Hello everyone,

I recently started getting back into pc gaming(thoroughly enjoyed to summer sale last month) and am realizing just how much has changed since I was a 'weeeee lad'. GOG is the first place I started buying games from so I have a question about some of the other storefronts/distribution platforms. I know GOG and Steam keeps tracks of game you've purchased and may or may not have downloaded yet. But what about sites like Desura, Humble Bundle, maybe gamers gate?

Happy gaming,

Humble Bundle keeps a track of bundle and store purchases, and you can also add in any Humble Widget purchases -- https://www.humblebundle.com/home (you'll need to sign in). Humble does kind of just throw everything at you in one huge list (defaults to direct downloads of DRM-free titles if you have any, followed by bundle links, then store purchases, then 'other' [widget] purchases).

GreenManGaming keeps a note under https://www.greenmangaming.com/user/account/#games where you'll see lists for (I presume) download services like Origin, UPlay, and Steam (I only have Steam-redeemed games myself) and direct download using their Capsule manager.

GameFly keeps a list under https://www.gamefly.co.uk/activity/purchasehistory/storepurchases/ (or .com for you, most probably) with clickable links to see the orders in more detail.

Can't say for any other sites as those are the only ones I've really used.

You mean which sites keep a list or library of sorts for all your purchased games, so you can easily find them again in your account? As far as I know, all the big stores do that. In any case, from firsthand experience I can confirm Desura und GamersGate definitely do it (Desura only has a sortable list, GamersGate additionally also offers a visual shelf with covers that you can sort manually, like GOG). ShinyLoot keeps a list, too, and also the bundle site Groupees. Not sure if bundles like Indie Royale have a shelf page for all your bundles; they keep the download pages for the individual purchased bundles though, so you can bookmark them or store the e-mails with the link address in them. Humble does the same, but it also allows you to create an account and link all your individual purchases to it, and then it stores them in a list.

At least in Steam and Desure you can look what games you have in your libary and can install them from there.

True, if you use the optional Desura client. The other stores I listed don't offer such a service. They are more like GOG in that you need to download the installers and manually start the installation yourself - unless they just sell a Steam key to you, which all of the mentioned stores except for GOG do on occasion.

Another exception is GamersGate: On GG you download a small file for each game that starts an individual download manager just for that game and once the download manager has downloaded the installation files, it starts the installer automatically. You still need to go through the installation settings yourself though (specifying installation folder etc.). It also encrypts the installation files in the download folder as soon as the installation is completed, so technically it's not DRM-free if you play by the rules.

I know GetGamesGo keeps track on your games.

Also worth to mention is that Gamefly got their own dowload manager (which keeps track of your games as well!)
Then we also have Origin...

The Indie Royale collection provides a list of all the bundles that you attached to the collection or bought while logged in (in which case it attaches automatically) that links to the individual bundles' download pages. Actually locating a game you think you might own on IR is left as an exercise for the buyer. It's not terribly convenient, but the function is sorta-there.

with Humble bundle Games you can Redeem them on Steam I buy there and I DO THAT! GameFly is crap!!

GamersGate and Desure works exactly like GOG in this regard since they have a games library in the profile.

All of them?

The vast majority of stores work this way. Shockwave doesn't, I think there was another one which didn't, but don't remember which one. Origin only lists your games on the app (far as I could see), while other stores let you see the list on the site.

In theory, yes. In reality it's always better to download your games and store them yourself as soon as possible, just in case. Smaller digital stores like Indievania have already shut down without notice, making their customers lose access to their purchased games; and smaller one-time offer bundles (e.g. Indie Games Pack, AGS Bake Sale) are often hosted for a limited time only; Bundle in a Box gave a warning but will shut down, too. I don't expect GOG, Steam, GamersGate, Humble or Desura to vanish anytime soon, and they are probably popular enough not to get away without warning people if they do, but you don't have any guarantees that things in the digital world will be there forever. Better safe than sorry.

Aside from what Leroux has said, you should also make sure to download any DRM-Free copies right away. Sometimes,a former DRM-Free download might transform into a Steam key (Explodemon on GamersGate and Teleglitch on Desura come to mind).

There's a handful of games on Desura that *require* activation on Steam as well as on Desura.. Gnomoria is another one (probably explains why i was able to run it off desura one day, then next day, bam,,,, needed activate bloody key on Steam as well)