TL;DR
GOG is offering a $5/month Patrons membership that funnels community support into its Preservation Program, funding licensing, engineering and tooling to restore and maintain older PC games. Patrons gain access to a dedicated Discord, voting on restoration priorities, credit on preserved game pages and other perks; core platform features and purchased games remain DRM-free and unchanged.
What happened
GOG has introduced a Patrons membership tier priced at $5.00 per month (VAT included where applicable) to support its long-running Preservation Program. The company says the program addresses several threats to older games — obsolete systems, lost source code and expired licenses — by securing rights, implementing compatibility fixes, rebuilding missing features and maintaining titles DRM-free. GOG highlights nearly two decades of restoration work and points to hundreds of revived or improved games, noting Resident Evil 1–3 were re-released on GOG in 2024 and onward. Patrons are offered perks such as access to an exclusive Discord community, the ability to vote on Dreamlist and Preservation priorities, behind-the-scenes content, and a visible credit or badge on preserved game pages. GOG frames the membership as optional financial support to accelerate restoration efforts while preserving the platform’s existing experience for all users.
Why it matters
- Many older PC games cannot run on modern systems without legal restoration efforts, leaving them at risk of disappearing.
- Lost or damaged source assets and expired licensing can make faithful re-releases difficult or legally impossible without dedicated resources.
- Community funding and voting can accelerate which titles are prioritized for recovery and improvement.
- Keeping restored games DRM-free preserves ownership and long-term access for players.
Key facts
- Price: GOG Patrons costs $5.00 per month, VAT included where applicable.
- Patron perks include exclusive Discord access, votes on preservation priorities, credits on preserved game pages, a patron badge, and behind-the-scenes content.
- GOG says it has been restoring games for nearly two decades and maintains titles DRM-free.
- The Preservation Program covers securing rights, fixing compatibility, rebuilding missing features, and ongoing maintenance.
- GOG cites verified improvements such as Windows 10/11 compatibility, expanded rendering options, AMD GPU framerate fixes, controller hotplugging support, and cloud saves for revived titles.
- GOG reports having 200+ games marked as playable forever and more than 20,000 games on its Dreamlist awaiting potential restoration.
- Purchases on GOG remain DRM-free and unaffected by Patrons; the membership is described as a separate optional contribution.
- GOG says Patron contributions help cover licensing old titles, hiring engineers, and building tools used in preservation work.
- Patrons are charged monthly on the same calendar day they signed up; users can cancel anytime and retaining games already purchased is unaffected.
What to watch next
- Which Dreamlist titles gain enough votes or priority to move into the Preservation Program next.
- How GOG scales restoration teams and internal tools as patron support grows to increase the rate of revivals.
- How deeply GOG pursues enhancements such as mod integrations, localization and other quality-of-life improvements for revived games.
Quick glossary
- DRM-free: Software distributed without digital rights management restrictions, allowing owners to use it without platform-imposed limits.
- Preservation Program: An effort to secure rights, fix compatibility, rebuild missing features and maintain older games so they remain playable on modern systems.
- Dreamlist: GOG’s community-curated list where users request and vote for classic games they'd like to see restored or added to the platform.
- Compatibility fix: Technical changes—patches, configuration updates or engine tweaks—made so older software runs correctly on newer operating systems and hardware.
Reader FAQ
Is GOG Patrons a subscription that affects access to my purchased games?
No. Patrons is a separate, optional monthly membership. Everything purchased on GOG remains DRM-free and yours; the platform says core features aren’t being put behind a paywall.
Where does the money from Patrons go?
GOG says patron contributions fund daily operations of its Preservation Program, including licensing old titles, hiring engineers to restore compatibility, and building tools for long-term preservation.
What do Patrons get in return?
Access to an exclusive Discord, the ability to vote on preservation priorities, a patron badge and profile mentions, credit on game pages for titles you help preserve, and behind-the-scenes content.
Will Patrons guarantee specific restoration outcomes?
GOG states it cannot guarantee specific future outcomes but promises transparency on what patron support enables.
Obsolete systems Old games often can’t run on today’s computers. Without fixes, updates, or legal emulation, they’re left unplayable. GOG Patrons Become a Patron for $5.00/month VAT included where applicable…
Sources
- GOG Patrons- Join gamers keeping classics alive
- Introducing GOG Patrons – an optional way to support …
- GOG announces Patreon-like $5 membership to support …
- CD Projekt Launches GOG Patrons — $5 Monthly …
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