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Game installation

How to Install and Play GOG Games on Windows

Install GOG games through GALAXY or download offline backup installers from your account library to play without a launcher.

By VGSources Team 3 min read

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You can install a GOG game on Windows with the optional GOG GALAXY client or with offline backup installers downloaded from your GOG account. The offline route does not require a launcher. Choose GALAXY for a managed library and supported client features; choose offline installers if you want to install directly from setup files.

Choose an installation method

Method What to expect
GOG GALAXY Installs games from your client library and can provide features such as automatic updates, achievements, multiplayer or matchmaking, rollbacks, and cloud saves for supported games. Feature availability varies by game. GOG Support; GOG GALAXY
Offline backup installers Downloads setup files from your GOG account library so you can install and launch without GALAXY. Some games have multiple or split files; download every file listed for the game. GOG Support; GOG Support FAQ

Install a game with GOG GALAXY

  1. Download GALAXY from GOG’s official GALAXY page and install the client.
  2. Open GALAXY and select the game in your library.
  3. Click Install and follow any prompts. When installation is complete, start the game from GALAXY or from its installed shortcut.

GALAXY is optional. GOG lists client features including automatic updates and cloud saves for select games; achievements, multiplayer or matchmaking, and rollbacks are also described as client features, but they are not guaranteed for every title. GOG GALAXY

Install with offline backup installers

  1. Sign in to your GOG account in a browser and open the game in your library.
  2. Select DOWNLOAD OFFLINE BACKUP GAME INSTALLERS.
  3. Download all setup files shown for that game. If the download is split into several parts, keep them together in the same folder.
  4. Open the downloaded installer application and follow its prompts. When setup is complete, start the game from the shortcut if one was created, or open the installed game folder and run its executable.

The exact file names and number of downloads depend on the game. GOG Support’s FAQ confirms that a launcher is not required to play games installed this way. Installation instructions; Launcher FAQ

Check the Windows requirements

There is no single Windows requirement for all GOG games. Check the individual game’s GOG product page for its minimum specifications, then install it on a computer that meets or exceeds them. GOG guidance; GOG User Agreement

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GOG Support’s current client requirements distinguish between GALAXY versions: GALAXY 2.1 requires Windows 10 64-bit or newer, while the listed requirement for GALAXY 2.0 is Windows 8 or newer with the latest system updates. These are client requirements, not requirements for every game. The support page does not establish that GALAXY 2.0 is offered for new downloads. GOG GALAXY system requirements

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Fix the GALAXY E2 dependency-install error

If GALAXY shows the specific E2 error saying it failed to finalize an update, GOG identifies the cause as a failure to install game dependencies. Its support article describes this client-folder workaround for that error only:

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  1. Close GALAXY.
  2. Follow the affected error article’s instructions to open the relevant GALAXY client folder and rename Dependencies-Temp to Dependencies.
  3. If Windows asks whether to merge folders, choose the merge option as directed by GOG, then retry the update.

Use the exact folder location and any additional directions in GOG’s E2 troubleshooting article; do not apply this folder change as general Windows troubleshooting. If the dependency step still fails, GOG’s documented alternative is to install the affected game using its offline installers and wait for GALAXY to import it. GOG’s developer documentation notes that required Windows redistributables are installed by GALAXY and bundled with offline installers. GOG developer documentation

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