Over 1,500 games on GOG are missing updates, DLC, and features available elsewhere

[Daniel Sims]

In brief: GOG is primarily associated with retro PC games, but it has also gradually come to include recent indie releases and a few AAA titles. Unfortunately, some shoppers have begun to notice and catalogue hundreds of discrepancies between games released on GOG and the same titles on Steam or the Epic Games Store.

According to a continually updated online spreadsheet, hundreds of games on GOG are missing updates, downloadable content, languages, and other features available via different launchers, such as Steam. Major examples include Fallout 4, No Man's Sky, and the Metro series.

Volunteers have logged approximately 1,531 issues affecting 1,140 games, organized by issue type and publisher. While it is difficult to discern the reason for so many discrepancies, a few patterns are apparent.

Some GOG titles are missing patches that were released on Steam and other platforms, leaving serious issues unresolved in some cases. One of the most notable examples is that Fallout 4's next-gen update never arrived on GOG.

Another common issue is that many games are available on fewer operating systems through GOG than through Steam. The macOS port of No Man's Sky is only available through Steam. Furthermore, Metro 2033 Redux and Metro Last Light Redux support macOS on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Mac App Store, but not on GOG; Linux versions are available only through Steam.

Some titles are missing free and even paid DLC, while others only omit bundled soundtracks. Many games also lack support for certain languages on GOG compared to other stores. French, German, and Spanish are the most frequently omitted languages, with Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, and Chinese not far behind.

Maintaining games across different PC storefronts is primarily up to developers and publishers, and a few stick out on the GOG spreadsheet. Devolver Digital and THQ Nordic GmbH are tied for the most affected games, with 29 each. Bethesda, Square Enix, Daedalic Entertainment, and others also have more than a dozen impacted titles.

While these games likely sell far more copies on Steam, some users prefer to purchase them on GOG due to the storefront's strict anti-DRM policy. GOG allows users to download offline installation packages that are not tied to users' accounts, making them ideal for backups. These features might be why GOG versions of some games do not support multiplayer or other online features.

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Over 1,500 games on GOG are missing updates, DLC, and features available elsewhere

 

[arrowflash]

AFAIK this is not always GOG's fault though. GOG is reportedly more strict in greenlighting patches, updates and extra content, that might take a bit longer to show up even when the developer updates them alongside Steam. However, sometimes it's the developer or publisher's fault for treating GOG buyers as second-class customers.

 

[jwdR311]

This...

'While these games likely sell far more copies on Steam, some users prefer to purchase them on GOG due to the storefront's strict anti-DRM policy. GOG allows users to download offline installation packages that are not tied to users' accounts, making them ideal for backups.'

trumps having the latest patches/features for me.

 

[Lew Zealand]

I didn't see Horizon: Zero Dawn on there but maybe the Remastered version is treated as a different game. Anyway GOG didn't get that either but:

^^^^ What the 2 people above me said. Offline installers, often strict patch requirements, GOG being treated like a second class place by devs vs. Steam/Epic.

I mentioned the offline installers? It's like having your game on disc but you can keep it backed up anywhere and it's (lol almost) always updated.

 

[barca1au]

Like the others I have noticed there are fewer updates etc on GOG. Whether its because we get rid of the DRM on GOG so actually own our games and can take them with us as backups, and the devs don't like that, I don't know, but its a fact of life and its one that puts people off buying a game on GOG even though if its bought anywhere else, its only licensed and can vanish without warning. I object to paying full price for something that is not mine, but regardless of that, the updates and patches should still come through to GOG. It may break the consumer law in some countries, considering the mess that licences have made, particularly with the long and hopelessly convoluted agreements forced on us.

 

[KnightSayNI]

I'm sure the volunteers work for Steam.

 

[obsidian76]

As there is no gog client for linux yet (its in development) launchers like lutris and heroic exist to manage games on non Linux native store fronts from EA, Ubi, Epic etc as well as Gog to play via Proton.

The missing patches and updates is a more serious issue than the above, gamers really need to push for buy once play anywhere, (as if we can act collectively to demand change from our corporate overlords)

In countries like the UK where the retailer I.e. Gog in this case, is responsible for ensuring the goods and services sold are fit for purpose, then its on GOG. In other jurisdictions where the manafacturer manages this, then it should be on the publishers to patch and update the products.

 

[dmgwarren]

Regardless of whose fault it may be, the tardiness of updates and lack of Beta support on GOG has become an issue for me so now I'll only buy old, stable games there.

 

[Lew Zealand]

Regardless of whose fault it may be, the tardiness of updates and lack of Beta support on GOG has become an issue for me so now I'll only buy old, stable games there.

That seems reasonable. When I was playing through My Time at Portia, the GOG updates came weeks after Steam got them and while that time frame isn't egregious, it's still pretty annoying.