What is regional blocking in games
Regional blocking (geo-restriction) is a restriction where a game, DLC or subscription is only available in certain countries. Users see messages like "This product is not available in your region" or simply can't find the product in the store at all.
Why publishers do this
Licensing agreements
The most common reason. When a major studio releases a game across different countries, it often grants distribution rights to regional partners. For example, rights to sell in Japan may belong to one company, in Europe to another. Each partner wants to protect their market from "parallel imports" — hence the region locks.
Pricing policy
If a game costs $10 in region A and $60 in region B, the publisher has every incentive to prevent buyers from region B from purchasing at region A prices. Blocking CIS-region keys on European accounts is a textbook example of this logic.
Political and sanctions-related reasons
After 2022, many publishers left the Russian market — not for technical reasons, but political ones. This led to games being fully pulled from Steam for Russian users. Similar situations have occurred with Iran, North Korea and other countries under international sanctions.
Age-rating and legal requirements
Some countries have specific content requirements — rating systems (PEGI, ESRB, CERO), prohibitions on depicting violence or gambling. Rather than adapting the product, publishers sometimes simply restrict access.
How it works technically
Platforms — Steam, PlayStation Store, Xbox — determine a user's region via IP address and payment method data. Steam keys carry a tag for permitted regions (e.g., "CIS only" or "ROW — Rest of World"). When a user attempts to activate a key from a different region, the system returns an error.
How this affects buying keys
When purchasing a Steam key or PSN code, it's important to verify the region before buying. A key tagged "EU" won't activate on an account registered outside Europe. Keys tagged "Global" or "ROW" work in most regions.
Frequently asked questions
Can I bypass regional blocking with a VPN? Technically yes, but it violates the Terms of Service of most platforms. The risk is minimal for Steam, significantly higher for PlayStation.
Why are some DLCs unavailable when I own the base game? DLC and the base game can belong to different licensees or have separate regional restrictions. This is a common situation.
How do I check a key's region before buying? Trustworthy sellers always state the key region in the product description. On Marix, the region is clearly listed on every product page.
On Marix, every product's region is stated on the listing — you always know exactly what you're buying. Find the game you need in the catalog.