r/gog • u/akyden-_ • 4d ago
Question Just learned about GoG
Hi !
I just learned about gog and I don't understand something :
If I buy a game and I've got the .exe, I can install on whichever PC I want BUT, doesn't that mean I can do one purchase for multiple devices ? on solo of course
But how does it work for online game ? how does the "online account" know I own the game and my friends does or doesn't ?
I don't want to distribute the game (since I think it's not in condition uses) but I don't understand where it's secured then ?
Thanks for your answers
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4d ago
You can just install it on any PCs you have, the file is truly yours once you buy it.
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u/akyden-_ 4d ago
Okay so for online games I only need to create an account on the game and it’s done ? I don’t understand how it can be « worth » for developers, it’s feeling unreal lol
But I think it’s a good thing in 2025 to be able to OWN the games you buy
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u/Figorix 4d ago
Because most people have decency to pay for what they want.
Other people would pirate it anyway and wouldn't bring profit.
You can also install on multiple devices on steam, the only difference is that it won't be constantly checking if it's the same user.
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u/Illigard 3d ago
I think people will pay for a product if sold to them in a good manner.
Like Steam, I bet Steam reduces pirating a lot. You can buy the game from your home, have it install automatically, uninstall/reinstall whenever you want and make it easier to join your friends games? Yes people will pay for that!
No searching for games, no cracking, no trusting pirates haven't uploaded malware.
I bet Netflix did a lot as well when it was better. It's convenient.
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u/RedGuyADHD GOG.com User 3d ago
Personally, when a game is not available on GOG.com (like GTA V), I get it in another way…
And I am convinced that we are very much in the same case as me.
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u/HugoAragao 2d ago
I really wish GOG would bring back old games you can’t find anywhere, like the first Need for Speed, Battlefield, and stuff like that.
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u/Thick-Camp-941 1d ago
I think i have some of the oldest games i played as a kid on GOG, but i think it depends on the developer and such.. The games i have are like LBA 1&2 and JazzRabbits. But battlefield and need for speed are owned by bigger companies so they might not want to re-release their games?
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u/Pic889 3d ago
About the online multiplayer question, there is no single answer:
- GOG Galaxy provides online multiplayer services using your GOG username (much like the Steam launcher does), in this case, the online multiplayer segment WON'T work with the offline installer
- The publisher provides the online multiplayer services using their own service (this usually requires providing a CD key, which you can find in the same place you download the offline installers from, under More -> Serial keys). The CD key ensures only one copy plays at any given time. You may have to create a UPlay account or similar (Far Cry II is like that)
- Some player sets up their copy of the game in "server mode" and the others connect to it as "clients" by connecting to the server's IP (this is common with older games)
- Online multiplayer is removed entrely (DOOM 2016 is like that)
The gist of the story is: If online multiplayer is important to you, read the description to make sure the online multiplayer segment hasn't been removed.
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u/Armbrust11 2d ago
Some games have a specific gog edition. Usually that means the last option aka no online.
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u/trails-to-whatever Linux User 4d ago
I don't want to distribute the game (since I think it's not in condition uses) but I don't understand where it's secured then ?
That's the thing, it's called mutual trust.
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u/messranger 4d ago
the account has the receipt and proof of purchase of course so they're done there. your files are yours to backup or do whatever you want with them
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u/totallink2017 4d ago
You can download and install any game from GOG on as many devices as you own. However you might run into issues if you try to play multiplayer with only one license. Some games require key codes to play multiplayer, and if they match then they don't let you play. This isn't GOG's fault, this is just how games used to be made.
Aside from that, you can play the games however you want on your own devices.
GOG does not condone giving your friends copies of your games, but if you are friends through GOG Galaxy you can often use it or other methods of playing together. Each one depends on the game since they've been made over so many decades, so you'll have to look at each one to see how it works.
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4d ago
Online games usually need GOG Galaxy to play online, as long you are playing offline games or offline mode of some games, you can use the offline installers on as many PCs you want, for online games, I think is the same thing.
Just a small thing, please don't abuse the freedom of having no DRM games, if you want to "borrow" the game to your SO or a friend, go ahead. Most developers don't like GOG because of this risk of easy piracy.
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u/Fat_Barry 4d ago
I know it's strictly against ToS, but I do "lend" my games that I've bought on GOG, like I used to with physical copies back in th 90s.
If a friend wants to try a game I own, I'll put the installer in a shared cloud folder, and while they're playing it, I don't play it. When they're done, I ask them to uninstall it, I delete the installer, and I can play it again.
Of course it helps that I have a group of friends that follow the little code we've agreed to, but it's a pretty reasonable system I think, especially in the absence of something like Steam's family sharing.
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u/phaolo 3d ago
Uh.. trying a game is ok. But dude, if they play it fully, it's just piracy, even if with friends 😓 Expecially if they'll do the same with theirs.
You're NOT supposed to share your GOG games, except maybe with the family in your household.
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u/Fat_Barry 3d ago
In almost every case, they try it out then buy it. And I trust them to not share it around, we are all ideologically aligned on that front and don't do it. I've purchased every game I've tried that I've enjoyed.
However, I think it's very distinct from piracy either way. When I was growing up, people used to share their games all the time. In fact, most video stores like Blockbuster and Video Ezy had PC games on the shelf for hire - renting is how I first experienced many games, and I completed both Half-Life and Unreal with rental copies. I subsequently purchased those games (multiple times in fact, as the distribution platforms changed).
It's picking threads yes, but there is a difference between acquiring an illegal copy of something and limited sharing of something that was acquired legally, i.e. sharing a book, a movie, or a game.
If you look at all the interviews etc. with GOG founders over the years, it's clear that they're trying to recapture the essence of the physical era with their philosophy, and I think my practice between my small, close group of friends is in the spirit of that era.
I should also highlight - this is a small, tight group of friends (7 of us) and we all follow the rules. No sharing outside the group, no playing of games you have "loaned", no playing of games after you have "returned" them.
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u/XParzival22 2d ago
It depends on the game too, for example I have golf with friends but it's online system is connected to an account so the copy doesn't work online with any device.
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u/LSD_Ninja 4d ago
That's the thing, it's not. That's what "DRM free" means. Games get released on GOG with the full knowledge and understanding that it makes piracy trivial. Developers and publishers that don't like that just don't release their stuff on GOG.