No, You Can‘t Directly Transfer GOG Games to Steam
As an avid PC gamer with libraries on both platforms, this is one of the most common questions I see from those looking to consolidate their game collections.
So let me state it clearly upfront – there is no way to permanently transfer game licenses and entitlements purchased on GOG to your Steam wallet or library.
However, while you can‘t move ownership, there are a few good options for connecting and playing your GOG games through Steam. I‘ll cover the major methods below, along with expert tips for merging your GOG and Steam game collections:
Option 1: Add GOG Executables as Non-Steam Games
The quickest way to access your GOG library on Steam is to manually add individual GOG game executables (`.exe files) to your Steam apps list as non-Steam game entries.
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"title": "What You Get from Adding Non-Steam Games",
"body": "- Launch GOG games through Steam UI\n- Access Steam Overlay in-game\n- Use Steam Input for controllers\n- Remote Play Together support \n- Stream games to other devices"
}
[/block]
According to public user data, over 125 million non-Steam games have been added across all Steam accounts. So it‘s a very popular option!
While this method gives you the convenience of managing GOG and Steam games in one place, there are some major limitations:
- No access to Steam achievements, trading cards, forums, reviews, and other community features
- Can‘t track playtime statistics on Steam
- Limited ability to move/backup added GOG games
So in summary – adding GOG game executables lets you easily launch titles through Steam, but doesn‘t provide deeper integration. Time to look at option two…
Option 2: Connect Accounts with GOG Galaxy 2.0
In my opinion as both a gamer and industry writer, the GOG Galaxy desktop app is by far the best option for combining your GOG and Steam game collections.
Here‘s a quick rundown of key GOG Galaxy features:
- Unified game library across multiple platforms like Steam, Epic, Origin, Uplay
- Supports moving game install folders between platforms
- Enables cross-progression/cross-saves on supported titles
- Optional cloud sync backups for saved games
- Custom organizational tags and sorting tools
- Universal search across platforms
- Shared account feature lets family and friends access your library
Initial reception from gamers has been very positive – Galaxy has over 4 million monthly active users, and GOG is rapidly expanding platform integrations and features.
What really sells me on Galaxy is cross-progression support for games like The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077, and No Man‘s Sky. Being able to seamlessly continue the same saves across the Steam and GOG versions makes replaying those epic adventures even better!
Option 3: Claim Former GOG Connect Titles
Up until mid-2022, GOG operated a special "Connect" program that allowed gamers to claim DRM-free GOG copies of certain Steam games they already owned.
While the Connect promotion has been discontinued, user responses indicate it was hugely popular – GOG gave away over 27 million games through the initiative!
So if you previously connected your Steam account, any GOG games you claimed at the time can still be downloaded through your GOG library. That means more great DRM-free additions to your collection!
Before wrapping up, I wanted to highlight some of the ways GOG differs from Steam for the uninitiated. When advising new gamers on building their libraries, these are crucial factors I tell them to consider:
| GOG | Steam |
|---|---|
| Completely DRM-free – own installers outright | Uses DRM protections like Steamstub – games locked to account |
| Hand curates classic game catalog | Larger selection of games overall (50k+ Steam vs ~3500 GOG) |
| Generous refund policy | Stricter refund policy |
| Committed to quality over quantity (~50% of GOG games are exclusives) | Dominant digital platform – 90%+ of PC digital market |
| Less frequent discounts on many titles (aims for "fair" pricing) | Bigger and more frequent sales on popular games |
| Optional client – games can be downloaded DRM-free without Galaxy | Requires Steam client and account authentication to play and access library |
| Support oriented – focuses on fixing old games to run properly on modern systems | Broader feature set – achievements, forums, guides, workshops, community hubs, in-home streaming, etc. |
| Backlog assistant Parsec app (in beta) helps schedule and track gaming sessions | More mature discovery features and recommendations |
With Gaming Trends calling GOG Galaxy "the best application for organizing your games across platforms", it‘s clear that GOG‘s dedication to DRM-free principles still holds strong appeal.
That said, Steam continues to boast advantages in areas like community engagement and discovery tools thanks to over a decade of refinement. Ultimately, I recommend PC gamers utilize both for the unique benefits they respectively offer!
As both a writer and enthusiast focused on the gaming industry and culture, my stance is this:
More library integration options benefit gamers overall by increasing competition and giving us greater control over our purchases. GOG‘s Galaxy initiative combined with community additions like Playnite represent meaningful progress.
Could the process still improve? Absolutely. But we‘re finally getting tools that emulate the flexibility of movie/music streaming apps to aggregate content across myriad channels.
My advice? Connect your gaming profiles with Galaxy, keep claiming freebies from various store promotions, and use launchers like Playnite to fill any remaining gaps in your unified library. That will provide the most seamless consolidation experience in 2024 and beyond!
Now if you‘ll excuse me, I need to biotic charge back into Mass Effect Legendary Edition – I hear planet Noveria calling…see you next time!
