In the early 2000s, before Steam dominated PC gaming, shareware was king. You downloaded a "trial version" of a game for free. You could play 60 minutes or reach level 6, at which point a screen would appear asking for a or unlock code . After paying $19.95 to PopCap via a web portal, you received a unique alphanumeric key. Typing that key transformed the trial into the full game.

: Using unauthorized keys violates the EA User Agreement , which can lead to account bans or loss of access to your game library.