GOG, once known as Good Old Games, has been a game distribution platform since 2012. Compared to sites like Fanatical and Green Man Gaming, GOG sells PC games through an online store.
However, unlike many of its competitors, GOG is DRM-free gaming and has its own standalone distribution platform, similar to how Steam works
GOG Galaxy, the distribution platform for GOG, recently entered the second version of the software, which brings a very interesting change – it now allows you to integrate games from competing platforms.
GOG Galaxy 2.0 is a bold step towards creating the most complete digital library of games for gamers, so let’s take a look at what GOG Galaxy is and how it works in this article.
What is GOG Galaxy?
For users familiar with Steam, understanding the GOG Galaxy concept should be simple. In 2014, CD Projekt Red announced that GOG would release a standalone client for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Like Steam, the client will have three main goals: selling games, allowing users to organize and download their purchased games, and allowing GOG users to interact.
One of the main benefits of GOG is that they are DRM free. Thus, the Galaxy client is optional. All games sold by GOG can be downloaded as standalone programs without installing a client, which rivals like Steam cannot say.
In 2017, GOG announced that the Galaxy client supports cloud saving. Cloud Save is another feature pioneered by Steam and will be the first major non-QoL Galaxy feature. At launch, cloud saves supported 29 games, allowing users to access save files on any other device.
GOG Galaxy 2.0
In June 2019, the closed beta of GOG Galaxy 2.0, a completely revamped version of the GOG client, began.
The main goal of this new client was to serve gamers as a one-stop gaming library, allowing them to catalog and launch games from Steam, Origin, Uplay, Epic Games Store, and support console integration with PlayStation 4 and the Xbox Live Network.
How to connect GOG Galaxy 2.0 to other platforms
How to connect GOG Galaxy 2.0 to other platforms
After downloading, installing and launching GOG Galaxy 2.0, the application launches in tutorial mode, which helps explain the features of the new GOG client. At the top of the main window, users should see an Add Games and Friends button that allows them to do just that.
Clicking this button will allow the user to either connect other platforms to GOG or add games manually. For users with accounts on other platforms such as Steam, we highly recommend connecting them to GOG – it’s safe, fast and free.
To do this, select the “Connect platforms” option, after which the settings window will open.
This window will list all of the above platforms. To connect it, simply click the Connect button next to the appropriate option.
Each connection will require the user to be logged in with the appropriate credentials. It is completely secure and no information is sent directly to the GOG servers.
Once complete, the connected platform will appear in the client’s left-most menu under the Games heading and will be labeled as whatever platform the user is associated with, in this example Xbox.
Linking a PlayStation or Xbox account to GOG will obviously not allow these games to be played via PC, but it does allow players to see their achievements and other stats in the Galaxy client.
Linking any of the PC platforms like Steam or the Epic Games Store will allow users to run games from the Galaxy.
Moreover, connecting Steam, Origin, Uplay or Epic Games Store will allow the user to download and directly install on these platforms from the Galaxy interface. This means that users can effectively replace all other library platforms as GOG has full support for managing them from its own client.
After clicking on any game, the “Install†or “Play†button (if installed) will appear at the top of the screen. The button to its right allows users to manage their installation, check for updates, get support, and more.
Galaxy also has robust organization options, allowing users to tag games or even rate them from one to six stars. For users with large collections, this can be an extremely useful way of sorting and dividing games into subcategories. There is also a search box that allows users to search their entire collection.
Why you should use GOG Galaxy 2.0
In Galaxy 2.0, GOG introduced a unique resource for gamers to completely unify and replace multiple platforms in their PC game libraries. While native clients like Steam have their own advantages like inventory and group systems for gamers who are only interested in organizing and playing their games, GOG Galaxy 2.0 is definitely a great all-round solution.
If you have any questions or comments about GOG Galaxy 2.0 or how you can use it, leave us a comment below.
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