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Where to buy old PC games? Steam or GOG?

Twelvy

Twelvy

Member
Oct 30, 2017
289
Tokyo
I recently bought Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance on Steam since they are on discount. I just noticed they are also on discount on GOG. I'm kind of new to the PC space and I only check Steam. I never check other stores. Since I can still refund the games, I'm wondering if one store has a better support for those old games than the other.
  • Steam seems to have a good tool to map your keyboard to any controller (I use a PS4 for now). Maybe it also has a better controllers support for those old games in general.
  • On the other side, the GOG version of those games has multiple language support (especially French for me, although it's more a nostalgia thing). Also the games are DRM-free, so maybe modding and patching them are easier (the editors obviously aren't supporting the games anymore, so we have to rely on the community).
I noticed that old Tomb Raider games also support multiple languages on GOG.

What are the advantages of one platform compared to the other? Where do you usually buy old games?


Thanks for all your advice!
 
GhostTrick

GhostTrick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,304
There's no universal rule. Usually GoG rework some titles to make them compatible. But it's a case by case basis I'd say. Some releases are identical. Some releases might be better on Steam. Some releases might be better on GoG.
 
brokenswiftie

brokenswiftie

Prophet of Truth
Banned
May 30, 2018
2,921
Depends on the game
some steam versions of old games will not work without mods or unofficial fixes
usually pretty easy to fix
but I've noticed GOG versions usually come with these fixes installed and work out of the box
 
Fox318

Fox318

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,584
Honestly GOG is probably the better choice and Galaxy has basically turned it into Steam if you really need automatic updates.
 
Dazraell

Dazraell

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
1,843
Poland
With older games GOG is usually a best way to go. They're not only have an internal quality control and working backstage on making games available on their store compatible on a newer hardware, but they also put it without any DRM whatsover. Steam unfortunately has a very basic and limited quality control. There are still some games that are being sold on Steam, which are unplayable without community fixes.
 
Tacitus

Tacitus

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,030
I'd go with GOG. Their original pitch was making old games run trouble free on new systems. Supporting a DRM-free store is a plus on top of that.
 
defaltoption

defaltoption

The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
11,483
Austin
I personally always use steam when I can just to keep the library in one place but if something im looking for isn't there I have zero problems with GoG. If Gog had as many games as Steam did they'd be the only other platform I'd ever consider switching to on pc.

Gog is all about making sure games are available to everyone and always work.
 
Mentalist

Mentalist

Member
Mar 14, 2019
17,971
I tend to buy from GOG all things being equal, because I want to promote DRM-free games.

That being said, half the time I still end up using Steam forums for any fixes/modding advice, just because the community is bigger.
 
FaffEra

FaffEra

Chicken Chaser
Member
Nov 8, 2017
384
UK
While I prefer to have games on Steam, GOG has a larger library of older releases and games that have Steam DRM will not always work with whatever community mod is needed to run a game on a modern system.
 
EloKa

EloKa

GSP
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
1,905
GOG is short for Good Old Games sooo... it's usually the better choice if you want to buy good old games.
 
FisherTea

FisherTea

Member
May 24, 2020
592
brokenswiftie said:
Depends on the game
some steam versions of old games will not work without mods or unofficial fixes
usually pretty easy to fix
but I've noticed GOG versions usually come with these fixes installed and work out of the box
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

This is definitely a good reason to consider GOG. It is usually the case that much older titles have been tweaked and fixed for more modern systems. Steam can sometimes be hit or miss.
 

Deleted member 9305

Oct 26, 2017
4,064
A lot of the older releases are also DRM free on Steam.

But you can also launch your GOG games through Steam to enjoy controller assists there.
 
gdt

gdt

Member
Oct 26, 2017
9,462
Honestly depends on the game. Either way you'll be fine, even if you have to take an extra step for whatever old game.
 
Samiya

Samiya

Alt Account
Banned
Nov 30, 2019
4,811
GOG always. No DRM, extra goodies, and lots more old titles that Steam doesn't have.
 
ThreepQuest64

ThreepQuest64

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
5,735
Germany
In many instances the Steam version doesn't differ from the GOG version. However, GOG devs went an extra mile to make many games run better or even at all on modern systems. Sometimes differences are subtle, for example Fallout New Vegas comes pre-patched to address more than 4GB of system RAM, which you have to do manually with the Steam version (not a big deal though).

It's always good to check https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Home beforehand.

Keep in mind that GOG only offer refunds when a game isn't working. So in case it's working but you simply don't enjoy it, Steam is still a viable alternative.
 
Bonfires Down

Bonfires Down

Member
Nov 2, 2017
2,813
GOG every time for old games. They actually spend some time making sure that games are compatible with new OS, even though it's not perfect for every game.
 
Max|Payne

Max|Payne

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,948
Portugal
There are games that were launched new on Steam that can be considered old now.

Anyway, GoG tends to put out superior releases of old games.
 
OP
OP
Twelvy

Twelvy

Member
Oct 30, 2017
289
Tokyo
Uzzy said:
You can always add non Steam games to Steam for that controller support.
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ChryZ said:
But you can also launch your GOG games through Steam to enjoy controller assists there.
Click to expand...
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Thanks! I didn't know that.

KainXVIII said:
Check pcgamingwiki before buying.
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I ended up on this website during my researches. It's not clear if mods work correctly with Steam version though. I'll be sure to check next time!


I guess I'll go for GOG.

Thank you everyone!
 
Issen

Issen

Member
Nov 12, 2017
6,816
All other things being equal, always go for the DRM-free option.

But sometimes things aren't equal, so always check PCGW and google in general!
 
BasilZero

BasilZero

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
36,343
Omni
GOG has better versions like Beyond Good and Evil for an example.


I still would buy older games from Steam (have done that) - I mean since they are super cheap on sale.

But ya go with GOG.
 
OP
OP
Twelvy

Twelvy

Member
Oct 30, 2017
289
Tokyo
I guess GOG currency is region locked. (I'm in Japan but I have my french credit card, so I would prefer paying in euro than in US dollars)
 
krg

krg

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,901
sadly it seems that Soul Reaver doesn't have controller support on either storefront which sucks.
 
Oinone

Oinone

Member
Oct 12, 2018
4,156
Mtn. Ida right of Troy / But mainly Germany

Zaber

Alt account
Banned
Sep 11, 2019
906
For older games, I have had better luck with GOG.com. I've tried several games that don't even boot up with Steam, but have no issues on GOG.
 
Threadkular

Threadkular

Member
Dec 29, 2017
2,414
Definitely do a quick check. I tend to favor GOG, but some games I recently looked at had distinct advantages on Steam. Two I can think of are KOTOR 2 which had widescreen support on Steam but not GOG, and XCOM 2012 which was recently added to GOG but was missing a lot of features. There was also No Man's Sky which I learned had separate online communities for GOG (smaller) and Steam (larger)... I actually don't know which I view as "better" in that case.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

signature-less, now and forever
Member
Sep 24, 2019
34,305
GOG will have a better selection, but you can't go wrong with either GOG or Steam if those are your options.
 
ArjanN

ArjanN

Member
Oct 25, 2017
10,106
DOS era stuff might be better on GOG. I've played all that stuff back in the day, so I generally just stuck with Steam.
 
Duxxy3

Duxxy3

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,682
USA
GOG for sure. There's some really old steam games that I can't play without significant modifications.
 
Log!

Log!

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,410
Twelvy said:
I recently bought Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance on Steam since they are on discount. I just noticed they are also on discount on GOG. I'm kind of new to the PC space and I only check Steam. I never check other stores. Since I can still refund the games, I'm wondering if one store has a better support for those old games than the other.
  • Steam seems to have a good tool to map your keyboard to any controller (I use a PS4 for now). Maybe it also has a better controllers support for those old games in general.
  • On the other side, the GOG version of those games has multiple language support (especially French for me, although it's more a nostalgia thing). Also the games are DRM-free, so maybe modding and patching them are easier (the editors obviously aren't supporting the games anymore, so we have to rely on the community).
I noticed that old Tomb Raider games also support multiple languages on GOG.

What are the advantages of one platform compared to the other? Where do you usually buy old games?


Thanks for all your advice!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
For DOS games, you can also use DOSbox to map keyboard keys to controller buttons. Just something to keep in mind.
 
City 17

City 17

Member
Oct 25, 2017
913
That 30 days refund period for DRM-free games without any sort of timer (optional client and all) is really something. Simply trusting you doing the right thing.
 
Mugy

Mugy

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,424
It depends but recently i tried to play Rayman 2: The Great Escape and the GOG version came already pre-configured with nGlide support, widescreen, and custom resolution options, something that no other version of the game seem to do
 
Dehnus

Dehnus

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
1,900
Twelvy said:
I recently bought Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance on Steam since they are on discount. I just noticed they are also on discount on GOG. I'm kind of new to the PC space and I only check Steam. I never check other stores. Since I can still refund the games, I'm wondering if one store has a better support for those old games than the other.
  • Steam seems to have a good tool to map your keyboard to any controller (I use a PS4 for now). Maybe it also has a better controllers support for those old games in general.
  • On the other side, the GOG version of those games has multiple language support (especially French for me, although it's more a nostalgia thing). Also the games are DRM-free, so maybe modding and patching them are easier (the editors obviously aren't supporting the games anymore, so we have to rely on the community).
I noticed that old Tomb Raider games also support multiple languages on GOG.

What are the advantages of one platform compared to the other? Where do you usually buy old games?


Thanks for all your advice!
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
GOG, you literally will OWN the game. No copy protection, no DRM, no nothing of that bullshit. As long as you keep your copy stored well, you will never have to worry about any of that shit. Heck you can even legally download from other sources.. well you paid for it :). It's yours. :). There is no way that they track that, as it's not needed... it states so in their terms. It's yours, you bought it YOURS.

Like how things SHOULD BE!

(Sorry my Richard Stallman is showing :P).
 
Fahdi

Fahdi

Member
Jun 5, 2018
1,390
Dehnus said:
GOG, you literally will OWN the game. No copy protection, no DRM, no nothing of that bullshit. As long as you keep your copy stored well, you will never have to worry about any of that shit. Heck you can even legally download from other sources.. well you paid for it :). It's yours. :). There is no way that they track that, as it's not needed... it states so in their terms. It's yours, you bought it YOURS.

Like how things SHOULD BE!

(Sorry my Richard Stallman is showing :P).
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Fuck Steam in that case. I'm buying my witchers the 3rd time straight from CD Projekt Red then from Gog since they own it. However, GOG doesn't have regional pricing, fuck.
 
Bradford

Bradford

terminus est
Member
Aug 12, 2018
5,423
You can add gog games to steam as a non steam shortcut and it will let you use steam's controller API in the game.
 
Jacobson

Jacobson

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,444
I buy games where it's cheaper. Steam has regional pricing so I usually buy there 99% of the time.
 
Vitamin_B_Complex

Vitamin_B_Complex

Member
Jan 21, 2019
2,902
I like CD Project and I like GOG. So I go with them whenever I can. And adding the games to steam and using their overlay is super simple. The best of both worlds.
 
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