Skip to main content

GOG Galaxy takes on Steam with DRM-free games and optional community features

GOG Galaxy takes on Steam with DRM-free games and optional community features

Share this story

GOG, which has made its name offering DRM-free classic games for sale, is set to launch its own online gaming platform later this year called GOG Galaxy. The service will let you play games, challenge friends, view achievements, and get automatic updates for your games. It's like Steam, but without all the DRM. You won't need an internet connection to play games you've bought from Galaxy, and you can opt-out of the community aspects of the service entirely if you just want to play games.

GOG's video positions the new service as a Steam alternative, but Galaxy will also interoperate with Steam. Rock Paper Shotgun reports that Galaxy "plays nice" with Steam and other services, which could mean that you can compare achievements and see Steam friends from inside Galaxy. The service likely won't start offering the same kinds of AAA games Steam is known for, since everything on GOG is DRM-free, but in a time where so few online gaming platforms exist, Galaxy is a welcome alternative and complement to the leading online games store.