Which is better, GOG or the Epic Games Store?

[thanonyx thanonyx]

Which one do you think is the better store for PC games?

 

[Glimbo]

GOG. DRM free and the launcher is completely optional so you can directly download and backup your game installers.

Outside of EGS exclusives, there's no reason to use it over GOG or Steam.

 

[Skeetos]

Definitely GOG, all of their games are DRM-Free. Which means you can install them as many times as you like without connection granted you have the installer, and you don't have to be signed in to play those games.

Epic is servicable but I only really use it for the occasional free game. Epic doesn't really try to do much with their launcher and it only really ends up being more used space on your drive.

 

[fake-kun]

GOG, no two ways about it.

 

[DunkeyKong]

Like the others, GOG of course. Their efforts on preservation alone is what makes them great despite some other issues. So many games that are delisted on different store are available there

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

GOG because of the aforementioned consumer-friendly attitude. You buy it? It's yours!, which is something that shouldn't be remarkable, but definitely is these days.

 

[Stookymalarkey]

GOG. I'm still leery about Epic ever since the data mining allegations. If you must buy an Epic exclusive, I recommend using the open source Heroic Launcher to install and run the game instead.

 

[sunofpearl89]

GOG's approach should be the default for all digital storefronts. At that point, I would have nothing against an all-digital future.

Of course, publishers clutch their money in fear over such an idea due to the potential of piracy. Though, I would argue that piracy hasn't been a real threat to sales since digital distribution matured in the 2010s. It doesn't matter, though. Publishers want to move towards a cloud streaming future with no mods, no local storage, no autonomy for customers, no crying.

The people who pirate because they're jerks that think they're above paying for things make up such a negligible majority compared to those who pirate due to other problems with the product. As a man much wiser than myself once said: piracy is a service problem.

 

[kanesha]

You buy it? It's yours!

Correction: you buy it? you may use it under certain strict terms that are pretty much the same as in any other case, except we're not going to install a virus in your computer to zap your sorry ass every time you think of breaking said terms.

 

[Waffles's iconWaffles]

Correction: you buy it? you may use it under certain strict terms that are pretty much the same as in any other case, except we're not going to install a virus in your computer to zap your sorry ass every time you think of breaking said terms.

Nah. Just the fact that you can use their installer offline is night and day compared to how the industry handles things. I haven't really bought anything since 2017 or so, so I'm not sure if that's still their model, but it was incredible.

 

[HextarVigar]

Heh. "Buy." I break the law more times in an hour than most people do in a month.

 

[kanesha]

Nah. Just the fact that you can use their installer offline is night and day compared to how the industry handles things. I haven't really bought anything since 2017 or so, so I'm not sure if that's still their model, but it was incredible.

> There is no virus in my computer that doms me every day - nah, not night and day, not incredible
> I can download an offline installer - wow, night and day, incredible

waffles being waffles, I guess

 

[Gamma]

I only go to the EGS for free games and that's It. Otherwise I prefer Steam.

 

[Dyne]

GOG, hands down no contest.
DRM-free is always the way to go

 

[RyougiShiki66]

GOG because it is the only one (Out of the big three) that provides DRM-Free games , along with providing offline installers for games you purchased , that you can create many backups out of.

I keep EGS around mainly for Free Games.

 

[Lena CE]

GOG without a doubt, it is legit insulting that half a decade or so into EGS it still lacks basic features that Steam has to make the DRM worth suffering through. Having to launch my EGS games through Steam just to get proper controller support has to be the most laughable thing I've experienced when it comes to launchers.

 

[SinAkuma]

GOG all the way.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Which one do you think is the better store for PC games?

GOG, no question. Can't say anything about how either run but GOG has a wishlist, which means it's the closest I'll get to the possibility of my favourite old cult classics being purchasable.

Epic has free games which is fine but most of the ones chosen kinda suck. Plus Epic doesn't have an app unlike Steam, so I don't have a good way to check consistently if I give a shit without looking up articles or relying on Discord server news I could easily miss when I attend classes. One thing I'll have to dunk on GOG for is the way the UI looks, ew. It makes even Epic's look good.

 

[ZEGA ZONIC]

I don't have a GOG account, but it's good.

 

[dr Hackenbush]

Gog all the way & all the times.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's icon RanmyakuIchi RanmyakuIchi]

I've never used EGS and don't intend to, so GOG by default. I'm still salty over the original Unreal being delisted and won't support them.

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

Well, I made a GOG account and, honestly, not impressed.

 

[AnonymousCookieMonster]

In my opinion, they are all the same. They sell you a 'license' (think movie ticket) and merely allow you to access what you paid for. At no point do you own anything you purchase. As such with DRM they can yank it at any time.

No i'm not talking owning the IP/Game which cost millions to develop; I just talking the instance of the game in which you could trade to someone if it were say a physical book or disc.

As i have refused to accept the new terms to EGS and Steam, i can't access anything on those platforms anymore. GoG isn't much better as they've banned me; So other than they are DRM-free and offline games (with exception to Gwent, which is free and requires their 'galaxy' client which is crap last i checked) which with the installer you could install and play. But you still can't transfer your 'license'/purchase, only back up the installer.

Personally until they fix this important part and make it so you own what you purchased and can transfer/resell, i won't use any of them.

 

[thanonyx thanonyx]

I also got a EGS account but I only got it for Rocket League.

 

[Nidstang]

GOG by a mile. DRM-free games, good sales that remind me of how Steam sales used to be like 10 years ago, and they work on older games to make sure they work on modern hardware.

Epic Store has a terrible UI, security issues, and Tencent partnership.

There's another store worth checking out though, Zoom Platform. They also sell games DRM free, and they also make sure older games work on modern computers. But they also offer a ton of expansions and games not available on Steam or GOG like all the Duke Nukem games, and there's no launcher so you can just buy the executables.

Post automatically merged: Feb 13, 2025

In my opinion, they are all the same. They sell you a 'license' (think movie ticket) and merely allow you to access what you paid for. At no point do you own anything you purchase. As such with DRM they can yank it at any time.

No i'm not talking owning the IP/Game which cost millions to develop; I just talking the instance of the game in which you could trade to someone if it were say a physical book or disc.

As i have refused to accept the new terms to EGS and Steam, i can't access anything on those platforms anymore. GoG isn't much better as they've banned me; So other than they are DRM-free and offline games (with exception to Gwent, which is free and requires their 'galaxy' client which is crap last i checked) which with the installer you could install and play. But you still can't transfer your 'license'/purchase, only back up the installer.

Personally until they fix this important part and make it so you own what you purchased and can transfer/resell, i won't use any of them.

There's not practical difference to owning a DRM-free installer vs "transferring your license" though. They don't check for accounts. I've shared games with my brother and friends before using just the game files. So yea, you need to back up to a hard drive, but other than that it's not like the games won't work once transferred.