GOG now ask for donations when you buy games

By Liam Dawe - 19 Jun 2025 at 12:36 pm UTC

Last updated: 19 Jun 2025 at 12:42 pm UTC

Well, this is one way to help fund a store. GOG have added an extra box when you go to checkout to get you to donate.

I noticed it today when going to pick up Star Trek: Armada and Star Trek: Armada II since I have such fond memories of playing them and they're discounted in the GOG Summer Sale. Looking over the checkout process before hitting buy, I noticed a whole new box talking about the GOG Preservation Program asking for more money.

GOG say that "Any additional amount you add to this order helps to fund fixes, ports, and DRM-free releases", but realistically if you do decide to give them extra, they can do whatever they want with it.

This doesn't just appear for older games, it's been added to the entire checkout process. I tested with other modern games too in my cart and it's now always there.

GOG has never exactly been too profitable, to the point that back in late 2021 they announced some changes due to the losses. Going by their 2024 financial report for the full year, GOG only hit 0.6% net profitability which is down from 4.4% in 2023. For Q1 2025 it's currently at 0.8%. So clearly they still have a lot of work to do there but they are boosted by the owned franchises of the CD PROJEKT group including The Witcher and Cyberpunk.

Their recent expansion of updating older games is part of that work, like the whole GOG Preservation Program that recently added Devil May Cry HD Collection, Devil May Cry 4 and more classics. They've also been a bit too slow to modernise like with only just recently introducing dynamic bundle pricing, something that should have been there a long time ago.

It will be interesting to see what GOG fans think to them now asking for extra money during checkout.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.

Tags: DRM-Free, GOG, Misc

5 Likes

About the author - Liam Dawe

I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly checked on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. You can also follow my personal adventures on Bluesky.
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13 comments

Szkodnix 3 hours ago

If they ask nicely, I don't have any problems with that approach.

3 Likes

Raaben 3 hours ago

On one hand, GoG overall and especially game preservation is a worthy cause, but it comes off looking desperate IMO. Perhaps it is. Especially with the growing anti-tip backlash recently as more and more services are expecting them for some reason, I don't think this will go over in a good way esp with attracting new users, even if unobtrusive. I'm still a big fan of GoG and personally don't care either way on this, but I worry it could have the opposite effect intended.

Last edited by Raaben on 19 Jun 2025 at 3:30 pm UTC

2 Likes

HJ 3 hours ago

Quite literally "add tip to your purchase"

0 Likes

pb 2 hours ago

Donating to a failing company is wasted money, I did it many times, for example during the pandemic, and it never worked out. It either ended in a closure or a company sale, and in both cases donators got nothing but sour taste, sometimes not even a thank you. I'm not telling anyone not to do that, just sharing my experience.

Last edited by pb on 19 Jun 2025 at 2:06 pm UTC

0 Likes

dziadulewicz 2 hours ago

Sure would (and would have already) tipped extras in many ways if GOG truly supported Linux. An official Linux client to show it. But no. They do not.

Therefore i have spent exactly zero euros and dollars to GOG in about 20 years. Steam has gotten all of my monies.

3 Likes

Alm888 2 hours ago

Hell no. I won't be giving this "store" any money, ever. Provided I will be able to and right now I'm not due to them "galvanizing" the global community.

0 Likes

Lib-Inst 2 hours ago

I will consider it, i prefer gog instead of steam since steam is drm and you dont own those games. steam will never get a cent out of me.

Last edited by Lib-Inst on 19 Jun 2025 at 3:21 pm UTC

0 Likes

Eike 1 hour ago

Supporter Plus

I will consider it, i prefer gog instad of steam since steam is drm and you dont own those games. steam will never get a cent out of me.

*sigh*
Sure someone wrote an FAQ somewhere?

* You get a licence to use software, be it from Steam, GoG, your floppy disc box, or Linux.

* It is wrong to say "Steam is DRM". Steam offers a DRM system, and it offers DRM'd games as well as games without DRM. You can copy the latter games freely and use them wherever you want. (You might not be allowed to, but that's not what DRM is about.)

2 Likes

grigi 1 hour ago

I just remember how they almost aggressively avoided supporting Linux for years giving away a growing market to Steam.
They were so well suited towards Linux people too with their DRM-Free stance too. Sigh.

2 Likes

tfk 1 hour ago

Failing business model, asking for donations. I've already started making backups of my games. Just I'm case.

2 Likes

Caldathras 22 minutes ago

@Eike

It is wrong to say "Steam is DRM".

I don't want to start into this argument again... Technically, you are right in saying the Steam client is not DRM. I think @Lib-Inst was simply referring to the fact that the Steam client is initially required to install the game whereas the offline installers are self-contained. So, more of a "you cannot install a game bought on Steam without the Steam client" or "installation requires the Steam client" kind of complaint.

2 Likes

such 17 minutes ago

Well, here's the other shoe dropping on that inane marketing: they're not making enough, and they can't increase their cut or pricing with Steam just over there selling most of the same games (even when acknowledging some of them are packaged in a more sloppy fashion vs GOG).

I mean... sure, if this approach works out for them. Time to start planning some backups, I guess.

0 Likes

Stella 10 minutes ago

Supporter Plus

No promised native Linux client = no donations. It's literally as simple as that. As long as they continue ignoring Linux I have no interest in spending any money on GOG, for games or otherwise.Steam ftw

0 Likes

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