On the one hand I like GOG because it has no DRM and has better prices (in my country) than Steam and I have the feeling that on the one hand it follows more the open source philosophy than Steam itself, but Steam has helped enormously to play Windows games on Linux, so I haven’t really made up my mind.
On the one hand I want to buy on Steam for the convenience, but on the other hand I prefer GOG because (in my country) is cheaper. Which platform do you prefer and why?
To give an example, The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is currently $15 on Steam with regional pricing, but on GOG it’s worth just $6.
I prefer GOG but not enough to not buy from Steam. And each store has its pros and cons.
As a single player gamer, I love the DRM free nature of GOG, especially for classic games like Rollercoaster Tycoon or SimCity 3000. I have older PCs lying around and being able to play my games on them is very very nice.
On the other hand, updating my game is a chore and GOG Galaxy while cool isn’t polished, and very buggy especially only Linux via Wine. I wouldn’t even consider online multiplayer games unless it had its own server.
Compared to Steam which works with Linux by default, no Lutris or Bottles configuring to get games to work. Updates are seamless and online multiplayer is built into the client. Let alone remote play, steam families, big picture, and all the other features it does.
My only gripe with Steam is the GIANT question mark on what happens to my games when they pull support. I mean I can’t even play my older games any more on my old Windows 7 machine, and its not like Fallout 3 is getting updates.
So my priority is thus: GOG then Steam, if its single player and the price is similar (±$10). Steam then GOG if it makes sense or I need steam features (I.e. I got Stardew Valley on Steam since my SO has it there too and we can play together). Finally if the game is around $5 get it on either, or maybe both if I like the game.
Steam. I would 100% buy them on gog if Steams cloud saves werent so damn convenient
I prefer GoG and will generally purchase from there as no drm and you end up owning your game.
However their client is a bit shit and has been for a long time (GoG galaxy). You really only need it for updates though.
Steam excels for games with lots of mods/workshop. It just works.
I go clientless with GOG, too - but their download speed was atrocious every time I tried. Steam nails that, unfortunately…
Infuriatingly, steams constant updates and massive start up delays (we have multiple users with different accounts) straight up sucks - we’d be better off suffering the one-off download delays, really.
Cloud saves are amazing, but I try and launch stuff not through steam as its just a slow, bloated old mess I can’t stand dealing with (I’m also quite OK with migrating data around computers and keeping it stored safely)
I love GOG, and support GOG, especially when it comes to nostalgic old PC games… but… I love steam achievements, I love the Steam Deck, and I love seeing my gaming stats, like top 10 games played and such. So I default to Steam.
Basically in the same as you, but Steam is cheaper in my country, and I have a larger library of modern games there thanks to Humble Bundle and friends gifting me games there
My decision tree roughly follows these steps:
- Steam for games that have an online multiplayer content, because GoG Galaxy sucks ass on Linux.
- Steam for games that objectively run better on Proton.
- GoG for games that support LAN multiplayer.
I used to also prioritize GoG because it was largely DRM-free, but the Luna partnership is putting doubt on that.
GOG is usually my first choice, mainly because its a european company and because of DRM. But I also try to not buy all of my games only on one store. You never know when it suddenly goes to shit and then all your games are trapped in that store.
When its cheap, I sometimes buy on GOG, but its almost always more expensive than Steam in my region, even before accounting for bundles, which is how I buy the majority of my games. It also doesn’t help that most of the games I play aren’t on even GOG, when I do go to look, discoverability isn’t great, and I’ve had some issues with GOG’s support in the past (nothing major, just a pain compared to Steam).
I do like the Idea of GOG, but with developers/publishers generally being uncooperative with publishing off-Steam, and GOG just missing too many features anyway, I can rarely justify it.
I’m all-in on Steam, but I like that GOG exists and I hope it sticks around.
I’ve given up on GOG. No linux client means the whole process of installing/launching games is rather tedious. Also linux game dependencies can be annoying to resolve
Steam on the other hand just handles everything. If it doesn’t work at first, it probably will with proton.
I’d love to support an anti-DRM store, but it’s tough when there is so much friction when actually playing the games
Most users complaining about this seem to have been using innoextract or Heroic.
I don’t know what those are, but I’ll look them up.
The linux dependency thing was “Freedom Planet” , an indie retro sonic clone. Trying to use the linux version through GOG, it took me several minutes to figure out and manually install dependencies (which will remain if I remove the game) and even then I couldn’t get sound working.
I shoved the windows binary into steam/proton and it worked like a charm
Lutris makes the Linux experience easier
Sure does, though I hope it keeps improving steadily. I’ve been donating to their patreon almost as long as it’s existed.
For me, Lutris works about 50% of the time with no hassle. The other 50% of the time I get an error during installation that I can’t figure out, and I end up using steam or giving up.
Recently it was Diablo 1 that I couldn’t get working on Lutris, but got working pretty quickly with steam
That’s a shame, it’s worked pretty well for me. Probably a handful of games that won’t play ball.
Hopefully it’ll keep improving
Have you tried adding installers/clients to steam as non-steam games, so you can use proton?
The heroic launcher is the way to go here. It installs the games in desktop mode and automatically adds them to steam. Compatibility is, for me, the same as if I had installed through steam.
Edit: assumed I was on a steam deck post. On desktop I also use heroic, again, compatibility is great. There’s a checkbox to add to steam automatically if you want.
Thanks for the tip!
steam if multiplayer, since i have the client open all the time so it can update. I liek to have GOG handle single player experiences if possible and offered. though its really for me pricing, and generally speaking, 3rd party stores give me the better deal for steam keys. (not like g2a or anything, but like humble and shit)
Steam, I can install the Steam client without any problems on moat distros, also Valve has done a lot of things to make the Linux gaming better.
Gog doesn’t have a desktop app for Linux, they’re focused totally Windows so I don’t care about it.
If I want “DRM free” games, then I pay for the original version with DRM and then pirate it to play whenever I want.
I buy keepers on GOG and then place them on separate drives. On Steam i buy stuff I’m ok with losing. It’s one Gabe away from exploitation shenanigans.
I buy games on Steam for the achievements. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Steam achievements, I’d have never made the switch from pirated games to buying them.
GoG Galaxy does achievements too!
Why pirate games at all? I never understood that.
If games (or movies) are too expensive or not good enough to buy, why download them at all?
I havent paid to watch films or TV shows in decades. No subscriptions, no buying or “digital renting”. No massive amount of DVDs to keep around No risk of some company removing the licensing from the provider which subsequently means I cant watch it.
Ill never stop sailing the pirate seas
If you don’t understand why some folks pirate by this time, you never will. There are plenty of valid–and not-so-valid–reasons to pirate. If you actually care, just type the question into a search engine, there’s a plethora of well written articles on the subject.
99% of people who pirate don’t want to pay for their entertainment. They’ll come up with any excuse as to why they think it’s justified to make them feel better. “F corporations and their drm, this will teach them.”
The other 1% is for when it’s not available by legitimate means or if by chance something they did pay for and was then taken away or something wasn’t working through legitimate ways, then I get it… but again, that’s for 1%.
Another option is to not download at all.
Defending multi-billion dollar corporations in this day and age is absolutely bizarre. And for the record, I rarely pirate these days. And even then, it’s for digital copies of physical content I already own. But I really don’t give a shit what others do, especially if they’re not hurting common folk. And if you truly think it’s okay not to fully own the digital licenses your purchase, then good for you for keeping those billionaire’s boots clean.
You do realize there are thousands of people who try to earn a living making the content people consume. The majority are not billionaires, they are not millionaires. Many are trying to get by… the “common folk” you speak of.
And how much of those profits go to those workers? Let’s take a well known Marvel movie, the Avengers Endgame. It cost roughly $220 million to make. The total global box office for that movie is estimated around $2.8 billion. That’s ~$2.6 billion in profit. Please tell me how much of that went to the film crews and various film departments? Hell, a huge chunk of the budget cost probably went to the actors to begin with.
Anyway, my original point wasn’t even entirely around sticking it to the billionaires. Until laws are made to protect our ownership of digital licenses, I have zero problems with people pirating. Additionally, the majority of folks are going to be paying, so a minority of people–who typically have lower disposable income–pirating content are not destroying regular peoples’ livelihood, this has been proven for over two decades now.
Bottom line: Come down from your ivory tower and just let it rest. Regardless of what either of us says or believes, pirating will continue with or without us. You can disagree with it, which is fine, or you can justify it, which is also fine. It won’t change reality either way.
Eww… Bootlickers 🤢
Because free is good? What a stupid question lol
There’s no need for the insult. Just because there’s no lower age limit on the internet doesn’t mean we can’t all be adults.
As an adult, I’m saying that it is a stupid question
Clearly you aren’t.
You guys buy games? Lol 🏴☠️
I used to pirate games and I still do but just to test games to see if it’s a keeper. Then buy it on steam later.
Imagine pirating games in 2024
I don’t have to imagine
Fun fact: On average, pirates spend significantly more on games and media compared to the average person. You must be an outlier.
most pirates are kids without any money.
That fact sounds like complete bullshit. Currently at 10tb+ of free media on my personal plex server, 2000+ games. Free shit rules, but it’s even better when you can afford it but choose not to spend your money on it lol
You’d be wrong, it’s been repeatedly shown to be true:
