How to activate a Steam game key

A Steam game key (also called a product key or CD key) unlocks one specific game and adds it permanently to your library. It usually looks like AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC. Once activated it is tied to that account for good, so make sure you are signed in to the right one before you press confirm.

In the Steam client

1. Open Steam and sign in to the account that should own the game.
2. Click Games in the top menu bar (or Add a Game at the bottom left).
3. Select Activate a Product on Steam.
4. Click Next, then agree to the Steam Subscriber Agreement.
5. Type or paste the key exactly as provided and click Next.
6. The game is added to your library. Click Install to download it.

In a browser

Sign in on the Steam website and use the product registration page in your account area. Paste the key and continue. The game appears in your library exactly as if you had used the client.

About the mobile app

Game keys are not reliably activatable in the Steam mobile app — the option is inconsistent between versions. Use the desktop client or a browser. Wallet codes are the ones that work well on mobile.

Region-locked keys

This is where most problems come from. Some Steam keys are region-locked, meaning they only activate on accounts based in specific countries. Others are global and activate anywhere. The lock is set by the publisher, not by Steam, and the key itself does not show which kind it is — the product page does.

If a key is region-locked to somewhere other than your account, Steam refuses it with a message saying the product is not available in your region. There is no workaround: that key will not activate on that account.

So check the product page before buying, and if you are not sure whether a key is global, ask us on 16280 before purchase rather than after activation fails.

Common activation errors

• "Invalid product code" — usually a typo. Paste rather than type; letters and numbers only, no spaces.
• "Already activated" — the key has been used. Check whether you activated it on a different Steam account.
• "Not available in your region" — region lock, as above.
• "You already own this product" — the game is already in your library, possibly from a bundle you forgot about.
• Too many failed attempts — Steam temporarily blocks further activation attempts after several failures. Wait an hour and try again.

A note on DLC keys

DLC activates the same way but needs the base game on the same account. If you activate DLC and cannot find it, check that the base game is installed and look inside the game''s own menus — not all DLC appears as a separate download.

Buying from Games 2 Egypt

Our Steam keys are digital and arrive by email, SMS and in the app after payment. If a key fails to activate, contact our support team with a screenshot of the Steam error message and we will review it. For our PC catalogue, see the PC games page.