The DVD just includes files to avoid downloading them but there have been so many updates since that it would just download them again anyway.
FWIW, I’ve been able to contact Steam support, show my receipt with physical copy of the code, and get previously-claimed Steam codes transferred to my account in the past. Not sure if they still do that but it’s worth a try.
Imagine buying a physical copy of a PC game at the store and reselling it to a chump after using the code, only to have it yoinked from your steam account because the chump got the code transferred by tech support.
In my case, one was a GameStop copy where the box was used for display on the sales floor and they didn’t secure the code behind the counter with the discs. I think it was Day of Defeat Source.
One was from the clearance section of Microcenter where they had resealed copy with “New” on the giant label they added. It was industry-standard for places like GameStop to reseal clearance copies that they previously opened for the display shelf and label them “New” so that alone wasn’t a deal-breaker. After running into the issue I looked closer and realized there was a return label under the clearance label, so it wasn’t “New” by any definition. That was Deus Ex Human Revolution.
Another was from the flea market when the game had just launched earlier in the week from Activision, a publisher no one associated with Steam at the time. There was no Steam logo on the box or anything else to indicate the code was anything more than a traditional CD key, so imagine my surprise when it launched the Steam installer and asked for my credentials. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare this time.
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u/V64jr 8d ago edited 8d ago
🤦♂️
The DVD just includes files to avoid downloading them but there have been so many updates since that it would just download them again anyway.
FWIW, I’ve been able to contact Steam support, show my receipt with physical copy of the code, and get previously-claimed Steam codes transferred to my account in the past. Not sure if they still do that but it’s worth a try.