Keyshops: What You Need to Know

What is a keyshop?

A keyshop is a marketplace where third-party sellers list game keys, usually well below what you would pay on Steam, Epic or the PlayStation Store. Think of it as a big online bazaar for game codes. The keys are real, they just take a different route to reach you, and that route is exactly why they cost less.

Why are the keys so cheap?

A few reasons, and most of them are perfectly ordinary:

• Regional pricing. A key bought where games are cheaper can be resold for less.
• Bundles and promos. Sellers buy big bundles and sell the leftover keys one by one.
• Wholesale. Some sellers buy in bulk and pass part of the discount on to you.
• Review and promo copies that make their way back onto the market.

What can actually go wrong

We are not going to pretend the grey market is risk-free. The things worth knowing about:

• Revoked keys. Very rarely a key was bought with a stolen card and the publisher pulls it later. A store with buyer protection refunds you if that happens.
• Region locks. Some keys only activate in certain countries, so check before you pay. We cover this in our region-locked keys guide.
• No publisher support. If something goes wrong you deal with the store, not with Steam or Sony.
• The odd VPN step. A handful of keys ask you to activate with a VPN set to a specific region.

How to buy without the headache

• Check the store rating. We collect real buyer reviews for every shop, so look at the score and how many reviews it has before you commit.
• Stick to stores that offer buyer protection.
• Pay with a method that protects you too, like PayPal.
• Read the region info on the listing.
• If one price sits way below everything else, slow down and find out why.

How we choose the shops we list

We do not list every keyshop out there. The ones you see on XD.deals have buyer protection and a track record of sorting out problems, and each one carries a rating from real buyers so you can judge for yourself.