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I was thinking on buying Sono Hanabira on Mangagamer (Potential NSFW Warning for adds) to support English localization of Shoujo Ai/Yuri titles, but much to my disappointment it's digital only so i would only be buying a Steam Key.

Since i do not have Steam installed but i do have an account (uninstalled Steam because it was more or less useless to me) i was wondering how long a Steam Key is valid for, if it ever expires.

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  • I vote to close this question, because it is too broad. It depends on the key and the developer. Your only chance is to ask the seller of the key if they plan on using a timelimit. reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/3dxpzs/… – user28015 Oct 25 '15 at 22:05
  • Can't you redeem the key even without Steam installed by going to the site? Then the game will be part of your library forever, even if the key would become invalid for some reason. – gatherer818 Oct 25 '15 at 22:06
  • @gatherer818 No, there is no way to redeem it without the client right now. – user28015 Oct 25 '15 at 22:07
  • @BulliedByMods Asking how long a key is valid for sounds pretty relevant to me. Steam is Steam; how it works for one game should be valid across the board, because it's going to be a Steam policy, not a game specific one. – Frank Oct 26 '15 at 2:02
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    @BulliedByMods If they are time limited, what proof do you have? If you've pointed this out multiple times, then you must have some proof of some sort. And reddit is not proof. – Frank Oct 26 '15 at 12:09
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Steam Keys bought from Steam never expire - you can wait as long as you want; even if the game is removed from the Steam store the key is still valid. However, there is no guarantee that Steam keys bought from third-party sources will remain valid for eternity. It would be better to use the key sooner rather than later if you do decide to buy it.

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    -1 because that is not true. Steam Keys can be invalidated after a while and has been done so in the past by Humble Bundle and other sites during giveaways. – user28015 Oct 25 '15 at 22:04
  • @BulliedByMods steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/1/864973578010194714 – imulsion Oct 25 '15 at 22:09
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    There is no conclusive/authorative answer in that link, however there is one here: reddit.com/r/patientgamers/comments/3dxpzs/… – user28015 Oct 25 '15 at 22:09
  • That's not the only one I have. I can provide links to many sources that say they never expire. Admittedly there is no actual conclusive evidence for either side but the general consensus is that the keys can never expire. After all, if they did expire then the company who sold you the key would essentially be stealing from you – imulsion Oct 25 '15 at 22:11
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    Also that reddit link is invalid since a) the game is not being bought from humble bundle and b) it suffers from the same problem as my own link - it is anecdotal "evidence" and cannot be relied upon – imulsion Oct 25 '15 at 22:14

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