Steam keys: which do not activate in Russia and Belarus
SelyaThe “CIS” label does not mean a key activates in Russia and Belarus. Sony keys and some other editions do not work there — check before you sell.
Some Steam keys do not activate on Russian and Belarusian accounts, even if the title says “CIS”. The buyer enters the key, gets a refusal — and you refund the money for goods you have already bought from a supplier.
Our case
We sold a key for The Last of Us Part II marked “CIS”. On a Russian account it did not activate. The supplier also considered it suitable for the CIS. The buyer was refunded, and we lost about $17 on the key.
What we found out
- Sony keys (The Last of Us, Death Stranding, Helldivers): the “CIS” version does not activate in Russia and Belarus.
- ROW, LATAM and ASIA versions did not activate in Russia with any publisher we checked.
- Keys from Bethesda, Capcom and many others: the “CIS” and GLOBAL versions work on Russian accounts.
- The “not available in your region” notice in the Steam store is an unreliable sign. For example, Fallout 3 is not sold in Steam for Russia, yet a “CIS” key activates on a Russian account.
How to check a game before selling
- See what other sellers of this game write on GGSel and Plati: “no RU”, “RU + CIS”. If several big sellers write “no RU”, that is how it is.
- See who the publisher is. If it is Sony, assume the key does not work in RU and BY until proven otherwise.
- Do not trust a single “CIS” label from a supplier or in an edition's name.
How to warn the buyer
Write it plainly in the title and in the first line of the description: “Does not activate in RU and BY” or “Activates in RU”. The buyer must see it before paying, not after. Such a listing sells a little worse but brings no refunds and disputes.