Particle.news
Download on the App Store

GOG Highlights DRM-Free Offline Installers After Sony Says It Will Stop Making Game Discs

GOG says downloadable installers let PC buyers keep permanent local copies of purchases.

Overview

  • Sony announced it will phase out production of physical PlayStation game discs starting in January 2028, prompting GOG to post a public reminder about its offline installers.
  • GOG's July 14 social post, which stressed that users can download and save installers without needing a storefront's permission, drew large online engagement and wide media coverage.
  • GOG's storefront provides standalone, DRM-free offline installers that users can download, copy to external drives or burn to discs, and reinstall without logging into a launcher.
  • The method only works for games available on GOG and requires user effort and hardware such as an optical drive or an external USB/SSD, so it cannot preserve titles absent from GOG's catalog.
  • The exchange has focused attention on digital ownership and preservation by showing a practical user-led option for PC games and by underscoring broader risks from delistings, account locks, and platform control.