Steam vs GOG 2021: Which is better?


Want to know whether GOG or Steam is better for you? Well, thanks to us, by the time you finish this article, hopefully you will.

Both of these gaming platforms have their strengths and their drawbacks. We'll be taking a look at them both, so that you have the information you need, to decide which one is better.

So without further ado, let's jump right in, and compare these two in a savage fight to the death.

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Steam

Possibly the best known of the PC game stores, Steam has been around since 2003, making it a veteran. Steam was created by Valve, famous for hit games such as Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, Dota2, and Counter-Strike, as well as creating the Source game engine.

Alongside being a storefront, it also acts as a social gaming hub, provides game streaming software, the Steam workshop for the community to create content, among other things. It is the biggest fish in this particular ocean, with over 120 million monthly active users.

Some of the Strengths of Steam:

  • An enormous collection of games to choose from (around 30000)
  • A really well-established gaming community
  • A well-developed algorithm for recommending games to you as a player
  • New games and the latest titles are often released on Steam

Drawbacks of Steam:

  • The interface can feel a little busy
  • The sheer volume of games can make it difficult to find the quality material
  • Some of the quality is very poor
  • Games can be review bombed, distorting how good they really are

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GOG

GOG was founded in 2008 as a subsidiary of CD Projekt (most famous for The Witcher series). Originally named Good Old Games before a rebrand, it is a store that specialises in retro titles. One of its big selling points is that it is DRM-free. This means there are no digital rights forcing you to use a specific client. You can simply choose the game you want, and download it as an individual, standalone piece of software. This is, as the kids say, a Big. Deal. You can even link games from other gaming platforms, such as Steam or Epic Games, and launch them through the GOG Galaxy client.

Some of the strengths of GOG:

  • Lots of classic games to play
  • No DRM
  • 30-day refund policy (compared to two weeks on Steam)
  • You can use GOG Galaxy to play games from other stores
  • Retro games are generally cheaper than the latest titles

Drawbacks of GOG:

  • The games tend to be older, so you won't find many new titles
  • Online multiplayer is extremely limited
  • The social functionality is limited, and you need the separate GOG Galaxy client to be able to use it.

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So which is better - Steam or GOG?

The answer to this question really depends on what your gaming preferences are. If you want the latest AAA Call of Duty and Madden-type games, then Steam is a clear winner. But if you long to revisit titles from your younger days, or even from before your days, and play them on a modern PC, then GOG is a great choice. The fact you can use it to play Steam games, means there is a lot of flexibility in how you use that platform.

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For more articles like this, take a look at our How To and PC Gaming page.