HI. I've been wondering (especially after the GOG is gone hoopla) can these games be saved and played from DVDs? I don't want them sitting on my PC taking up room when I'm not playing them, either. If they can be saved to DVD, can you give instructions on how to save them on the DVDs?
Thank you.

Use Nero Burning ROM and just follow the walkthrough for a "data DVD"

Yes, GOG allows you to save your installers for your own personal use. As far as playing them from DVD I am not sure if that is possible for the games that use Windows rather than DOSBox.

You're not in IRC.

Also yeah, OP. Go nuts with the whole DVD burning thing. GOG is DRM free for a reason.

Any burning software that can burn data to a disc s fine. You don't need nero. A free burning software like CDBURNERXP can easily do that.

I also see no advantage to waste time trying to make the dvd autorun either. They're just simple one click installers.You don't beed nero. A free burning software like CDBURNERXP can easily do that. Any burner software you have really would be more than adequate to backup your installers. It's standard for any burning software to have data disc functionality.

I also see no advantage to waste time trying to make the dvd autorun either. They're just simple one click installers.

The games absolutely can be saved and the saved installer file can be used to install the games. Any buring program will most likely be able to do the job (I use Easy Media Creator but Nero is fine as well). You'll want to burn the files to a data disk as others have noted.

I save the installer file (or files for larger programs) along with the extras in a folder for that game. I then run the installer thru the validation process to make sure the file I downloaded is good. Then when I have about 8 gigs of games (and extras), I burn the folders to 2 dual-layered disks (a master and backup). Then I delete the folders from my hard drive.

As for the question about playing from a DVD. I'm not sure that can be done but perhaps others have different opinions.

Best wishes!

Or just put them in a folder and hit "burn disc" in Windows, no super program required.

As far as playing from the DVD, that probably depends on the game. If the game requires registry entries, you'll need to install it once. Might need to edit the registry and conf files to point to the new game directory.

If the game stores profiles and saved game etc in the game directory, you are likely SOL.

Some people just want to make a complete dvd with autorun to run the game from that. Just like with the normal disc you buy from a store. And not that you first have to click a file to install, especially the ones who were original released on a cd or dvd.
I don't mind it for some little programs or little games (like indiegames for example), but i do for the ones which weren't shipped in an installer at the first place.

Here is a link to the unofficial GOG DVD covers. You might be interested in the compilation covers listed at the top.

Judas describes what I always do. I wait until I've got as close to 4.4GB worth of GOGs as I can realistically hope to get, then I burn them to a disc.

That wouldn't work for most of the older games on GOG, since they need write access to the game folder to write save games, configuration data and that stuff, and DVD's/CD's are read-only unless they're CD-RW - but even those provide very limited abilities to write data on them.
It could work with many of the games released after 2003 or so, since many games after XP became the standard OS started to use the "My Documents" folder for save game data rather than the game install folder, but that is still just a very small part of the GOG catalogue. If you want to run the games directly from a portable medium I'd recommend you get a USB flash stick and put the games on that instead.

This response is to EVERYONE who replied to my question about saving the games to disk.
All of you are GREAT. Thanks VERY much for the info!

I have tried and tried everything to get Overseer to download correctly so it will play.. It won't.. I have gottenlimited infofrom GOG, but nothing they tell me can get this game to download and then run. I get all kinds of insanity when I try to download it; the files are ALWAYS corrupted or the downloader just won't function. I had some of these problems with Buried In Time, but finally got that game to work. I am a hardcore Tex Murphy fan (if that's possible) and would love to play this game. I have the CD version and the GOG version, but only my XP PC had enough memory to play from disk, my ME doesn't and my new PC won't touch the game at all.
Can someone PLEASE ;help me get my GOG downloader to work so I can get that game to perform? Thank youl

Give GOGdownloader.exe admin rights and/or temporarily disable your Anti-Virus/Firewall. This is during download, burn and install.

Better yet, to be sure, disable UAC altogether.