Is CDKeys Legal, Legit & Safe (or a Scam)?

We’re all looking for good days and can’t always rely on GOG or Steam to have a particular game on sale. Sometimes you have to shop around; one game may be cheaper on a different platform, but then you have to go through the trouble of creating an account and installing their launcher—it’s a hassle. There’s where CDKeys comes in handy. Naturally, you ask: is CDKeys legal and safe? And why is it so cheap?

Is CDKeys Legal, Legit & Safe (or a Scam)?

It’s understandable to be hesitant, especially with G2A creating a rather bad reputation for CD key reselling businesses. Despite that: Yes, CDKeys is legal and safe.

CDKeys deals with the gray market of the gaming industry. The CD keys you purchase are, as far as we know, legitimate codes. What’s unclear is where CDKeys purchased the codes, which isn’t information the company shares.

What is known is how the company does business to provide a cheap service. To be fair, it gives CDKeys a legitimate leg to stand on.

Why Is CDKeys so Cheap?

Since CDKeys deals in the gray market, they can resell game codes at a price that seems too good to be true, like Sims 4: High School Years and No Man’s Sky. According to their FAQ:

“We buy from all corners of the globe to ensure the cheapest possible prices and as we only sell products in digital form we’re able to make significant savings on postage and related expenses…”

CDKeys FAQ

In other words, they’re super-savvy businessmen that purchase game codes from other countries when they’re cheap (likely on sale or in bulk), add a small markup, and then sell them to us. We get the game code cheap and CDKeys still makes a profit.

That can’t be all, right? No. Other ways the company keeps operating expenses low:

• Codes are sent via email, eliminating the need to ship
• It’s digital codes only
• CDKeys doesn’t host game files, eliminating server upkeep

You’d be surprised by how expensive it is to send a package from Dubai to the UK, hence, the need to resell digital codes. Otherwise, CDKeys’ prices would be outrageous. Knowing their admittedly vague explanation, there’s no reason to think it isn’t legitimate. If you need a little more convincing, check out the reviews of CDKeys on Trustpilot.

If there’s any negative aspect of CDKeys to be noted, it’s how long a game code can take to appear. This typically applies to newer releases, which is understandable. You might have to wait a few hours for the key to show up in your email, but it’s coming. In those instances, take a walk before your inevitable 48-hour gaming session starts.

With that, we close the book on whether or not CDKeys is legal and safe, and why it’s so cheap. If you would prefer to keep your bank information more secure, then just use Paypal.