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PayPalWhile it hasn't been properly publicly announced yet, GOG Patrons is a new system launched by GOG to hopefully pull in more people to donate. This isn't the first time GOG have asked for people to donate, as back in June they added a donation form to the checkout page but this goes one step further.
The main point of the GOG Patrons program appears to be directly supporting their game preservations efforts as part of the official GOG Preservation Program. Not to paywall anything on the GOG store, just as an additional way to support GOG directly.
It seems a lot like a built-in form of Patreon, and anyone who has used Patreon (like ours) will be familiar with the idea. You pay a small amount each month to something / someone you like, and potentially get rewards for your support. In the case of GOG they say you get access to an exclusive Discord, voting on Preservation Program priorities, credit for your support on game store pages and behind the scenes content.
GOG have so far only sent an email out to some customers to let them know about it, as it's currently in "Early Access" according to GOG staff. As posted on the GOG forum from staffer "king_kunat":
Hey hey, everyone! :D Just wanted to quickly jump in and shed a bit of light on the topic:
We’ve indeed launched the GOG Patrons program today in its early access phase. Long story short, it’s a new way for players who care about game preservation to directly support our ongoing work. And as we’ve mentioned (and will keep repeating everywhere): it’s not a game subscription or a paywall and everything you’ve ever bought on GOG remains fully yours, forever.
The idea is simple: Patrons help fund our efforts to keep classic games alive by restoring, maintaining, and improving them. In return, they get access to an exclusive Discord community, behind-the-scenes content, and small recognition perks across GOG, just as Shanuca mentioned.
The initial response has been positive, and we’re already learning a lot from the feedback we’ve received. This early phase helps us fine-tune the program before it opens more broadly, ensuring it truly meets our community’s expectations and reflects GOG’s values. We'll update you more and more as we go and make the program public.
Hope this clears things up a bit!
It doesn't give any guarantees that your support will actually lead to anything, as that would be impossible to do, it all depends on what rights holders they can convince or track down to actually let GOG revive their games.
You can see more on the GOG Patrons page.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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.
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This grinds my gears. GOG is a business. There's fan preservation projects out there that could genuinely use fan support of any kind that GOG should not be asking for as a business. We're paying for the games, price them accordingly.
Not to mention my personal view is that in terms of preservation efforts GOG isn't anywhere near the top of the list.
Not to mention my personal view is that in terms of preservation efforts GOG isn't anywhere near the top of the list.
19 Likes
@such
Agree, it's "preservation" in the sense that we can back up our offline installers
But true preservation means everyone being able to access the content, now and in the future
But GOG gets games pulled from sale just as much as any other storefront, not much they can do about that however.
I love the drm-free offline installers but they're a business and it doesn't seem right asking for donations
Agree, it's "preservation" in the sense that we can back up our offline installers
But true preservation means everyone being able to access the content, now and in the future
But GOG gets games pulled from sale just as much as any other storefront, not much they can do about that however.
I love the drm-free offline installers but they're a business and it doesn't seem right asking for donations
9 Likes
dziadulewicz a day ago
Hey GOG! Would have supported your platform with thousands of euros at this point, IF you only had a Linux client and support. General Linux support from you also is so-so.
Me and numerous others seem to share this same stance. So come up with the times and embrace the penguin. Or go ahead and perish then
Steam and Zoom Platform (DRM free) will continue to be supported here on end.
Me and numerous others seem to share this same stance. So come up with the times and embrace the penguin. Or go ahead and perish then
Steam and Zoom Platform (DRM free) will continue to be supported here on end.
15 Likes
I add on a donation with every game I purchase. Doing the best I can.
4 Likes
with an official linux client (gog galaxy for linux) i would be more tempted to buy games on GOG instead of steam.
Heroic games launcher isn't perfect, i always found problems with downloads (pause, resume, real update download size, cloud saves).
Heroic games launcher isn't perfect, i always found problems with downloads (pause, resume, real update download size, cloud saves).
9 Likes
heidi.wenger a day ago
Linux gamers are also the most enthusiastic for DRM-free. So GOG's lack for them is even weird. Now they ask money again.
5 Likes
No money in Linux. Preservation, huh?
1 Likes
Unless their giving the games awaya for free this feels wrong IMO. A company shouldn't be asking for donations to make products they are going to sell... At least not a big established company. If they were a tiny startup or something where they couldn't survive the time to make the product then sure, but not an old established company like GOG. Now if they were released for free for everyone then yeah that's something you need donations for because it's not a company product that's going to make money on it's own.
6 Likes
Caldathras a day ago
GOG asking for more donations from gamers with the new GOG Patrons programI wouldn't say they are asking for more donations. I would say that they are offering options for how you can donate. Some people prefer one-off donations that they can make whenever they choose to do so. Others are more than happy to provide regular periodic donations by subscription. As I see it, GOG is now offering two ways to donate to the Game Preservation Program (I don't count purchases, as that goes to their retail revenue stream).
1 Likes
I only have one thing to say about GoG: they lack Devotion.
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Keep in mind that for each game they sell they have to share the earnings with the developer&publisher of said game.
So having more money that does not have to be shared with others makes things easier.
If it is a monthly income, it makes it easier to plan how much they can spent on IP and staff and infrastructure. It isn't a bad idea.
So having more money that does not have to be shared with others makes things easier.
If it is a monthly income, it makes it easier to plan how much they can spent on IP and staff and infrastructure. It isn't a bad idea.
3 Likes
Caldathras a day ago
For those of you that are gatekeeping as to whether it is acceptable a for-profit business to ask for donations, I will respectfully remind you that this discussion has been repeated over and over again. Go and read the comments under this post:
GamingOnLinux: GOG Now Ask For Donations When You Buy Games
Personally, I see nothing wrong with a business asking for financial support on worthy side-projects. Under the Game Preservation Program, GOG will essentially be providing aftermarket support for games they did not make themselves -- presumably forever. The measly profit they have to share with the rights owner on retail sales is hardly going to support such an effort. From GOG's FAQ:
Also taken from their FAQ:
For those of you taking the stance that businesses shouldn't be asking for donations, keep in mind that this is just your opinion and does not make it in any way mandatory for the world at large. Donations are optional. Choose to donate or not. That's your personal choice.
GamingOnLinux: GOG Now Ask For Donations When You Buy Games
Personally, I see nothing wrong with a business asking for financial support on worthy side-projects. Under the Game Preservation Program, GOG will essentially be providing aftermarket support for games they did not make themselves -- presumably forever. The measly profit they have to share with the rights owner on retail sales is hardly going to support such an effort. From GOG's FAQ:
How is this different from just buying more games on GOG?
Buying games on GOG is always a great way to support both us and the publishers who bring their titles to the platform. GOG Patrons is a little different, as your monthly support goes directly to us, without being shared. It's a simple way to help us move faster, while your regular purchases continue to support the wider gaming ecosystem.
Also taken from their FAQ:
GOG Patrons isn't a lifeline. It's a way to go further, faster. Preservation takes time, resources, and people. And while we've always found a way, we know we can do even more: with your support.
For those of you taking the stance that businesses shouldn't be asking for donations, keep in mind that this is just your opinion and does not make it in any way mandatory for the world at large. Donations are optional. Choose to donate or not. That's your personal choice.
4 Likes
I'm glad they're doing this and I will definitely donate monthly. I'm surprised that some people in the thread are saying the games should be free if they ask for donations. They're a company who has consistently struggled to make a profit and losing GOG would be a big blow to gaming and preservation. Who else is going to work directly with developers and published from years and years ago to get the source etc? It's not perfect but it's a hell of a lot better than relying on fans exclusively. Sorry to beat a dead horse.
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The whole idea that a for-profit company that frequently shifts its strategies, or gets new executives with different ideas about how to make a profit, is doing preservation has always seemed a bit underwhelming to me. If there is ever a conflict between "preservation" and "making or saving money" . . . which seems fairly likely . . . "preservation" is not the primary mission, "making money" is. And while some executives may value the idea that a good reputation may lead to more revenue, others pretty much do not. Preservation is a long term thing, and corporations are not entities that keep doing the same stuff in the long term.
I do also have an instinctive "So, this company wants to make more money by just having people . . . give it to them for free?" If I give money it's gonna be to a charity. GOG may like trying to blur the line to pretend to be sort of partly a charity . . . but they aren't. They're a thing that's there to feed money to the shareholders or CEO or whatever. And again, I don't see why I should be giving those guys my money for nothing.
This isn't about not liking GOG in particular or anything. Valve are one of my least-unfavourite companies, but I still wouldn't donate to them on Patreon either. If a company wants my money, it can offer me a product in return.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 25 Oct 2025 at 7:35 pm UTC
I do also have an instinctive "So, this company wants to make more money by just having people . . . give it to them for free?" If I give money it's gonna be to a charity. GOG may like trying to blur the line to pretend to be sort of partly a charity . . . but they aren't. They're a thing that's there to feed money to the shareholders or CEO or whatever. And again, I don't see why I should be giving those guys my money for nothing.
This isn't about not liking GOG in particular or anything. Valve are one of my least-unfavourite companies, but I still wouldn't donate to them on Patreon either. If a company wants my money, it can offer me a product in return.
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 25 Oct 2025 at 7:35 pm UTC
5 Likes
@Caldathras: if a business needs donations (and they wouldn't need to ask otherwise, I'm not buying this PR speak) then said business is poorly run. Therefore, its preservation efforts could be in jeopardy, so to speak. Price the games you're selling to allow for the business growth you're intending, and not just for survival.
Just to be clear. I have hundreds of games on GOG, I support what they do... as a business, not as preservationists. And I certainly don't support attempts to manipulate and guilt-trip their customers (counting myself among them since day 1).
I say all this, because I care, and because I have close to 20 years invested into GOG. Can't believe I need to spell this out, but that's the Internet for you, I guess.
Last edited by such on 25 Oct 2025 at 8:42 pm UTC
Just to be clear. I have hundreds of games on GOG, I support what they do... as a business, not as preservationists. And I certainly don't support attempts to manipulate and guilt-trip their customers (counting myself among them since day 1).
I say all this, because I care, and because I have close to 20 years invested into GOG. Can't believe I need to spell this out, but that's the Internet for you, I guess.
Last edited by such on 25 Oct 2025 at 8:42 pm UTC
4 Likes
With MS more and more enforcing user accounts it is about time for GOG to focus on supporting DRM-free OS...
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TheGamer recently covered [External Link] GOG's preservation efforts. In my opinion that's far more valuable than having a GNU/Linux client. Seriously, GOL doesn't have a client and yet people here are able to open a browser to comment on the article; they should be able to open a browser and download their games from GOG. In fact GOG is better than Steam at this considering you can't download your games off the Steam website.
2 Likes
If GOG made their preservation efforts open, instead of only for sale, I would be tempted to support them, but that's not what I'm seeing here. I'm seeing a corporate re-release program cosplaying as preservation.
By "making them open", I do not mean putting the games up for free, obviously, but some sort of effort to actually make sure the games continue to be able to run, outside of just buying them again.
This could be:
Honestly, just a company statement about what they would do with their preservation efforts, should the company ever go under or discontinue the program, would go a long way to make it seem more like actual preservation.
By "making them open", I do not mean putting the games up for free, obviously, but some sort of effort to actually make sure the games continue to be able to run, outside of just buying them again.
This could be:
- Sharing compatible DOSBox configuration files for the original retail release of the game
- Sharing binary patches to ensure compatibility with a predefined Wine version
- Providing just some technical information about what issues a game might have with modern systems
Honestly, just a company statement about what they would do with their preservation efforts, should the company ever go under or discontinue the program, would go a long way to make it seem more like actual preservation.
9 Likes
The non-existing Linux client is – for me – a plus and a huge downside: I'm happy that I have stand-alone installers that have not been tainted by Galaxy-related stuff that introduces additional bugs – like the infamous 15 (?) seconds start delay when Galaxy is not running that some Windows versions have compared to the Steam version due to the naive coding of GOG's Steam crack. The downside is obvious – due to the missing Linux client, there is no Linux version of GOG's Steam crack and that is the reason of the many missing native Linux versions on GOG. In that sense, the people moaning about missing achievements are the cause of missing native versions of games.
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@Cybolic: that is exactly right. If GOG collaborated in some capacity with the community that would've been a different story, and an actual feather in the preservation cap they so eagerly try to wear.
Instead, GOG has a history of piggybacking on the community efforts. I get they technically don't owe anyone anything, because at best this is a grey area (say, apparently there was a case of a correct(ed) image of video game optical media the dumping party had no license to distribute - that GOG happily used once it became available), and at worst perhaps not legal (cracked copy protection measures leading to piracy), but that is part of the entire point: preservation is morally obvious, but potentially legally dubious.
Instead, GOG has a history of piggybacking on the community efforts. I get they technically don't owe anyone anything, because at best this is a grey area (say, apparently there was a case of a correct(ed) image of video game optical media the dumping party had no license to distribute - that GOG happily used once it became available), and at worst perhaps not legal (cracked copy protection measures leading to piracy), but that is part of the entire point: preservation is morally obvious, but potentially legally dubious.
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