So, aside from restoring some of the old games, GOG is also working on making some of the new titles DRM free, which basically means you don't need to have active internet connection in order to play them.

But, since you now download all the games through GOG Galaxy (I know there is alternative way to download, but it's a bit convoluted and not all of the gamers would know how to find it) and if you want to open one of the said games, it's assumed you will have working internet connection, because first GOG Galaxy needs to run and then your game will run.

So, my question here is: how does this differ from DRM? Why do I need internet connection to run a game that doesn't even have online capabilities?

Your screenshot shows you need to log in to install a game via GOG Galaxy. Presumably you've clicked one of the blue download buttons which launches a combo GOG Galaxy/game installer. If you want to install a game without an Internet connection, you'll have to use an offline installer that you're avoiding for whatever reason (you still need an Internet connection and to be logged in to download the offline installers themselves, obviously).

You don't need an Internet connection to start GOG Galaxy or use it to launch your games. Once installed, you also launch the games without GOG Galaxy by starting the executable from the installation folder.

As long as you backed them up, offline installers allow you to install your games even if the store doesn't exist anymore.

Of course, they are DRM protected. You can't resell your own property, which means this product uses DRM. This is how DRM works from beginning. Suckers believe they don't have DRM, but suckers believe everything they hear or read. This type of people "thinking" it that way, which, by the way, is always hilarious. And very cost-effective. The biggest money is made on fools. Period.

download the offline installers, not the gog galaxy ones

The purpose of CDPR's "No DRM" on GOG is that the ownership of the game is yours exclusively and you are not granted a "right-to-use license" as is the case on Steam and other platforms. That is, if for any circumstance, GOG closed the games would remain ours and a downloadable copy would be sent to us by email. You can find more information in the DRM policy.

On other platforms you could not keep those games, and even if there is an error in the servers you cannot play as it happens in the EA App.

As you mentioned in the original post, there is an alternative way to download without using GOG Galaxy. Just download the game on the website and you will get a fully DRM-free offline installer.

I'm not sure if I'm overlooking something that makes this method convoluted, but it seems simple enough to me. Just open your library on the website, click the game you want, and click the link to the offline installer. Are there any problems with it that I'm not aware of?

(Patching, on the other hand, can sometimes be a little complicated since GOG has a habit of deleting older patches, so if you haven't updated in a long while and missed a few patches, you may need to re-download a full install.)

As someone who has been here since before GOG Galaxy was created, I still think of downloading on the website as the "normal" method, with Galaxy being an optional add-on.

Again: GOG is FULLY DRM shop. There no exist "NO DRM" on GOG. You cannot resell own property, because this is NOT yours property - even though you spent money on the product. This is DRM, everything else are lies or PR bu*t for fools. The method of distribution does not matter, what matters are the property rights in the legal sense. DRM violates basic customer property rights that have been used for hundreds of years, and it does so knowingly. Thats all. Grow up.

Why would you resell it? It's not like you have physical disks that're taking up space. By the way: EULAs have long established that you don't own the software, well before DRMs. If you resold a disk the game came on, you were reselling the disk, not the software. And if you want a refund, GOG is pretty damn generous compared to Steam.

It looks like you're the one who needs to grow up, kiddo.

You really don't understand the world you live in do you? You don't see the difference between right to use, right to return, reselling a product and at last ownership. People like you are always at the end of line with thin wallets - what I write from observation. And you're happy about it, because you've been told it's for your own good (as always). No offense, it is what it is. It is quite sad.

I guess you should state your definition of DRM and DRM Free. For what I can read you are confusing two different concepts: DRM and ownership. Concerning DRM, this is what managing the rights of digital property is intended for:

Preventing Unauthorized Access: DRM restricts access to digital content (like eBooks, music, videos, and software) to authorized users only. --- GOG doesn't.

Controlling Copying and Distribution: DRM limits the ability to copy, share, or distribute digital media to unauthorized parties. --- GOG doesn't.

Licensing and Usage Restrictions: It enforces restrictions on how content can be used, such as limiting the number of devices it can be accessed on or the duration of access. --- GOG doesn't.

Protecting Intellectual Property: DRM helps content creators and distributors protect their intellectual property from piracy and unauthorized use. --- GOG doesn't.

Monitoring Usage: Some DRM systems track how digital content is accessed and used to gather data on consumption patterns or to ensure compliance with licenses. --- GOG doesn't.

If this is not what you mean by discussing the subject of DRM and DRM free digital objects, then, again, you should state your definition of DRM.

Sincerely!