Are cheap game keys legal and safe?
Short answer: yes, it's legal. Whether it's safe comes down to who you buy from and what you can claim if the code doesn't work.
Buying a game key is legal, even when it costs less than in the Steam or PlayStation store. Publishers sell codes through retailers themselves, and prices vary between countries and shops. The real question isn't whether the key is legal, but what happens if it doesn't work.
Why are keys cheaper than the platforms' own stores?
Steam, Xbox and Nintendo set their own prices, and outside the big sales many games sit at full price there. Retailers buy codes at different prices and compete on price all year. A lower price doesn't mean something is wrong.
Where it can go wrong
The risk is in who's selling. On marketplaces where individuals and unknown companies abroad sell codes, it's often hard to tell who you actually have an agreement with. If you get a code that's already used, or one that stops working a few weeks later, you have little to fall back on. Consumer law doesn't apply when the seller is a private person, and it's hard to claim anything from a company without an address.
Five things to check before you pay
- 1Is there a company name and registration number on the site? That's who you can hold responsible.
- 2Does it say clearly which platform and region the code is for? A code for the wrong region is wasted money.
- 3Is the price shown with VAT included, without fees that appear at checkout?
- 4What happens if the code doesn't work? The terms should say you get a new code or your money back.
- 5Can you reach someone by email, and do they reply in a language you understand?
How it works with us
WestGames is run by SpillHosting AS, a Norwegian company with registration number 928 684 792, based in Fonnes in western Norway. Prices include 25% Norwegian VAT, and the product page shows the platform and region of every code.
If a code doesn't work, has already been used or isn't what the product page said, Norwegian consumer law applies: you get a new code or your money back. You can complain for up to two years, and you're always in time if you contact us within two months of finding the fault. If we can't deliver at all, you get your money back.
