GOG Adds Printable Classic PC Game Boxes to Its Preservation Program

GOG is expanding its game preservation efforts beyond software by offering printable recreations of classic PC game boxes.

The project is being developed in collaboration with the Big Box Collection, an archive created by preservationist Benjamin Wimmer. It focuses on the oversized packaging that was common during the early years of PC gaming, when games were sold with floppy disks, printed manuals, maps, reference cards, and other physical extras.

GOG currently provides downloadable box scans and interactive 3D models for five games. The files can be printed and folded to recreate versions of the original packaging.

Five games currently have printable boxes

Star Trek: 25th Anniversary and Armikrog are the latest additions to the project. They join Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, and Myst.

Game	Printable box available	3D model available
Star Trek: 25th Anniversary	Yes	Yes
Armikrog	Yes	Yes
Descent	Yes	Yes
Hitman: Codename 47	Yes	Yes
Myst	Yes	Yes

The downloadable PDFs are based on scans of original packaging and are formatted so they can be printed and assembled into replica boxes.

The 3D versions can also be viewed digitally, allowing you to rotate the packaging and inspect its artwork without creating a physical copy.

Big Box Collection has archived 891 games

The collaboration draws on a much larger preservation effort.

The Big Box Collection currently documents the packaging and contents of 891 games spanning IBM compatible PCs and older home computers including the Commodore 64 and Amiga.

Individual game pages include interactive 3D box models along with information about developers, publishers, platforms, and release dates.

The archive also documents some of the physical materials that originally shipped inside these packages.

One of its more unusual features is the Nerdwall, a large 207 megapixel panoramic photograph showing Wimmer's collection arranged on shelves. The image can be zoomed to inspect individual boxes.

Old PC boxes preserved more than cover art

Large PC game boxes served several purposes during the physical software era.

Their size made room for 5.25 inch floppy disks, thick manuals, printed maps, registration material, and other items that were often considered part of the complete game package.

Packaging also provided information that is now normally displayed on digital storefronts. System requirements, publisher details, screenshots, and feature lists were frequently printed directly on the box.

Artwork was another important part of physical releases, particularly when games competed for attention on retail shelves.

GOG's project is therefore preserving part of the presentation and documentation around older games rather than concentrating only on executable software.

The project fits GOG's wider preservation strategy

GOG has increasingly focused on keeping older PC games accessible on modern systems.

The company's Preservation Program includes efforts to maintain compatibility for selected older titles, while its DRM free distribution model allows buyers to download and retain offline installers.

The new packaging project extends that preservation work into physical game history.

It does not recreate the original disks, manuals, maps, or every collectible item included with historical releases. Instead, the current program focuses specifically on the external boxes for a small selection of games.

That scope could expand if additional titles are added through the Big Box Collection partnership.

Physical PC games largely disappeared years ago

PC gaming moved toward digital distribution earlier than the console market, making traditional boxed releases increasingly uncommon.

As a result, many original boxes now survive mainly in private collections, archives, photographs, and second hand markets.

GOG's downloadable replicas offer another way to retain some of that material without requiring access to increasingly scarce original packaging.

For now, the project covers only five titles through GOG, while the larger Big Box Collection contains records for hundreds more. The collaboration gives GOG a way to preserve not only how classic PC games run, but also how some of them originally appeared on store shelves.