The Benefits of GOG — DRM-free Titles

We're running a unique promotion built around one of our most highly requested features — starting today, on Friday the 23rd of February, we are featuring all sorts of GOG titles, all courtesy of one of our close partners, Bethesda. Though Steam loyalists and newcomers to gaming might be a bit confused, so we wanted to highlight the benefit of getting GOG keys and what it really means to have a DRM-free title!

Owned by CD Projekt, GOG is a launcher/store that gives you the capability to purchase, own, and play all of your games from one client, much like Steam and the Epic Games store. While its library isn't as massive as the aforementioned competition, GOG prides itself in various things, one of which is part of its very own name: Good Old Games. It has a massive selection of old titles ready for everyone to pick up and enjoy.

Moreover, and far more relevant to our current promotion, is the DRM-free nature of the titles you get. Every game that you acquire and obtain via GOG is, by all intents and purposes, yours to keep permanently, as the DRM-free approach GOG gives ensures that you can take claim of your purchases without a worry. And if you're confused...

DRM stands for Digital Rights Management — you might recognise this set of letters whilst being paired with the likes of Denuvo or Enigma DRM. Essentially, it is an anti-piracy measure that requires you to have an online connection to launch and enjoy your titles. The most common use of this is to ensure that piracy does not occur to some of the bigger titles or preventing mods and cheats from making it into the game, but historically, gamers have hated DRM as a whole.

Perhaps the most useful thing to know about DRM, and why GOG is a great way for you to enjoy your owned titles overall, is that the way it is run means that once you have purchased a game and own that file, it is yours to keep forever. No risk of dubious actions that could render your purchase useless or ways for you to lose access to your title overall; once you have the title, it works like pretty much any other executable item — you can run it without fears of modifications (for modders) or even an internet connection.

That isn't the end of GOG's entire usefulness, however. Though DRM-free keys are always welcome, GOG is looking to add rollbacks to ensure you can play in your favoured version of any game and give you full ownership of your titles. And if you don't want another launcher (after all, Steam and the Epic Games store are only but two of the many that already exist), then you don't even need the GOG one at all! You can purchase your key and download your executable without the need of a client or launcher, so you can freely do as you please.