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HB Humble Bundle Region locked game key "Red River"

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Residents

So there's this gifter that had a problem gifting this game. On his case, he gave the KEY and the guy couldn't redeem it cause it was region locked. Someone said you can redeem it if you get the HB LINK to redeem the code. I want to know if this is true, cause Operation Flashpoint: Red River appears to me as Region Locked, although all across HB there is no indication whatsoever about lockings, and I can't get any info on this. Answer ONLY if you know for sure what you're talking about, please! Ty!

Ps: I know about VPN, but that breaks Steam's ToS = Account banned. I'm NOT looking to get my account banned over one game... I want clean solutions or no solution for my problem :P

Note: My title was made to appear on search for anyone else that might have this question, that's why the title is so weird xP

8 years ago

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Is it possible to redeem AND play a region locked game from Humble Bundle

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YES, if the gifter supplies you with the HB LINK to redeem the code
YES, talk with Steam Support for them to give you access to the game "you" bought in HB
MAYBE, I've heard it's possible to convince Steam Support in such cases, but not sure
NO, doesn't matter if you get a Key or a Link to the game. Steam support won't help
I DON'T KNOW.
22 Comments
talgaby

Even keys should work: the keys themselves are not region locked but the product itself is converted to your region upon activation.

8 years ago
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Residents

That's why I liked the thread of a fellow gifter who says his winner couldn't activate the KEY cause it was region locked. I'm assuming that case as true as it was a real experience where the key didn't worked (Maybe HB converts the key to someone's region upon key request, and that's why the winner couldn't activate it?)

8 years ago
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talgaby

HB itself should not have region-specific keys. Bundles work in a way that they get x amount of keys for all games and they hold on to these for the bundle duration +60 days (+a day or so if the 60th day falls on a weekend… unless this thing is no more). Since it is impossible to tell how many bundles will be sold in advance, and for what regions, they keys are Global, but apparently special in a way that they don't activate ROW games but those that is for the user who enters the key.
I think the problem there was that the game itself was locked out from that region. In this case even ROW keys get rejected.

8 years ago
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minanu

This is not true. This is the DmC package from Capcom bundle if you create the key from this region. It's clearly region locked

8 years ago
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talgaby

That does not contradict what I said. The game could still have been converted after activation to regional version. Unless you tested it by purchasing a bundle from the CIS region and tried to give a key to someone outside that region.

8 years ago
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minanu

I have the reverse experience. Someone from Russia give me a key and it doesn't work.

I'm amazed how you don't know about this. It was a big fuss here as well when Capcom bundle was out. You are a regular in forums, right? Or was it someone else with the same avatar?

http://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/Z4I2o/capcom-region-lock

edit: you actually posted in between region lock comments on original bundle thread http://www.steamgifts.com/go/comment/1nNGm59

8 years ago*
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talgaby

Yeah, it was a big fuss, and my last info was from someone posting a reply from HB support saying what I just said. This is why I was repeating the same thing here. :)
Oh, and I don't think anyone around here uses the Brotherhood of Steel logo as their avatar. SUrprising, considering how Bethesda turned them into the goody-two-shoes White Knights of Goodly Goodness and made them popular among those who don't know the true group from the original games.

8 years ago*
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Black3ird

Sadly every Steam key activates a Steam Sub, there are no keys for games directly (appid) and there are Region Locked Subs as well as ROW subs for most games. Retailers should be more careful providing ROW instead of sending IP determined sub locked keys.

If you mean by conversion the newer lock Steam introduced after currency changes, it only applies to gifts yet not keys.

8 years ago
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madjoki

There is similar lock for keys too, eg. Nyctophobia has region locked keys without separate subs.

8 years ago
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Black3ird

Thanks for interesting news since this made it even worse to understand to ever growing Steam locking mechanisms. Any idea how that can be accomplished? Or looking SteamDB is now useless?

8 years ago
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Perm

I can confirm that so far, when HB had locked keys, the corresponding gift links were always region free. Don't know about Red River, though.

8 years ago
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Perm

I.e. the region lock gets applied when the key is created, not before.

8 years ago
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eeev

Not true, we tested it with the Capcom bundle recently. Sent a gift link to an American friend to get an uncut version for Resident Evil 4, he created it but the key still redeemed as the DE cut version.

It matters what country the buyer's account's payment method is associated with. Nothing else.

8 years ago
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Perm

Interesting, thx for the confirmation!

8 years ago
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PraX

One more confirmation:
I got humblebundle link for DiRT Showdown, which had been bought from Chile (South America region).
I redeemed it to my e-mail and generated key.
I can't redeem this key on steam (error "This item is currently unavailable in your region" pop-ups) - I'm from Russia.

Update: I gave that key away and guy, who redeemed it, said that it had been activated as "DiRT Showdown South America".

8 years ago*
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Perm

OK yeah that's really bad! Guess I can start creating keys again and don't have to worry about waiting until I know the location of the winner :-/

8 years ago
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SteamedToast

At first I thought you were talking about this red river Q__Q

8 years ago
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minanu

https://steamdb.info/app/44340/subs/

Region lock appears to be applied for South America, CIS and China. So if you are not from these regions, key you create should work everywhere (for this particular game of course).

8 years ago*
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vinirockman

funny thing: I'm paying dollar currency for something region lock. the douchebag awards goes to...

8 years ago
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slowpard

I had almost the same problem, I got two keys for DuckTales: Remastered (on order page there were no difference between them), I gifted the first one and it turned out that it was region-locked (RU/CIS). I gifted the second key (it worked) and activated the first one in my account. Two weeks later gifted key was revoked, I wrote to the support and only after almost a month of waiting and dozens of e-mails they agreed to reset keys (my copy was revoked and I got a new key to give away). So, I suggest that the gifter writes to HB with a request to reset keys.

8 years ago
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hotbullet8

+1

HB support will need to tend to this.

8 years ago
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hotbullet8

What a hassle... HB should sell ROW keys, period. Wish you the best of luck! The gifter should contact HB support for some help, they are not super fast but they have been helpful in two occasions I had to contact them.

8 years ago
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Closed 4 years ago by Residents.