed there are described as only being available from some online source. Not all the keys listed there are actually available in retail boxes.

There's really no point in publisher going to the trouble and expense of providing a Steam key in a retail box and then not using Steam as a method of copy protecting that game.