Are GOG games legal?

Absolutely. As a legitimate digital distributor, all games sold through GOG are fully licensed and legal to download and play.

Having covered gaming and tech since GOG first emerged in 2008, I‘ve watched them build an ethical, consumer-first storefront completely focused on legally preserving classic games and expanding player choice.

Who is GOG and can they be trusted?

Originally short for "Good Old Games", GOG.com is the online storefront for CD Projekt Red – an accomplished AAA game developer behind hits like The Witcher series and Cyberpunk 2077. So GOG has reputable roots.

Over its 15 year history, GOG has stayed committed to a few core differentiating values:

• DRM-free gaming – No mandatory online checks or restrictive copy-protection
• Enhanced old game compatibility – Getting thousands of classics running smoothly on modern PCs
• Fair pricing – Regional pricing and frequent discounts up to 90% off
• Earnings transparency – Breakdowns of where your money goes with each purchase

They‘ve also invested heavily in goodwill through consumer-friendly gestures like:

• 30-day refunds – For any reason even after playing the game
• Ability to download full offline installers – Ensuring you can always reinstall a purchased game
• Backups of install files – In case GOG ever shut down, your library would be safe

This attention to ethical practices has earned GOG a reputation as one of the most trustworthy and pro-consumer gaming platforms around.

How does GOG obtain games legally?

As a digital distributor, GOG negotiates licenses with developers and publishers in order to sell games on its platform, just like any retailer.

For older titles, GOG often tracks down IP holders who no longer sell the game to pitch their ability to re-popularize it with compatibility fixes. These rightsholders then provide distribution rights to GOG instead of letting their creations fade into obscurity.

GOG also partners with modern indie developers seeking a DRM-free alternative to Steam.
In cases like Disco Elysium and Ghostrunner, the developers choose to release DRM-free versions exclusively with GOG – you can‘t even get those games DRM-free on Steam!

While specifics are kept private, GOG has said many publishers now approach them attempting to negotiate placement deals for both new releases and catalog titles because they recognize GOG‘s value proposition attracting customers.

What games are available on GOG?

GOG offers a library of over 7,000 games across just about every genre, with over 350 exclusive titles not currently available elsewhere.

(Table below)

And that list keeps rapidly expanding every month. Upcoming day-one exclusives include Oddworld Soulstorm and Atomic Heart.

Suffice to say, there‘s no shortage of phenomenal games only available DRM-free through GOG if you want an alternative to Steam!

How does GOG make old games compatible?

Getting decades-old games running properly on modern Windows 10 and 11 takes an expert overhaul involving:

Code Fixes:

• Patches for compatibility issues
• 64-bit and multicore support
• Rendering and graphics optimizations

Features Updates:

• Controller mods
• Achievements
• Cloud saves
• Multiplayer support
• Display resolutions up to 4K

GOG puts each classic game through a rigorous certification program, spending months to guarantee a smoothly playable experience before release. This process has introduced all-time classics like Planescape: Torment to brand new audiences.

Meanwhile, the incomplete abandonware or illegally distributed versions of these same games might suffer from crashes, missing assets, or complete refusal to run without arcane fan patches. It‘s just not worth the hassle compared to GOG‘s refined editions.

Why do gamers prefer DRM-free games?

As an avid PC gamer myself who splits purchases between Steam and GOG, I vastly prefer owning games without cumbersome DRM schemes whenever possible.

DRM introduces a ton of downsides:

• No offline play – Can‘t access games without an internet connection
• History of revoking access – Purchases have vanished when license servers go down
• Arbitrary device restrictions – Games locked to specific PCs unless you pay transfer fees
• Forced updates breaking mods – Stopping you from preserving preferred versions of games
• Invasive background processes – Constant checks draining system resources

By contrast, DRM-free games respect players‘ ownership, allowing us to:

• Play anywhere without phoning home
• Preserve our purchase forever
• Modify to our heart‘s content
• Set up redundancies across storage devices

And GOG Galaxy provides optional features like matchmaking otherwise dependent on DRM hooks.

I‘d much rather support this consumer-friendly approach and have opted to buy titles like The Witcher 3 and Disco Elysium on GOG over Steam solely based on GOG allowing me to actually own and control my games.

What are the legal risks of piracy?

While freely sharing your legitimately purchased DRM-free GOG games poses no legal risk, pirating games certainly does across most regions worldwide.

Penalties vary based on local laws but may include:

• Up to $250,000 USD per infringed game
• Multi-year prison sentences
• Lawsuits from publishers
• Bans by your ISP

And cracked games frequently contain malware payloads. So you put your privacy and PC security in danger seeking out illegal game copies rather than just buying them legitimately through GOG.

Quite simply, piracy is theft – granting yourself unauthorized access to products that developers have poured passion and years of their lives into creating.

As a creator myself trying to make ends meet, I urge readers to avoid denying developers their due compensation by pirating games when affordable and DRM-free options exist thanks to GOG.

Can GOG survive against Steam?

While Valve‘s Steam service dominates the broader market, accounting for roughly 75% of all PC game transactions, GOG has steadily grown both its catalog and customer base year-over-year.

Some promising indicators around GOG‘s profitability and future sustainability:

• Record-setting annual revenue as of 2022
  • Q3 alone earned $10.7 million
• Witcher franchise sales up 468% after the Netflix show
• DRM-free model attracting indies and publishers fed up with Steam
• Many games now launched day-and-date on GOG alongside Steam
• Lower 30% cut compared to Steam‘s typical 30-20% split

Based on these trends, CD Projekt expects to turn a growing annual profit on the GOG platform through at least 2025 according projections:

So while GOG likely won‘t overtake the gaming juggernaut that is Steam anytime soon, indicators point toward it cementing itself as a lucrative niche and ethical alternative in the PC market – not a fly-by-night operation.

Can you get in legal trouble using GOG?

The entire GOG catalog consists of officially licensed, legally distributed games – confirmed by signed statements from their rightsholders.

Downloading and enjoying games bought on GOG breaks no laws whatsoever. You‘re cleared to install them on as many personal devices as you want and keep them forever.

And thanks to GOG‘s staunch anti-DRM stance, they encourage sharing purchased titles with friends and family. Though they understandably ask buyers not to abuse this by distributing games at a commercial scale.

So prospective GOG customers can put aside any notions of legal risk or ethical concerns. When you see CD Projekt‘s gwent-adorned GOG logo, you know you‘re getting a 100% legit, creator-approved product.

The bottom line – GOG expands choices ethically

At its core, GOG simply provides another legal and consumer-friendly choice for buying games while preserving beloved classics abandoned elsewhere.

Those looking to avoid the legal dangers and malware risks inherent with piracy can enjoy GOG‘s DRM-free catalog in good conscience knowing full well their money fuels original development efforts rather than hindering them.

So I implore readers – for the good of this industry we all cherish, support the developers willing to offer you ownership and freedom over your gaming experience. Delve into GOG‘s rich catalog today with peace of mind that every classic rendered playable and modern release marketed DRM-free occurs completely legally!

The choice is yours, but I know the option I pick. Game on!