Is Steam version of BG3 DRM free ?

[Jeanquille]

Hi there,

Bought BG3 on steam.
Is Steam version of BG3 DRM free ?
Can i launch the Larian launcher without launching the game from the steam client ?
Can i copy paste the game directory on another computer as I would do with the GOG version of the game ?

Thank you.
Nice day.

[ChaosScream]

Originally posted by Jeanquille:

Hi again, a last (maybe) question.
I tried what your guide said about how to launch the game with a shortcut made by steam and if I do so, I cannot play online.
When I hit multiplayer, I don't see any game in the list.
I logged on my local game and tried to hit session to invite someone and this does not work.
I do something wrong ?

Because you startest it without Steam. You need to be logged in to Steam/larian Account to get access to the online Services. Thats what Steam is for. If you start without them, you can just play offline. (Its the Same for gog btw)
But If you want to join a specific friends Game, you can via "direkt IP" like in Divinity 2 If he hosted it locally

DRM free just means you can Copy and paste the Game and start it, without any verification. But for the online services you need Steam/GOG Galaxy/Larian Servers to play lobby Games. They host them. Only exception is said "direkt IP", because the Game is than hosted directly on your/your friends PC and can be joined by the specific IP of the local Lobby via the Internet

[dr46onfusion]

DirectIP works online, because that's what a IP address is.

Or if it only uses local IP, then Hamachi.

Or other IP tunnel services.

When someone hosts a online game they actually open the session and port on their client to any incoming connections.

So if the host player is on steam and a guest non-steam version is started, they can input the IP of the host to directly connect to them, through their WAN IP.

[guppy]

Originally posted by Jeanquille:

Hi there,

Bought BG3 on steam.
Is Steam version of BG3 DRM free ?
Can i launch the Larian launcher without launching the game from the steam client ?
Can i copy paste the game directory on another computer as I would do with the GOG version of the game ?

Thank you.
Nice day.

Since the steam version supports Steam achivements, Steam Integration ( invite steam friends, etc ) and soon(tm) Steam worksshop.

It would properly just crash if you tried running it with out steam

There are some that would term this 'DRM' I don't personally hold such people in high regard.

[ChaosScream]

Originally posted by guppy:

Originally posted by Jeanquille:

Hi there,

Bought BG3 on steam.
Is Steam version of BG3 DRM free ?
Can i launch the Larian launcher without launching the game from the steam client ?
Can i copy paste the game directory on another computer as I would do with the GOG version of the game ?

Thank you.
Nice day.

Since the steam version supports Steam achivements, Steam Integration ( invite steam friends, etc ) and soon(tm) Steam worksshop.

It would properly just crash if you tried running it with out steam

There are some that would term this 'DRM' I don't personally hold such people in high regard.

That are Just Steam features. Nothing the Game implements directly so the Games works fine without them. You Just dont have the convenience of the functions

[Abisha]

that's strange i thought all Steam games have DRM.
so you saying you can launch the game without steam client? it's very unlikely

[guppy]

Originally posted by ChaosScream:

Originally posted by guppy:

Since the steam version supports Steam achivements, Steam Integration ( invite steam friends, etc ) and soon(tm) Steam worksshop.

It would properly just crash if you tried running it with out steam

There are some that would term this 'DRM' I don't personally hold such people in high regard.

That are Just Steam features. Nothing the Game implements directly so the Games works fine without them. You Just dont have the convenience of the functions

My point is that the code will properly try to load those external dependencies and crash if they can be found ( eg. if steam isn't installed ) at least that is usually how it goes ;)

[dr46onfusion]

Parsec supports Virtual Lan functionalities like Hamachi it seems, so that's your best bet if you really wanna use 1 offline client for four people.

[dr46onfusion]

Originally posted by guppy:

Originally posted by ChaosScream:

That are Just Steam features. Nothing the Game implements directly so the Games works fine without them. You Just dont have the convenience of the functions

My point is that the code will properly try to load those external dependencies and crash if they can be found ( eg. if steam isn't installed ) at least that is usually how it goes ;)

Nah that goes against multi-platform development.
They simply have a configuration or a script to determine if its using steam version by hooking onto the api file when the script is read.

If the file is missing it just continues on, as the game devs makes their code run on consoles and non-steam platforms.

[guppy]

Originally posted by yep:

Originally posted by guppy:

My point is that the code will properly try to load those external dependencies and crash if they can be found ( eg. if steam isn't installed ) at least that is usually how it goes ;)

It doesn't crash, it just continues on without those features. Try it yourself. It is DRM free.

I'm not about to uninstall steam for the sake of some forum argument, if you say you've done it then fine :)

But as a Linux user I've some experience in running steam games outside of steam from the days before proton - ie. when a new wine version dropped and you made a new prefix that didn't have steam installed yet, trying to run steam games in that prefix would usually result in a crash even for games marketed at 'DRM free' simply because they expected to be able to load the steam integration and it wasn't there.

Given that's the developers "fault" for not handling that case in code, but on the other hand its like trying to run a DX game with out direct x installed - why would they handle such a case :)

[Abisha]

Originally posted by guppy:

Originally posted by yep:

It doesn't crash, it just continues on without those features. Try it yourself. It is DRM free.

I'm not about to uninstall steam for the sake of some forum argument, if you say you've done it then fine :)

But as a Linux user I've some experience in running steam games outside of steam from the days before proton - ie. when a new wine version dropped and you made a new prefix that didn't have steam installed yet, trying to run steam games in that prefix would usually result in a crash even for games marketed at 'DRM free' simply because they expected to be able to load the steam integration and it wasn't there.

Given that's the developers "fault" for not handling that case in code, but on the other hand its like trying to run a DX game with out direct x installed - why would they handle such a case :)

it's easy to check just close steam (also right next to the clock) by pressing exit it will close steam and unload.

then you can launch BG3 with the launcher if it loads steam it's not DRM free

[f00b]

Originally posted by SirReco:

Originally posted by アンジェル:

You are mistaken. But it is your loss if you want to remain stubborn.

Try, login with the your Steam account on 2 different PCs and try to play your game on both at the same time.

be ready for disappointment....

You don't have to be logged into Steam to launch the game though.

[PFC Demigo [29th ID]]

Cough cough
https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/drm

[Sentient_Toaster]

Originally posted by Abisha:

that's strange i thought all Steam games have DRM.
so you saying you can launch the game without steam client? it's very unlikely

https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/The_big_list_of_DRM-free_games_on_Steam

Hasn't yet been updated this month, but this is definitely a thing.

[guppy]

Originally posted by Abisha:

Originally posted by guppy:

I'm not about to uninstall steam for the sake of some forum argument, if you say you've done it then fine :)

But as a Linux user I've some experience in running steam games outside of steam from the days before proton - ie. when a new wine version dropped and you made a new prefix that didn't have steam installed yet, trying to run steam games in that prefix would usually result in a crash even for games marketed at 'DRM free' simply because they expected to be able to load the steam integration and it wasn't there.

Given that's the developers "fault" for not handling that case in code, but on the other hand its like trying to run a DX game with out direct x installed - why would they handle such a case :)

it's easy to check just close steam (also right next to the clock) by pressing exit it will close steam and unload.

then you can launch BG3 with the launcher if it loads steam it's not DRM free

if you mean the desktop shortcut that will still launch steam ;)
and even if not the steamnative.dll file can be loaded just fine without steam actually running, it's a different matter if they are not there at all.

At any rate this discussion is going no where fast, the OP wants to Pir.. legally copy the game to another computer - and should properly just do so them self and find out ;)

[crossmr]

If steam must be running and checks your account, it's DRM, Very simple. It's not Denuvo, but it's still DRM.