Is Kinguin a Safe and Legit Site for Game Codes? Answered

Nikola L

Published: May 18, 2022 07:09 pm

Founded in 2013, Kinguin is one of the most known and most popular websites for purchasing game, software, and subscription codes. Similar to most reseller/Gray Market websites, it has its own advantages and disadvantages. But is Kinguin safe and legitimate? Here’s everything you need to know.

Is Kinguin a Safe and Legitimate Website for Game Keys?

Kinguin doesn’t directly sell keys. Instead, the platform serves as a website (facilitator) where a seller advertises their code for a small fee, and customers from around the globe browse through the active offers and purchase from a listing of their liking.

On one side, Kinguin does a lot to protect the private and confidential information of site users, but on the other side, it is not able to verify that the codes that are sold on their site are legitimate (because if you do that, the code is used and therefore not sellable anymore). Additionally, you will find that a lot of the codes that are absurdly cheap are, for example, commonly region-locked to a Steam region that has cheaper prices for games. This would force the consumer to use a VPN to virtually relocate themselves in that country so that the code can be activated on their account. We highly advise against this, as it’s against Steam’s Terms and Conditions to take such action in an effort to bypass the regional pricing restrictions.

One thing that’s also always relevant to mention regarding these sites is that it’s not possible to learn where the code you’re buying has originated from. This may sound scary at first, but odds are that you won’t come across a scammer while conducting business on this type of gray market. Even if you do encounter an issue, it should get resolved by the support.

How Does Kinguin Rank on TrustPilot?

Kinguin has 36,000 reviews on TrustPilot at the time of writing, and the average rating is 4.4 out of 5, which is quite acceptable. We have scrolled through the most recent pages of the 1-star ratings, and have learned that the site answers promptly to almost all of the negative ratings, trying to divert the customer back to their support ticket, notifying them that there has been an update on their raised issue.

One thing that also stands out is their Buyer Protection Program. In short, this is a feature that you must pay for additionally when purchasing certain products (as a form of paid guarantee) which then guarantees that Kinguin will refund you in case there’s something wrong with the code. There is an argument for whether this business model is ethical or not as people argue that compensation should be issued for a faulty product without any additional charge. Buyer Protection usually costs around 10% of the code’s value.

Kinguin’s official description for their Buyer Protection Program is as follows:

“Customers who choose to secure their orders with Kinguin Buyer Protection not only get prioritized service, but are also eligible for a faster refund. Kinguin Buyer Protection (KBP) is an optional service that guarantees customers VIP service from Kinguin Customer Service. This means that customers purchasing KBP always get first priority with Kinguin’s 24/7 Customer Service. Additional benefits include a 100% money back guarantee for any Random Games purchases that the customer already owns, as well as instant refunds.”

So is Kinguin Safe?

To summarize, Kinguin is mostly safe to buy game codes and product keys from. It bears the same type of risk as any other third-party/gray market website. Common online purchase safety practices are recommended and checking the seller’s ratings prior to the purchase. If you’re still unsure, consider purchasing the desired game code or software key from an official distributor or from the developer directly for 100% security.

We thank you for taking the time to read our review of Kinguin. We can also recommend the following articles, pertaining to other similar online marketplaces and stores below:

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Author

Nikola L

Nikola has been a Staff Writer at Prima Games since May 2022. He has been gaming since being able to hold an Amiga 500 joystick on his own, back in the early 90s (when gaming was really good!). Nikola has helped organize dozens of gaming events and tournaments and has been professionally attached to gaming since 2009.