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GOG.com launches GOG Preservation Program to keep classic games running

The GOG Preservation Program takes classic games and use GOG.com's own resources to keep them updated for modern systems.

Ozzie Mejia

November 13, 2024 5:25 PM

GOG.com

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Since its inception, GOG.com has been in the business of classic PC games. It has worked to bring new and classic games to PC users without the baggage of DRMs. The next part of its mission is beginning to take form with the retailer acknowledging that many classic games have been left behind as PC hardware technology moves forward. Without publishers or original developers to help keep these titles compatible with modern system, GOG.com is looking to do the work itself through the new GOG Preservation Program.

The full collection of supported titles is listed on the GOG Preservation Program website. The idea of the program is to make sure that classic games are able to run on modern systems using whatever means are available to the GOG.com team. That can mean going into the code and adding quality-of-life improvements, creating stability fixes, and ensuring that the game is compatible with not only new hardware, but also new operating systems.

There are 92 titles (over 100 in total when counting game bundles) currently part of the GOG Preservation Program. They're games as recent as Middle-earth: Shadow or Mordor Game of the Year Edition and Mad Max, but go all the way as far back as 1985's Ultimate 4: Quest of the Avatar. GOG.com will continue to add to this list of titles regularly and ensure that any titles under the GOG Preservation Program umbrella operate on future PC technology.

The GOG Preservation Program's launch coincides with GOG.com's 16th anniversary when it first launched as Good Old Games. Many of the GOG Preservation Program titles are featured as part of the site's big 16th Anniversary Sale, so head over to GOG.com to find the full list of featured games.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?