Hey everyone!! I have a quick question that I hope someone can answer. From various sources, I have heard something about how some users enjoy utilizing the GOG Galaxy feature for installing and running their GOG games, other gamer's do not. I don't understand what the difference is between GOG downloads and GOG Galaxy downloads. I am completely in the dark with this, but I keep hearing about how some players do not like the Galaxy feature. Can someone please fill me in? I don't understand what the difference is. I hope someone can shed some light on this subject. Any and all help is appreciated!! Thanks so much!!!

GOG Galaxy provides a centralized way of playing all your games, similar to how Steam does it.

GOG downloads are standalone installer files, the same as when you install a regular Windows or MacOS application.

GOG Galaxy provides, at least, a centralised place to find your games, cloud saves (max 200MB/game!!!), achievements and multi-player functionality for some games (others do not need Galaxy for MP).

The pure 'offline installers' offer portable installers that I can put on my memory stick and take to mum's place and install on my PC there and on my laptop and no internet needed until I want, if I want, to download updates or play multi-player. No need for an extra layer. Offline also is the only choice for Linux gamers.

You have more control.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvOqbOIbAL0 explains what Steam is.

If I was the OP, I would still be none the wiser after these answers.

https://www.androidauthority.com/what-is-steam-3254981/

Here you should find all the answers, to questions you may have: https://www.gog.com/galaxy

Edit: missing words

GOG Galaxy is bloatware, plain and simple. Also GoG is super annoying with their non stop nagging with obnoxious DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL NOW button all over the place and worse, they are actually braking offline installers with their galaxy crap! Also post-galaxy offline installers create an additional supportInstaller file that is just extra bloat! Installers prior to galaxy created no such file!


And now we have this type of warnings:

The GOG GALAXY client and Paradox Account registration is required in order to access individual player profiles and additional skins for the game.

On a "DRM-free" platform, therefore Galaxy also serves a function of a trojan horse for DRM content, that by all accounts should be rejected!


GOG downloads and by that i think you mean the offline installers are THE only proper way to store and install your games DRM-free. Let's face it, if GoG didn't provide offline installers i doubt anyone would bother with this place at all.


The sensible thing GoG should do is to discontinue GOG Galaxy and REMOVE everything Galaxy related from the offline installers.

If Steam goes down you lose everything, if GoG goes down (likely to happen) and you backed everything up, you keep the games because with GOG downloads you are in control of your data/game files!

So, from what I understand, Galaxy is a way to have all my games available in one place, and is the cloud and being connected all over the place. That, and if Galaxy goes down, so does all of my saved games? Do I have this right? And downloading without Galaxy is basically me placing my downloads where I want them and have to manage them myself...? If thats true, and I opt to not use Galaxy, how would I access my games that were downloaded with the Galaxy feature in the first place? I am trying my best to understand this whole situation, I have questions but am trying to pick and choose what to ask and what not to. My apologies!!

Perfect example for one of the offline installers' main advantage:
https://www.gog.com/forum/general/heads_up_some_licensed_music_is_being_removed_from_alan_wake/page1

In this case - if you download the offline installers for Alan Wake in their current version (with the licensed music still included and intact) from your library and keep them backed up they're not going to be affected by the upcoming update that will remove said licensed music from the build of Alan Wake that's distributed and available through Galaxy.

As pointed out already - with the offline installers provided by GOG you have full control and true ownership of your games, or rather the copies (=backed up offline installers) of your games.

Galaxy. - you have to download and install a worthless 3rd party client onto your computer, before you can even access your games. Then install the game you want.

Normal game installers. - Just download the game you want, and away you go. Much better. No unnecessary junk. - Just the game.

I see!!! Thanks to everyone who posted on this thread, I have a much better understanding of how all of this works. Two more questions - if I have installed my games via the Galaxy, how would I go about leaving the Galaxy part out and just install and play the games myself? Would I have to reinstall them? And without Galaxy, would I still get game patches/updates? Not sure if that is a thing at this point, I don't follow this sort of thing very closely. Again, thanks to everyone for your help!!