‘GOG’ Makes ‘Steam’ Games DRM-Free

“Steam” is one of the most popular digital video game retailers in the world, selling over 350 million copies and earning $3.5 billion in 2015, according to “Steam Spy.” However, users of the service are frustrated over the site’s digital rights management (DRM) clause which effectively meant that gamers can only play video games on “Steam’s” terms. GOG.com just came up with a solution to this dilemma though, by allowing gamers to sign up to a service called “GOG Connect,” where games bought from “Steam” can be played DRM-free.

The service basically works by scanning the user’s “Steam” library after signing in, and the games that are already installed will be available as a “GOG” game without paying for it. This then effectively makes the player the sole owner of the game and they can use it however they want without “Steam” getting involved.

The “Steam” copy of the game remains though, and players can still continue using the service of the site. The DRM-free copy is just there whenever they want to use it.

As ExtremeTech reports though, the offer has garnered massive interest; much more than “GOG” can handle in terms of immediate service. The site even mentioned that it could take days for some customers to be given service.

It should also be noted that not every title bought from “Steam” will be available when users sign up with “GOG Connect.” As of writing this article, only 22 games are available for transfer, which include popular indie games like “Braid” and “The Witness.”

On that note, “GOG” is under the umbrella of the “CD Projekt” company, which is responsible for the immensely popular “The Witcher” video games. As such, it’s reasonable to expect that “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and “The Witcher 2: Assassin Of Kings” will be available for import eventually, as “The Witcher: Enhanced Edition” is already on the roster.