Is CDKeys Legit?

Triple-A titles often cost over $60 for the base game. If you also want some additional content, the price can quickly go well beyond $100.

That’s why people turn to the internet in search of lower prices. Luckily some websites provide precisely that. One such site is CDKeys.com. But, because of these huge discounts, people might think it’s too good to be true.

CDKeys.com is Legit

Being an online reseller of third-party game keys, CDKeys.com conducts its business entirely legitimately. Operating under the same name for almost 20 years, it strives to keep the offer fresh and customers happy.

Games are the site’s only focus, and you won’t find any keys for other types of software. Besides the game keys, another thing you can buy on CDKeys is gift cards and different kinds of top-ups.

If you check its standing on Trustpilot, you can see that CDKeys.com is a trustworthy source. With 4.5 out of 5 stars, CDKeys’ profile currently has almost 35,000 reviews. 90% of them are favorable, with 85% having an excellent rating and 5% a great rating.

The Business Model

For anyone who’s wondering how CDKeys manage to sell games so cheap, here’s how the site does it. Its business model is based on purchasing game keys in bulk from official resellers. The trick here is to buy keys from the market regions that generally have lower-priced games. Once it places them on the online store, CDKeys can sell these codes on western markets for a higher price.

That might seem like a questionable move at first, but it isn’t. Game publishers know they can’t charge the full price for their games in underdeveloped countries. That’s why these games have a much lower price tag than they’d have in the U.S. or Western Europe.

These resellers sell unsold copies of games in bulk to CDKeys at a discount. That way, resellers get to earn at least something, which is much better than sending the game boxes and discs to a recycling plant. On the other side, game developers also benefit, since these copies will increase a game’s final sales figures.

For gamers, it’s also a great deal, since CDKeys allows them to purchase games at a much lower price. And finally, CDKeys gets its share from the price difference.

Game Keys Explained

Thanks to the rise of digitally delivered content, you don’t need to purchase physical copies of games anymore. Instead, all you have to do is go online, visit a game key reseller, and buy a key. That’s convenient because now you can buy any game you want whenever you feel like it. That means no more trips to the store or waiting in lines for hours to get the latest game.

Once you complete your purchase, you’ll receive an e-mail from the reseller. Besides the payment confirmation, this e-mail will also include the game’s authentication code.

With this game key, you can now go to the game’s official online store, and use the key to authenticate your purchase. After this, you just need to download the game, and you’re ready to play.

Another thing to note is that once you link the game key to your profile, no one else can use it. So, no, you won’t be able to share your game key with a friend. The only way to do that is to share your login credentials with them, so they can play the game when you’re not online.

Third-Party Key Resellers

With the rise of online game sales, a slew of game key resellers sprouted out all over the internet. Unfortunately, the methods most of them use to acquire game keys proved to be sketchy at best. The two most famous sites of this type are Kinguin and G2A. Although you might buy legit games from them, you can never be sure of the key’s origin.

What’s more, disclosing your payment details on unsecured websites may compromise your credit card. That’s how the card fraud scheme works. You purchase something entirely legal, but then the site uses your payment information to steal money from your credit card. That’s why it’s important to use websites with a proven security record, like CDKeys.com, for example.

Gaming on the Cheap

Thanks to the great discounts available on CDKeys, gamers can get even two or three games for the price of one. With its super-clever business model, this key reseller manages to allow everyone in the loop to make a profit. And, as far as legitimacy goes, it’s legit as any other regular business.

Have you ever bought any games from CDKeys.com? Did you bump into any inconvenience, perhaps? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.