Do you truly own the games you buy on GOG?

As a passionate gamer who loves building my perfect gaming library, this is a question always on my mind when choosing digital storefronts. And without a doubt, the answer for GOG is a resounding yes! When you purchase games on GOG.com, you completely own those titles to download, install, and play whenever and however you like.

The History and Ethos Behind GOG

GOG, which stands for Good Old Games, launched in 2008 with a mission focused entirely on gamers and their rights. After seeing the rise of restrictive DRM measures that limited how paying customers could access content, GOG presented a DRM-free alternative where players fully own their purchases.

This digital storefront was founded by CD Projekt, the same company behind beloved RPG series The Witcher. They chose DRM-free as an expression of their values around trusting customers that had made them so successful. And over 14 years, GOG has stayed committed to that vision of ownership.

Legal Right of Ownership

Importantly, owning your GOG games is not merely a vague idea or ethical position. There have been major legal cases, such as Oracle vs. Google, confirming that if software has no DRM or license terms restricting use, purchasers are free to do whatever they want, including reselling it.

So with GOG‘s DRM-free model, you have the court-backed right to reuse purchased games freely as you choose. Whether installing them on multiple devices, bequeathing them in your will, or even reselling the files, you own them in every sense just like physical games or media. No EULAs or usage agreements can override those property rights.

Complete Access Forever

Another huge advantage of ownership is that your access to purchases will never be limited by external factors. Players have rightly worried about losing hundreds of dollars in Steam libraries if that service ever discontinued. But the same does not apply to DRM-free GOG titles which would remain totally intact and playable indefinitely.

You are not dependent on GOG‘s clients or platform to install or run games. You could copy your files to external drives, or even redownload setup files from unofficial archives, and enjoy unlimited access just like the days of PC gaming when we swapped diskettes. That ability to preserve libraries we potentially spend thousands building is invaluable.

Surging Revenue and Store Growth Make GOG Extremely Stable

And how likely is GOG to actually shut down and take your purchases with it? Based on their astronomical sales figures in recent years, not at all!

GOG does not release exact revenue and profit details publicly. However, parent company CD Projekt‘s reports show "Other revenue" including GOG climbing massively between 2020 and 2022:

Almost 50% yearly growth to $142.76 million PLN revenue demonstrates GOG is only becoming more successful and sustainable as awareness spreads. Gamers are clearly responding enthusiastically to owning their digital libraries.

On the technical side, GOG now lists over 3000 games available DRM-free along with mandatory game patches and extras. And their new GOG Galaxy 2.0 cross-platform client has also gained millions of installs through 2022.

Based on all market signals, they are continuing to rapidly expand. Your purchases are in safe hands.

Full Feature Sets and Content Included

Another advantage of ownership is that buying games through GOG means acquiring the complete experience – no strings attached. Whether pre-order extras, deluxe editions or multiple DLCs, everything game-related gets bundled into each purchase rather than spread over multiple SKUs.

For example, The Witcher 3 on Steam shows 86 pieces of DLC and additional content sold separately. But buy the base Witcher 3 through GOG and you automatically receive all bonus quests, maps, armor sets, new Game Plus modes, graphical upgrades, and more with no incremental purchases required.

Streamlining in this way just makes sense when customers fully own titles. And it means you enjoy the maximum possible content from your purchase rather than having to re-buy piecemeal.

GOG Connect Transition Disappoints Some

In past years, GOG tried bridging the gap to rival platforms through GOG Connect – a system allowing gamers to redeem existing Steam libraries over on GOG to receive DRM-free versions. However, the program entered virtual stasis in more recent times. And GOG announced Connect‘s closure in 2023, admitting it had not served their vision well.

Die-hard GOG fans expressed significant disappointment, feeling this retreat left them locked into Steam. Personally, I think gamers maybe relied too much on hoping titles would transfer automatically rather than directly buying and supporting excellent pro-consumer stores like GOG in first place. We vote every day with our wallets.

Regardless, for those with large existing libraries elsewhere, switching fully to GOG now faces higher friction. But millions of new gamers join our world daily who should absolutely start building their collections DRM-free.

Gamer Praise and Testimonials

Looking at popular forums and customer reviews paints a definitive picture – gamers overwhelmingly approve of and advocate for GOG precisely because its policies result in complete ownership. Seeing repeated cases like a Steam user asking "Why can‘t I own a game on Steam like GOG?" is typical.

Here is a small sample of many enthusiastic takes:

"I buy exclusively from GOG now for any games I might otherwise only "rent" elsewhere."

"This whole ownership thing really speaks to me as a collector. Feels like I‘m taking crazy pills when friends don‘t get why GOG rules!"

"Even if GOG went under I would have all my games, so there really is no risk buying from them."

"I wish more people supported GOG‘s model. It should be the industry standard."

Clearly an immense level of goodwill exists toward GOG and desire for what they offer customers – full purchases free of outside limitations or restrictions. Gamers crave that kind of pro-consumer model.

Conclusion

At the end of day, aside from deeply caring about players‘ rights, what makes GOG so outstanding compared to other PC game sellers is their consistent commitment to ownership. Any title you buy from them is yours to use, preserve, install, and revisit however you like, forever.

With DRM-free flexibility plus surging commercial success that guarantees long-term stability, they offer tremendous upside and virtually no risk. So for building your digital gaming library, I enthusiastically think there is still no better platform in 2023 and beyond than GOG!

What has your experience been with GOG? Do you believe their ownership model is the future? Let‘s discuss in comments!