I would not abandon steam for gog. Both have their benefits. It seems the gog can be a redheaded stepchild when it comes to getting updates. Gog has the no drm thing and handles old games better...

Steam is what drove me to become a pirate, once. It stands for everything i hate in pc gaming. When i discovered gog, i got a bunch of games, even the ones i already owned retail. Real surprise was when gog started bringing in games that were exclusive to steam before, such as the FEAR series, Metro and Saints Row. I simply bought them again anew here, gifted my steam account to my little nephew and migrated once and for all, irreversibly, here only and exclusively.

I treated Steam like the plague itself; i got something there ONLY if there wasn't any other means to get it and i ABSOLUTELY had to get that one title. My collection there never surpassed roughly seven games, not even ten, out of which the vast majority were from retail package code redemption and even then, some of those were because i was SUCKERED into buying a game in retail without knowing beforehand it would play only through steam.

I feel extremely relieved, as if a massive burden got off my back. Doubly so, since gog now brings more games and more publishers. And everything is DRM-FREE. Client here not only is voluntary to use, but allows YOU to control which version of which game you want to install and even block updates; steam has OBLIGATORY updates some of which even REMOVE CONTENT from a game, much live Vice City and San Andreas before.

Everyone is better off without steam. Hell, even steam players would get their games here, if they had the same price and appeared at the same time!

I don't get the "leaving behind X00 games" mindset. Those games are not going anywhere. They don't get magically erased from existence just because you start buying on GoG.

And your library being "fractured", well assuming you bought non-DRM'ed games somewhere some time in the past, that part has happened already anyway...

Redheads are hot!

98% temperamental, 2% mental

You should buy where they sell games that will entertain you. If some of those games are sold on Steam, so be it. Case in point. I fully intend to play Fallout 4. The likelihood of it coming on sale on GoG on the 13th is basically 0. Therefore I will buy it where it's being sold.

If you are considering 'abandoning' your steam library (meaning never playing any title on there again), one has to question how much you valued that collection in the first place.

100% agree with you and that is why i stopped buying anything on this platform 2 years ago.
However i'm not so sure about your last statement, a lot of people are now formated by Steam platform itself : Cards, , achievement, cult of personnality around Gabe Newell etc... etc... and a lot of people on forums/reddit really think that Steam is the savior of PC Games.
If that is true economically, it is absolutely false in a moral way.

The services are fairly similar, really. Yes, the Steam client is a gateway DRM. Yes, they sell many games that are DRM-free once you download the installer via that DRM-layer of the client. If you're good with that level of DRM, then the differences start to disappear. It comes down to the details and what you prefer.

Both have refund policies, but handle them differently. Steam lets you return within two hours of (tracked) gameplay time, whereas gOg is calendar-based (that's a big generalization, as there are many other details)

Both offer big sales.

gOg is selective in what shows up in the catalog. Steam appears to take on any- and every-thing that shows up on its doorstep. gOg's selection size thus suffers but it could be argued that the overall quality level is higher, and it's easier to find good games here with less dross to sift through.

Steam's client is mature. gOg's is beta and has (apparently - I've never tried it) a long way to go but it seems to function on a basic level. gOg's is also optional, and thus is not a mandatory additional layer.

gOg has an active support staff that tries to solve game problems. Steam's support might be limited to account / transaction matters - I'm guessing on that since I don't use Steam, but people generally praise gOg for having deeper support.

gOg tests each release on various configurations, to try to find problems before a game hits the catalog. And, of course, they work with the pubs / devs of old titles to get them to work on today's hardware and operating systems. It's not perfect, but the track record is impressive.

Game updates are released first on Steam. Their backbone allows dev/pubs to directly provide updates, whereas updates at gOg get some testing and such before being released. Given that it's easier for dev/pubs on the Steam side, those customers see the updates before we do. If you don't mind waiting, then it's not a big deal.

But DRM-free is also holding back AAA releases. That, and Steam offers the backbone for updates, DLC, etc, that automate things for the userl which in turn makes things easier for the dev/pub. gOg is more hands-on for the user and the dev/pub. Both have their proponents and detractors. Being an old-school gamer, I prefer gOg's approach (not that it's perfect, but still).

In the end, they both sell games. Prices are similar. Once you have the game installer, the DRM-free games should be all-but-identical.

As you say, the sale is a good time to try out the service. Hell, that huge Interplay dump should be reason enough to give it a try. And don't forget that they offer a good dozen+ free games so you can try the service risk-free: http://www.gog.com/games##sort=bestselling&price=free&page=1

Play the games you bought on Steam and just don't buy anymore from there if you don't want to. But it will be quite difficult to do if you want to play most newer AAA games that will take so long to be released on GOG or may not arrive at all. It would be madness to re-purchase any game you have already on Steam, unless you have so much money that you don't know what to do with.

Personally I have 7-8 games on Steam that I know they won't arrive on GOG (well, Metro 2033 is here already so what do I know?) but I bought them cheap (like -90%, one of them was gifted to me too) enough to justify the defect, the DRM I mean. When they all come here, I'll buy them eventually so I can finally open the window for the Steam to go away! ;) But of course we are speaking of 7-8 games, not hundreds..

Whatever you do, have fun!

Yes, i already tried Gog. Discovered it 1 year ago when they allowed us to port Witcher 1 & 2 Steam to Gog, that is why i'm considering giving up Steam for good.
This completely changed my opinion about digital games, when i just downloaded the game and could install it where i want, when i want, nothing to launch in the first place, I was like "Man Steam is so bad now !", just like a child who forgot what it was to just put the CD on the drive and play.

Use both Steam and GOG to support competition.

I would use both but buy from GoG when the game you want is on both steam and GoG. If you want a game, get it even if it is not on GoG. That is my advice.

Publishers go where the money is. If they start to see that DRM devalues their games, perhaps they'll stop using it. The more people support GOG by choosing to purchase games here, the more titles publishers will make available.

No reason to stop using the games that you've already purchased, but vote with your wallet from now on. If you aren't happy with the way that a store is treating you, giving them your money only sends the message that you're fine with what they're doing.

Gotcha - I missed that bit on your opening post.

The DRM-free games from Steam can be dealt with just like the gOg games, correct? I mean, once you get the installation file(s) through the client?

But yeah, growing up on DOS games I'm used to doing things manually, so this service fits those old habits well. But I understand why others prefer the more hands-free approach that Steam (and maybe Galaxy with time) offers. At least we have a choice...

There is no DRM-Free games on Steam, Steam is the DRM hihi :). You don't download the game and then you do whatever you want with an installer. You directly install via Steam.

Once installed, each Game .exe on Steam requires Steam to be launched to be able to play ;)

Nope. Quite a few exes are the exact same game exes you get from GOG, down to the bit. There is a thread with a list of said games if you want a list.