Spec Ops: The Line Delisting Explained – Can You Still Download?

The game with one of the most infamous twists, Spec Ops: The Line, has been delisted from all major digital storefronts. However, it’s still possible for fans to pick up a copy and play it, even through the digital platforms that no longer sell it.

Developer Yager’s Spec Ops: The Line is one of the most memorable games of the PS3 and Xbox 360 era because of the way it reframes everything players have been doing for the majority of their playtime with a single twist. While it’s a cult classic, that’s not enough to save it from being delisted from Steam, the PlayStation Store, and the Microsoft Store. Even though it’s no longer available to purchase digitally, eager fans can still grab a copy and dive into the story to experience what blew people away when it was first released.

Related: Tencent Invests in Spec Ops: The Line Developer Yager

Why Was Spec Ops: The Line Delisted?

The reason that Spec Ops: The Line was delisted from digital storefronts is that license agreements with the developer, publisher, or those storefronts ended without being renewed. This means those license deals could be brokered once again to bring the game back to each storefront, but it’s not clear if that’s what Yager and publisher 2K want.

There was no official announcement of the game’s delisting. Instead, websites such as Eurogamer reported on the individual storefront versions being delisted and contacted 2K for clarification, which is when the true extent of the news was revealed.

At the time of writing, the Steam page and Microsoft Store pages for Spec Ops: The Line all state that the game is unavailable to purchase. The PlayStation Store page appears to have been taken down. It’s not unusual for these pages to remain live since they link out to other products fans may want to purchase.

Can You Still Download Spec Ops: The Line?

Yes, it’s still possible to download Spec Ops: The Line even though it’s been delisted by viewing the transactions or downloads for the relevant platform and choosing to download it again. As soon as we heard the news that the game was being delisted, we launched the PlayStation Store on our PS3, opened our transactions, which showed every game purchased on the store, scrolled down until we found Spec Ops: The Line, and downloaded it.

We only had it in our transactions because the game was available through PS Plus almost a decade ago at the time of writing. We claim every game on the service for this very reason and recommend everyone with it does the same. All subscribers who had the service on PS3 should also check their transactions just in case they picked it up.

On Steam and the Microsoft Store, the process is much easier. Fans can open their previously downloaded game libraries and download the game from there. 2K has confirmed that Spec Ops: The Line will remain available to download for all those who have previously purchased it on a digital storefront. Anyone who didn’t is out of luck, though.

Where Can You Buy Spec Ops: The Line?

It’s possible to buy a copy of Spec Ops: The Line from most third-party video game stores online. In the UK, reputable resale company CEX has copies costing between £3.50 and £6. The game is also available on eBay worldwide, allowing anyone to pick up a physical copy to play on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. We checked Amazon, but surprisingly, there are no copies available.

We expect the price of physical copies of the game to soar now that it’s unavailable on digital storefronts. This is because scarcity creates a market with a desire for a product, and resellers will go out of their way to make a profit in any way they can. If fans want to get a copy of the game, they should do it sooner rather than later.