A community maintained catalog tracking differences between GOG releases and versions sold on other PC storefronts now lists 1,140 games with at least one issue.
The database, updated on August 11, 2026, records 1,531 individual problems across those games, ranging from missing updates and DLC to absent languages, soundtracks and platform builds.
The findings do not suggest that every GOG release is significantly worse than its Steam or Epic Games Store equivalent. Some discrepancies are relatively minor. However, the scale of the list shows that buyers cannot always assume that every storefront receives exactly the same version of a PC game.
Missing soundtracks are the most common problem
The catalog separates the reported differences into several categories.
| Issue type | Number of recorded issues |
|---|---|
| Missing soundtracks | 439 |
| Missing updates | 308 |
| Missing builds | 278 |
| Missing paid DLC | 200 |
| Missing features | 111 |
| Missing languages | 100 |
| Missing free DLC | 51 |
| Region locking | 12 |
Missing soundtracks account for the largest number of entries, followed by missing game updates and missing builds.
The project has been tracking GOG version differences since 2018 and grew out of a forum discussion that now spans more than 400 pages. The current spreadsheet includes sources for many entries, while some reports are based on first hand experience from players.
Some games have several problems at once
A small group of titles receives special attention because they are affected by multiple or more serious issues.
The Messenger is listed because its GOG release is reportedly missing a Unity security update, while its soundtrack files are also described as lower quality than those available through Steam.
Nuclear Throne has five recorded differences. These include a missing 10 year anniversary update, missing languages, missing challenges, an absent soundtrack and no Linux build.
Examples like these matter because a buyer choosing GOG specifically for preservation or DRM free ownership could still receive a version with less content or fewer updates than the same game on another store.
GOG itself is not necessarily responsible for every disparity
GOG is known for selling DRM free games and for maintaining compatibility with modern hardware, especially for older PC titles. It also offers a 30 day return policy and regularly discounts games.
The version differences tracked by the community are largely tied to what publishers and developers choose to submit and maintain on the platform.
Two publishers, Devolver Digital and THQ Nordic GmbH, are each listed with 29 issues across their games.
Steam's much larger audience may be one reason developers prioritize it when distributing updates and additional content. GOG's requirement that games remain DRM free can also create extra work, particularly for older titles that no longer have active development teams.
DRM free ownership does not always mean feature parity
GOG continues to offer an important alternative for PC players who value DRM free ownership and game preservation.
The catalog does not undermine those strengths, but it does highlight an important distinction between owning a game without DRM and receiving the most complete available version of that game.
A title can remain permanently accessible while still lacking an update, DLC pack, soundtrack, language option or platform build available elsewhere.
With 1,140 games now listed and 1,531 individual issues recorded, checking version parity before buying could be useful for players who care about specific features or content.
The findings are especially relevant for older games and titles with long post launch support histories, where even a small gap in updates can leave one storefront with a noticeably different release from another.
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