How we classify stores and rank offers

Some store links may earn PlayPrices a commission when you buy, at no extra cost to you. We rank offers by listed price, regardless of commission or partnership. A planned store is not included in price comparisons until we can verify its prices. Always check the final price, edition and activation requirements at the store. Some partners (Driffle) attribute a purchase when you enter a checkout coupon shown next to that store's Buy button — we do not add a tracking query to those hops.

1. Official store

   Official stores

   The platform or publisher that owns the storefront the key activates on.

   The merchant is the rights holder or the activation platform itself — Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Store, Microsoft Store.

   Trust. Highest. You buy from the company that also activates the game, with that company’s own refund and support policies.

   In the catalogue: Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, Ubisoft Store, Microsoft Store.

2. Authorized reseller

   Authorized resellers

   A licensed retailer with a publisher or wholesale agreement, not the platform store.

   The merchant sells keys under a commercial relationship with the publisher or platform, but is not the official storefront. Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, Gamesplanet, IndieGala and GameBillet sit here.

   Trust. High. Stock is sourced through official wholesale, so region and edition claims are usually reliable. Support is the reseller’s, not the platform’s.

   In the catalogue: Fanatical, Green Man Gaming, Gamesplanet, Gamesplanet US, Gamesplanet UK, Gamesplanet DE, Gamesplanet FR, IndieGala, GameBillet.

3. Marketplace

   Marketplaces

   A platform where independent sellers list keys. The store does not own the stock.

   The listing belongs to a third-party seller. Reputation is per listing, not per storefront — collapsing this into keyshop would let the riskiest offers inherit the safest shop rating. G2A, Eneba, K4G and Driffle sit here.

   Trust. Variable. Buyer protection, seller history and region accuracy differ listing by listing. Check the activation region and the seller, not only the marketplace name.

   In the catalogue: Eneba, G2A, K4G, Driffle.

4. Keyshop

   Keyshops

   A shop that inventories and resells keys itself, usually sourced outside official wholesale.

   The merchant holds the keys and sells them as its own catalogue, rather than hosting other sellers. Instant Gaming, CDKeys, Gamivo, Kinguin and Loaded sit here.

   Trust. Lower than official and authorized, but a shop-level reputation still applies because the store owns the stock. Always confirm the activation region before buying.

   In the catalogue: Instant Gaming, CDKeys, Kinguin, Gamivo, Loaded.

1. 1.If the merchant is the activation platform or the publisher of record, it is an official store.
2. 2.If it sells keys under a publisher or wholesale agreement but is not that platform, it is an authorized reseller.
3. 3.If independent sellers list keys and the store does not own the stock, it is a marketplace. Reputation is per listing.
4. 4.If the store inventories and resells keys itself, outside official wholesale, it is a keyshop.

Marketplace and keyshop are not interchangeable. Folding a marketplace into keyshop would let the riskiest seller inherit the safest shop rating.

1. 1.Drop ineligible offers. An offer is out of the ranking when it cannot be activated in the buyer’s region, the price is older than the freshness cutoff, or the provider circuit is open. Ineligible is not the same as expensive.
2. 2.Sort the rest by listed price. Eligible offers are ordered by listed price in the selected quote (EUR, USD or GBP), lowest first. A native amount in another stored currency is converted with the ECB daily EUR-pivot rate. When two stores list the same converted amount, Steam is shown first as a tie-break, not a trust ranking. “Cheapest” still means cheapest.
3. 3.Label trust next to price. Store type, customer rating and review count are shown so you can pay more for a more trusted merchant. They never move an offer up or down the list.

Trust signals we never sort by: store type, customer rating, review count. You can filter deals by store type if you only want official or authorized offers — filtering is a choice, not a hidden ranking bonus.