Larian Studios Forums Divinity - Original Sin Divinity - Original Sin - General Advantages/disadvantages of choosing Steam vs. GOG

I'm a little confused as to the advantages/disadvantages of choosing Steam vs. GOG as my platform to run D;OS. Maybe somebody here can clue me in. For the record, I'm a KS backer, so I guess I can get a GOG key starting tomorrow. That's fine; I don't mind waiting a day.

• I know that the GOG version will be DRM-free, but I have heard that the Steam version is also DRM-free: is this true?
• The Steam version presumably comes with Achievements that won't be available on GOG, correct? Not a big deal, but something to factor in.
• What would be a big deal is if the GOG version isn't compatible with original user-made content. I know that the Steam version uses Steam Workshop. Will there be a problem getting content released through Workshop into the Steam version?
• Also of great importance: will GOG and Steam users be able to play online with one another? And what's this whole GOG Galaxy thing about?
• What about future patches? Should we expect one version to be patched later than another?

I was wondering about this too. Will I have to use LAN/IP in order to play with someone who bought the Steam version if I use GOG?

Yes. Steam is only used as a download and patch platform, not for DRM. The game is DRM free.


Steam version has some achievements, yes. GOG might have something similar with GOG Galaxy.


Both versions should be essentially the same. Both are DRM free and can run without their respective platforms present. So it stands to reason both can use the same mods regardless of the mod's origin.
The engine toolkit can save mods standalone, so you can always load them like that.


Yes, in theory at least. Larian has been working with GOG to integrate the game with GOG Galaxy, and GOG Galaxy is supposed to play nice with Steam users, for this game at least.

I am guessing Steam will get updates pretty quickly, but I don't see why GOG would fall behind. They should be able to use the same game files for both platforms, as far as I know.

Thank you, Halcyon, that is incredibly helpful. You answered all my questions as perfectly as I could ask for. Glad to hear that the game is DRM-free on both platforms. As for multiplayer, I'll hold out hope that both GOG and Steam users will be able to play together.

This steam version is DRM free, which is rare. But to play coop I believe you would have to use the Direct IP method and for that most likely someone would have to open their Port Forwarding for this.

DRM free games on Steam is not that rare. As for mods and user content on the GOG version, unless the author publishes the content somewhere outside of the Steam Workshop, how would one go about getting it? Even if you have Steam, I don't think you can subscribe to Steam Workshop items without the game in your account.