As many will know, Registering a new Spore account ever since 2021 is next to impossible given the fact that buying a copy of Spore off Steam does not give a CD key, and the Origin copy of Spore does not allow new users to register half the time. Even having EA support give you a new copy of Spore does not work. (As of the time of writing this, over 800+ confirmed players have not been able to register an account since February 2021 and could only stare at the words "Unknown Error during Registration". The only way to register was to buy a new copy off of GOG (Good Old Games) or buy Spore Creature Creator off Origin for 10 dollars, neither of which was fair. We have the right to access these online services when we purchase the game, there's no reason to purchase another game to access them.

As of 9/13/2021, EA brought the CD Key button back for Spore, BUT it will not show your CD key. It will load indefinitely, saying "Requesting key...", the only way to get your CD key will be through your registry, which will be explained through this guide in detail.

However, there is now a solution, while rather tedious, it has been tested and works and can be confirmed by three new players. (This was discovered today)

The Snazzmaster's new spore account; registered and created through this guide on 9/13/2021:
http://www.spore.com/view/myspore/TheSnazzmaster

Make sure you have Spore installed, having the Steam version is preferable.
First off, you must find your CD key for Spore. Some players have access to their CD keys on Steam, just right click Spore in your library, 'Manage'->'CD Keys', and it could be there. If its not: CD Key's were removed from Spore on Steam, but as it turns out you still have a CD Key, it is just hidden in the files for the game and you must use the Registry Editor (already on your computer) to find it:

1. Hit the Windows Key and the R key at the same time to open the Run Window. Type "regedit" and then hit Enter or click "Ok".

2. A prompt will come up, give administrator privileges.

3. Now you should be viewing the Registry Editor with a list of folders on the left. There are a few locations where your Spore CD key can be:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node (64-bit only)

Exact Location for some users: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\electronic arts\ea games\spore(tm)\ergc

4. Look for the 'Electronic Arts' folder in whichever location you chose, it may also be in lowercase. ("electronic arts")

5. Open the 'Electronic' Arts folder, and you'll see two "SPORE" folders: "Spore" and "Spore_EP1".
Alternatively, you will see "ea games", and then "spore(tm)".

6. Open "ergc" under "spore(tm)" (or the other titles listed above if thats the case). Inside this folder is the CD Key.

The CD key for some users was in "Spore_EP1"

7. Find the CD key which is titled "ProductKey" under "Data". It should be a 20 character code. To copy paste the code, double click on the name "(Default)" and the code will be auto-highlited.

NOTE: I have received some reports that instead of a CD code, there is just this text: "%CDKEY%". If that is the case, please scroll down to the "%CDKEY% section.

Now its time to redeem on Origin, as EA still has Spore locked out of redeeming through Steam due to the server change back in 2016. Don't worry, you dont have to install the game on Origin.

1. Go to Origin, whether that be the app or the browser, and at the top right of your Game Library page you should see "Add Game".

2. Click "Add Game" and enter the code. It will ask you what version of Spore you want (I would personally choose the one with more languages under it just for convenience)

3. You now should have Spore on your Origin account, and yes, even if an EA Support Official gave you a free copy of Spore on your account earlier, your copy should redeem no problem.

NOTE: You DO NOT have to install Spore on Origin. The copy you have on Steam will work if you have an Origin account. Linking your Origin and Steam accounts also may help

You now have the capability to register an account without dealing with "Unknown Error during Registration". You don't have to install on Origin, or even uninstall your Steam version.

1. Run Spore on Steam

2. Once you are greeted with the Account Registration page; (you should be familiar with this by now), enter your Origin account information and then a Spore username and hit register. If you did all the steps correctly, this should register a new Spore account!

Special thanks to user "Shy" for finding this method, and notifying me about it.

This will be listed in steps:

• Acquire Spore on Steam (which you should've already done if you're reading this guide), and install it in your library.
  
• Install the EA App (aka what was once "Origin") and make an account, if you don't already have it.
  
• Link your Steam account to your EA account.
  
  • Here is a method for linking your Steam and EA account: https://sp.zhabite.com/discussions/forum/1/4543572243347577776/
• After doing this, compatible games with the EA App (which includes Spore) will appear in your EA App games library. Install Spore on the EA App after it appears. Restart the app or try re-linking accounts if it does not appear.
  
  • You can also try clicking Spore in your Steam library and launching it from the EA App.
• After Spore is installed on the EA App, launch the game. The account registry menu should appear, register a Spore account like normal, and there should be no error message this time.
  
• This is up to you, but now that you have a registered Spore account in the system, you can choose to now play Spore online either on the EA App, or Steam. If you want to play Spore on Steam, just uninstall your copy on the EA App, and reinstall on Steam, and log into your newly registered account. Personally, I've found the game is just easier to handle in Steam, and the community features on Steam are nice.

(Skip this section if you had an actual CD Key in your registry and/or you were able to register an account)

If your CD Key isn't a CD Key and is instead "%CDKEY%", or in other words, looks like the image at the bottom of this section

I'm sorry to say I do not know the exact cause for this, but there is a few things you can try(All of this is theoretical as I've had no way to test this and I don't know anybody personally who has this problem):

%CDKEY% Troubleshooting before beginning:

A.Try redeeming a free extra copy of Spore on Origin(if you haven't already) from the EA Official Help Desk, via live chat(http://help.ea.com), make sure you have proof of purchase. Doing this may make the files reset under the electronic arts folder and regenerate the key or a new key. (EA Help Officials WILL give you a free copy of Spore on Origin if you give them proof of purchase from Steam(I.e, your receipt), as per their EA Play change back in 2016. This copy however will not allow you to register an account, as previously stated in the guide, but it may help to regenerate your key.)

B. Make absolutely sure that you OWN your copy of Spore. Run it a few times, make sure its not a shared game from another account, or not a streamed one. And( I know this sounds dumb ) make sure its the CORE SPORE game, and not Galactic Adventures or the Creepy & Cute Parts Pack.

C. Try a reinstall, or restart your computer

Again, I'm sorry, but I do not know how this is happening, all these options are just guesses I have. Other Maxis games, such as The Sims 3 share this issue for some users, and the only explanation given by other users is that its because EA took away Steam CD keys, which as much as we all know is true, then how are people registering today, even a few hours ago, using this guide? I just don't get it.

%CDKEY% Error Fix Solution #1; Special Thanks to Top Nep
1. After completing the guide, try a clean restart of your PC; this could regenerate your CD key.

2. If not, load up Origin. Make sure you have a free copy of Spore from an EA Help Official in your library, make sure its not installed. (again, EA is required to give you a free copy if you own Spore on Steam).

3. Make sure your Origin account and Steam account are linked. If you don't know how to do this, refer to this link: How to Link accounts without downloading a game - Reddit

4. Keep the Origin application open as you load Spore on Steam.

5. While the Origin App and Spore on Steam are both open at the same time, take a look at regedit, and your code should now be there, once in the place of "%CDKEY%".

6. Follow the latter steps of the guide, redeem on Origin using the key, then register an account on Steam Spore.

7. If all else fails, check to see if the Spore Galactic Adventures CD Key code redeems the base game on Origin. This worked in Top Nep's case, as the GA key matched the Core Spore key.

%CDKEY% Error Fix Solution #2; Special Thanks to inrig004
1. Do all the steps in Error Fix Solution #1. If this does not work, then it could have at least possibly regenerated it, but try these steps:

2. Search for the CD Key in both spore_tm and spore_EP1. The key can technically be in either location. For example, if spore_tm says "%CDKEY%", then its likely spore_EP1 has the real key, and vice versa.

3. The key might also be under something called "default".

%CDKEY% Error Fix Solution #3; Special Thanks to Labonrigzeks
1. If none of the above solutions work, Steam customer support can possibly get your key for you.

2. Go to The Steam Support Page for Spore, and then "I'm having trouble with my retail CD key"

3. Contact support and simply ask for the keys, and they should answer soon with your CD keys.

4. Note: You will need proof that you own the game, which you can do by also sending Support your ticket for your Spore order. You can get this from your order history, located in your Account Details page. (top right)

If this specific set of steps for contacting Steam Support doesn't work, try to just generally contact support without the setup. They should have no reason to not give the codes to you if you provide the order ticket.

NOTE: For some users, the Spore: Galactic Adventures CD Key and the main Spore CD Key match.

Any way to get around the %CDKEY% error would be highly appreciated!

Unfortunately, if all else fails, your last resort is to purchase Spore Creature Creator, which reportedly still allows the registration of a Spore account. It can be purchased on Origin. It is $10.00.

This not recommended. There is no reason that you should have to buy a completely separate game to access online features of a game, especially a game thats still listed as having online features on its store page on both Origin and Steam.

It's worth mentioning that a few players were actually able to convince EA customer support to give them a free copy of creature creator. I myself and a few others I know have not had this same success, and I can only say it is unlikely you will succeed in this either. EA support doesn't know anything about Spore, so explaining to them that Creature Creator is just a feature of the main game, Spore, doesn't really persuade them, nor does explaining the CD Key situation. They are also prominently told by their superiors not to give away products for free, the only exceptions are if their superior gives them exact permission to do so.

No instructions are required, the game should allow you to register an account no problem, then you can sign in with that account on the core Spore game.

AGAIN, I highly recommend you don't do this. While it works, this guide solely exists so you SHOULDN'T have to do this. I'm only listing this for people who didn't know previously, and, of course, as a last resort.

Special thanks once again to everyone who made this possible:

• Pancakes11 for finding this solution and writing the initial instructions
  
• The Snazzmaster for documenting the process and confirming it works, as he was able to register a new account using this guide
  
• Raptorboy556 for finding an exact file location for his CD Key as it is in different locations on other systems
  
• Top Nep for finding a possible fix for the %CDKEY% (no CD key) error
  
• inrig004 for finding another possible fix for %CDKEY% (no CD key) error
  
• Labonrigzeks for finding yet another solution for %CDKEY% (no CD key) eror
  
  Honorable Mention:
  
• Kyle_Necrowolf on EA's Answers HQ, who first made a massive thread documenting this issue and even trying to develop a mod to help users register an account. He has been working hard to fix this issue since February and helps out users on the forums.
  
  EA Answers Threads on this bug:
  https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bugs-Technical-Issues/Steam-users-unable-to-create-Spore-account-or-redeem-game-on/td-p/10069057/highlight/true
  
  https://answers.ea.com/t5/Bugs-Technical-Issues/Can-t-register-account-in-game/td-p/10426533