GOG Wants To Bring Back Physical PC Games, But There’s A Catch

While PlayStation 5 console owners are preparing for a discless future, PC gamers have been living in all-digital world for decades now. The advent of Steam and cheaper broadband internet helped end physical PC game sales in the early 2000s, but GOG is dreaming up a future where these games can thrive once again--if it can get past a few obstacles that stand in its way.

Speaking to GamesRadar, Marcin Paczynski, GOG's senior business development and partnerships manager, laid out a dream scenario in which a consumer can browse GOG, select a game, and have a physical copy delivered to their home. "Ideally, my dream would be to be able to buy physical versions of those games on GOG," Paczynski said. "You go to your shelf on GOG, you click on the game that you would like to receive a physical copy of, you order it, and it gets to you. That would be a perfect scenario."

While that sounds ideal, it's easier said than done, as Paczynski noted that selling physical goods is a logistical challenge when compared to running a digital storefront. Physical media requires organizing storage, delivery, and additional publisher approvals, but Paczynski hopes to see it realized one day.

It's worth noting that the GOG Preservation Program did recently create high-resolution scans for five classic games--Myst, Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, and Armikrog--and turned them into 3D models that you can view on your PC--as well as printable files for anyone looking for a papercraft project. It's similar to the work done by another site, Big Box Collection, which offers a far larger library of classic PC boxes to admire in 3D.

GOG isn't the only company nostalgic for the big boxes of a bygone era; several sites have popped up in recent years to offer curated collections of physical PC and console games. From Limited Run Games to Special Reserve Games, there's still an appetite for owning something with a tangible quality.