What is an NFA account: a plain-English guide

If you have just seen an NFA label in a game account shop, the first question is usually the same: what is an NFA account, and why does it cost several times less than the game itself? This article explains how such an account works, how you sign in to it, how it differs from a full-access account, what its limits and risks are, and who it actually suits.

What is an NFA account, in plain words#

NFA stands for Non-Full Access. It is a regular Steam account that already owns a game, but instead of a password and email the buyer gets the ability to play on it. The email, password, phone number and every security setting stay with the original owner, and the buyer signs in through a dedicated program, the loader, which comes with the account.

For the player it looks like this: you start the loader, and the Steam client opens on the account you bought. The game is in the library; you can download it, launch it, play on any server, build up progress and buy in-game items. Everything you do on a regular account is available here, except managing the account itself.

That is why NFA accounts are popular in games where the account itself has value: hours matter in Rust; Prime status, a rating, medals and skins in CS2; and in Escape from Tarkov the game alone is not cheap. Buying that game or building up such an account yourself costs money and time, while an NFA account gives the same gameplay for a fraction of the price.

How the loader sign-in works#

The loader is a small Windows program that signs in to Steam for you. It comes with the account: every account has its own file, built for it alone, which you download from the order page. You never see the sign-in details or type them in: the loader opens Steam on the right account by itself.

Signing in again works the same way: the same loader always opens the same account. So keep the loader file and the order link as carefully as a password, since anyone who has them can sign in to the account. You are unlikely to lose the loader for good: it can always be downloaded again from the order page.

A detailed step-by-step guide with common errors is in How to log in to an NFA account with the loader, and the loader page covers the program itself.

How NFA differs from a full-access account#

A full-access account (also called FA) is sold together with its login, password and email. After buying it you change the details to your own and become its full owner. An NFA account does not work that way: you use the account but do not manage it.

The main difference is control. With full access the account becomes yours: you can change the email, add the mobile authenticator, trade items and take full responsibility for security. With NFA you buy access to a game on someone else's account, so you cannot and should not change its details: any such attempt breaks the loader sign-in.

Why NFA accounts cost less#

Several things make up the price of an NFA account. First, the buyer does not get the account as property, so they pay for the ability to play, not for the account. Second, accounts of the same type are supplied and checked in large batches, which lowers the cost of each one. Third, the shop answers for the account during the warranty and replaces it if something goes wrong, which is cheaper than selling a new full-access account every time.

As a result, a Rust account with hundreds of hours or a CS2 account with Prime costs several times less than buying the game or the status directly on Steam. For a player who wants the game rather than the account as an asset, that is a reasonable trade-off.

Prices are charged in US dollars through Crypto Bot, and you see the final amount before paying, with no hidden shop fees. So the price of an account does not depend on Steam's regional pricing or on whether the game can be bought in your country.

Which games are sold as NFA accounts#

The NFA format pays off where the game itself or the state of the account is worth real money. Here is how it looks for the games in our catalog:

• Rust: hours matter, since many servers only let in players with hundreds of hours, and an account with a history saves months of play. Accounts with a long-inactive owner and with paid DLC are valued too.

• Counter-Strike 2: the game is free, but Prime status unlocks ranked modes and weekly rewards. Besides basic Prime accounts, there are profiles with Premier unlocked, a rating, medals, an expensive inventory or a knife.

• Escape from Tarkov: the game is not cheap, and an NFA account lets you try the hardcore extraction shooter for a fraction of the price or keep a second profile.

• ARC Raiders, DayZ, Battlefield 6, Arma Reforger, WARDOGS: paid games people want to try without buying a copy at full price, or to keep a second profile for another group of friends.

In each of these games progress is stored on the Steam account, so an NFA account works just like a regular one: you play, level up, and everything you build stays with you for as long as you use the account.

Who an NFA account suits, and who it does not#

An NFA account is a good fit if you:

• want to try a game before buying your own copy;

• need a second account, such as a CS2 smurf, a profile for a new Rust wipe or a separate character in Tarkov;

• are coming back to a game after a break and do not want to pay full price again;

• are putting a team together and a friend needs an account with the game today;

• play on servers with an hours filter and do not have many hours yet.

If you plan to collect expensive skins on the account for years, trade on the Community Market or want full control over security, buy the game on your own account or take a full-access account instead. NFA is access to a game, not an investment.

The risks of NFA accounts and how to reduce them#

Straight talk about the main thing: an NFA account is a compromise, and it has risks worth knowing in advance.

The original owner keeps control. You do not have the email and password, so you cannot recover the account yourself if something goes wrong. The protection here is the shop's warranty: if the account stops opening within the warranty period, the check on the order page confirms it and delivers a replacement. Tariffs with a long-inactive owner lower this risk: the longer the owner has been away, the lower the chance they come back.

Platform rules. The Steam Subscriber Agreement does not allow passing accounts to third parties. That means you decide to buy an NFA account knowing these rules, and the shop cannot influence decisions made by Valve or game publishers.

Bans for breaking rules. Anti-cheats (VAC in CS2, Easy Anti-Cheat in Rust, BattlEye in DayZ and Tarkov) ban accounts for cheats and macros. Such a ban results from what the player did, and no warranty covers it.

How to choose and buy an NFA account#

It starts with the game. In the accounts catalog every game has its own page, and products have tariffs: the NFA Rust account comes with hours from 0–250 to 7000+, and CS2 with Prime, Premier unlocked, a rating, medals, an inventory or a knife.

The rest is simple: pick a tariff, enter your email and pay in crypto through Crypto Bot. The account is delivered automatically right after payment: the order page shows its login, hours and loader, and the order link is emailed to you. No sign-up is needed. Then download the loader, run it and check the account within the warranty period, 24 hours from delivery.

Every account of ours is checked automatically before delivery, and during the warranty you can check it again right from the order page: if the account stopped working, the replacement is delivered automatically, with no back-and-forth with support. Each tariff's stock refreshes every 30 seconds, so the product page shows how many accounts are available right now.

When choosing a shop, look at three things: whether there is a warranty and how fast replacements happen, whether accounts are checked before delivery, and whether the refund terms are clear. Ours are in the terms of service and the refund policy.

Frequently asked questions#

What data we process at checkout and account delivery is listed in the privacy policy.