So we all know the problem everybody has with Epic Games and the Epic Game Store. Quite a lot are unfounded and based just on fallacious nonsense, but there are a few quite valid reasons why people don't want to start moving across (though it doesn't stop them using Origin, uPlay, Discord, etc - more on that another day). One reasonable point is more on the cosmetics and ease of use side. Having every game in one place, having the ability to link up with and chat to friends and more is a great thing. Here comes GOG to save the day with the upcoming GOG Galaxy 2.0.
GOG, with Galaxy 2.0, are looking to completely remove all boundaries in gaming (within limitations) and the list of features that they are pushing for will most assuredly do this.
- One Library - Import all your games from PC and consoles, build and organize them into one master collection.
- Game Stats - Keep track of all your achievements, hours played and games owned, combined across platforms
- Game Launcher - Install and launch any PC game you own, no matter the platform.
- Full Customisation - Create custom library views by filtering, sorting, tagging and adding your own visuals like game backgrounds and covers.
- Games Discovery (coming soon) - Follow upcoming releases, and discover games popular among your friends and the gaming community.
These are just the base features of the service, one that frankly sounds great already, letting you link all of your games together and have a true overview of your digital collection. Even more impressive is the link to consoles, though naturally as good as GOG Galaxy 2.0 wants to be, it won't be able to launch a game on your consoles.
Beyond the games, GOG Galaxy 2.0 promises great things for keeping you and your friends connected no matter the platform. Not only that, it will let you have some friendly competition with them too.
- Activity Feed - See your friends’ cross-platform achievements, game time milestones and recently played games.
- Leaderboards - Compete with friends and see who is the master collector, completionist or spends the most time playing.
- Cross-Platform Chat (Coming Soon) - No matter on which platform your friends are, you can chat with them.
- One Friends List (Coming Soon) - Bring together your friends from all platforms, and see their online status.
All of this will be supported by a service that they state will not be "spying on data from your computer", that they will never share any of your data with third parties and that should you ever want to, a single click is all it'll take to remove any data of yours from their servers. This can all also be improved with new features thanks to open-source integrations, every change you make to your profile is saved in the cloud and synced with every device, letting you save your custom library, favourite games or friends.
GOG Galaxy 2.0 also comes with all the features you can currently have in GOG Galaxy, as well as a few enhanced ones:
- Enhanced Experience - All new library management and friends features take your experience to the next level.
- Auto-Updates - Keep your GOG.COM games always up to date.
- Cloud Saves - Your saves are automatically backed up to the Cloud and are synced between your computers.
- Multiplayer & Matchmaking - GOG GALAXY-powered multiplayer games offer matchmaking and online play.
- Rollbacks - Restore your game to prior versions, if an update breaks it for you.
There is a Q&A section at the bottom of the GOG Galaxy 2.0 page for you to see the answers to some pretty important questions, such as but not including:
Do I still need to have other gaming clients installed on my PC?
Yes, if you want to get access to any features specific to that platform, e.g. installing or auto-updating games, cloud saves, etc.Will GOG GALAXY 2.0 spy on my computer?
No. We’re not in the business of users’ data. GOG GALAXY 2.0 is only importing information from connected platforms – you always know what is imported through official integrations. Additionally we’ve made the community created integrations open-source, to ensure the transparency of imported data.
I've signed up for the Beta anyway, hopefully I'll get in and see it in action.
About the author: Chris Wray has been writing at Wccftech gaming section since 2015 and is an opinionated bloke from the north of the UK (think Ned Stark). He enjoys video games, films, books, beer, whisky and other alcohol. He also supports Manchester Utd and for some reason he writes profile pages in the third person. His expertise is in gaming and the games industry, primarily on the PC. In addition to this, he works with and contributes to the finance and tech sections.
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