Do You Really Need a GOG Account to Play Cyberpunk 2077?

The short answer is no – you do not require a GOG account strictly speaking to play Cyberpunk 2077. However, choosing to use a GOG account confers certain advantages that I‘ll analyze in depth here from the lens of an enthusiastic gamer.

First, let‘s quickly recap the available purchasing options for Cyberpunk 2077 before diving into the GOG specifics:

Where To Buy Cyberpunk 2077

As of February 2023, you can purchase Cyberpunk 2077 through:

• GOG
• Steam
• Epic Games Store
• PlayStation Store
• Xbox Store
• Retail disc copies

So GOG is just one distribution channel among several. With that context established, let‘s look at why you might want to use a GOG account anyway when installing and playing Cyberpunk on PC…

Key Benefits of Linking Cyberpunk 2077 to a GOG Account

While completely optional, using a GOG account with the game unlocks the following key perks:

Access to GOG Galaxy Features

The GOG Galaxy client adds a suite of convenience and social features for managing and playing games from GOG‘s catalog:

• Cloud saves – seamlessly switch PCs without losing progress
• Achievements and tracking game time played
• Friend invites and multiplayer support
• Automatic game updates

Entry to GOG Community Forums

GOG hosts dedicated forums for the Cyberpunk game:

• Get help troubleshooting issues
• Share screenshots and gaming experiences
• Discuss news and announcements
• Speculate on expansions before reveal

With ~65,000 forum posts and growing as of 2023, it‘s an active community.

Exclusive GOG Bonuses and Free DLC

As the game‘s original distributor and CD Projekt Red‘s sister company, GOG receives exclusive in-game cyberpunk content you can‘t get elsewhere:

• Digital game soundtracks
• Art book PDFs
• Digital comics
• Future upcoming DLC

This established precedent suggests GOG will continue receiving preferential treatment for Cyberpunk giveaways, making a GOG account invaluable for hardcore fans who want everything Cyberpunk 2077 related!

Here‘s a summary view:

So in exchange for managing another free account, you gain access to some nice quality-of-life perks.

Playing Cyberpunk 2077 Without GOG

If you bought Cyberpunk 2077 through Steam, Epic, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, or physically, you don‘t need to touch GOG at all.

Just launch and play the game through whichever platform you purchased from. You won‘t miss out on any critical single-player content.

However, you should note the following tradeoffs:

No Access to GOG Community and Support

Without the dedicated GOG forums, you‘ll need to seek help for any issues in generic gaming communities instead. GOG also has an entire Cyberpunk 2077 manual online, which could come in handy.

Multiplayer and Online Features May Be Limited

While mainly a single-player open-world game, Cyberpunk 2077 does incorporate occasional asynchronous multiplayer functionality like leaving messages for other players in your game world.

Exactly how this works across platforms is still being evaluated as the game evolves, but GOG Galaxy may end up providing the most seamless cross-play experience.

Potentially Slower Access to Future DLC Expansions

Based on observations of The Witcher 3‘s ongoing DLC cadence, I predict Cyberpunk 2077 will receive regular free expansions for years after launch.

GOG and the CD Projekt Red team deeply value their loyal fans who buy direct. So there‘s a moderate chance GOG players receive new quests, gear, and customization before other platforms.

Time will tell, but a GOG install ensures you‘re first in line just in case!

Evaluating Differences Between Steam and GOG

For PC specifically, let‘s directly compare the Steam and GOG versions of Cyberpunk 2077…

Fundamentally, it‘s the exact same game – purchasing source does not affect core gameplay, story, combat, or open world environment.

As covered earlier, the GOG copy redeems additional community features. Otherwise, the differences come down to:

DRM-Free (GOG)

• No online authentication checks
• Play completely offline
• Unlimited installs across devices

Steamworks Features (Steam)

• Steam Achievements
• In-game Steam Overlay
• Store forum access
• Remote game streaming

Neither option is clearly "better" – it depends on your priorities as a gamer. I marginally prefer the flexibility of DRM-free use-anywhere GOG installs. But others may value Steamworks‘ distribution efficiency when juggling massive libraries.

Do You Need Internet Access to Play Cyberpunk 2077?

A one-time online activation is required during the initial Cyberpunk 2077 game setup on all platforms:

• GOG account creation
• Steam login
• PSN/Xbox Live signup

But after this process completes successfully, you can safely play offline without losing any functionality.

So while accessing Cyberpunk 2077 through GOG is optimal, you absolutely can enjoy the full experience purchased from other stores too. Weigh the GOG value-adds against the convenience of your existing gaming ecosystem. Can‘t go wrong either way!

I‘m excited to see how Cyberpunk‘s online integration and post-launch support improves over 2023 and beyond. Where did you buy the game from? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!