Ars Technica announced a curated collection of about 50 games on GOG on July 10, 2025, with *Star Trek: 25th Anniversary* as its featured pick. The collection paired older and newer favorites, but its planned monthly rotations and feature schedule were announcements from 2025—not confirmation of what remains available or how the collection is run today.
What Ars Technica and GOG announced
In a July 10, 2025 article, Ars Technica’s Lee Hutchinson introduced a hand-picked GOG collection of about 50 games. The selection was described as a mix of classic and newer titles, with a couple of games expected to rotate out at the end of each month. Ars also planned to publish a feature on a collection game about twice a month. Those details describe the original plan; they do not establish that the same roster or schedule is still in effect. Read the original Ars Technica announcement.
Hutchinson wrote at the time: “About twice a month, we’ll publish an article like this one, where we’ll feature one of the games from the list—perhaps a retro game you’ve heard of, perhaps a modern title you missed.” The quote is a useful snapshot of the partnership’s stated editorial plan, rather than a guarantee of ongoing publication cadence.
Why the first feature chose Star Trek: 25th Anniversary
The announcement spotlighted Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, a 1992 point-and-click adventure. The game unfolds across seven self-contained missions, mixing shipboard scenes, away-team exploration, dialogue, and puzzles. The CD-ROM edition included voice performances by the original cast, according to Hutchinson’s article.
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Hutchinson praised the away missions, character banter, atmosphere, and puzzle-solving, while finding the space battles awkward to control. Those are his assessments of the game, not a claim of universal consensus. His recommendation is most relevant to players interested in a story-led, episodic Star Trek adventure and willing to tolerate older controls in the combat sections.
GOG availability, compatibility, and price
GOG’s current listing identifies Windows 10/11 support and marks the game “2026-ready” under the GOG Preservation Program. The July 2025 Ars article described the package as working out of the box on Windows and Linux, and said Mac play should require only minor adjustment because GOG uses DOSBox internally; those compatibility comments were not independently tested for this article. Check GOG’s listing for Star Trek: 25th Anniversary for the current product details.
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The $9.99 price mentioned in Ars’s 2025 announcement is historical, not a current price. GOG displayed a promotion on its product page that ended October 7, 2026 at 09:59 EEST; that offer had expired by the time of the latest information available for this article. No current price is established here, so check the store listing before buying.
Is Judgment Rites a good next game?
Ars pointed readers to Star Trek: Judgment Rites as a sequel. GOG describes it as a follow-up to 25th Anniversary with eight new episodes. The choice is straightforward: start with the seven-mission original for the introduction, or move to the sequel for its additional episodes. The available listings do not provide a like-for-like comparison of current platform support, price, or preservation status, so verify those details on the relevant store pages before deciding.
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- Livin' Large gives your Sims the wild life! A wider range of objects and styles allows even the most timid Sim to cut loose and live it up
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See GOG’s listing for Star Trek: Judgment Rites.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the affiliate disclosure means
Hutchinson’s announcement disclosed that Ars could receive a small portion of revenue when readers visited through its affiliate link and made purchases during that session. Ars’s affiliate policy says writers and editors are not incentivized to select stories or alter coverage because of affiliate participation. Read Ars Technica’s affiliate policy.
GOG’s official affiliate page currently describes a program for publishers, content creators, gaming enthusiasts, and business partners. The page lists a 6% commission on net sales and seven-day last-click tracking; these terms can change. GOG says publishers can apply through AdTraction and notes that it cannot accept every applicant. Its public Ars Technica partner page shows a dynamic selection that includes Star Trek: 25th Anniversary. These pages document GOG’s program and partner listing, but do not verify Ars’s current enrollment or whether any particular link is actively tracking purchases.
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