Does anyone know what "DRM Free" means, and if i can still play these games post Jan?

[xBCxRangers]

Folks here may know, i'm a console guy, and newer games i play thru Ge Force Now thru my Xbox. And so, i'm not "PC literate" necessarily.

But i do have old games, some of which i played last night i'd like to play post Jan on this old clunker. The games are as follows.....

COD 1

COD United Offensive

COD 2

Brothers in Arms Road to Hill 30

Brothers in Arms Earned in Blood

Red Orchestra Ostront

Return to Castle Wolfenstein

M&B Warband (mostly mods)

Demolition Company

Elite Warriors Vietnam

Brass Brigade

Men of Valor


If i can just play those games, with the controller emulator post Jan i should be good.

Any help appreciated.

[Crazy Tiger]

You can find out yourself. Install the games, shut down Steam, then start the games via their own shortcuts. If the game launches without additionally launching Steam, it's DRM-free.

[breadman]

none of the cod games are drm free

[AmsterdamHeavy]

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

[xBCxRangers]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

You can find out yourself. Install the games, shut down Steam, then start the games via their own shortcuts. If the game launches without additionally launching Steam, it's DRM-free.

And so you mean, like sign out and use the shortcut and if it works, it's good to go?

[ImperatorPavel]

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

You can find out yourself. Install the games, shut down Steam, then start the games via their own shortcuts. If the game launches without additionally launching Steam, it's DRM-free.

And so you mean, like sign out and use the shortcut and if it works, it's good to go?

As long as the shortcut points to the actual game executable.

Steam-generated shortcuts might just use Steam console commands to run the game (and therefore need Steam running).

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

You can find out yourself. Install the games, shut down Steam, then start the games via their own shortcuts. If the game launches without additionally launching Steam, it's DRM-free.

And so you mean, like sign out and use the shortcut and if it works, it's good to go?

Yeah. But as Pavel says, do make your own actual shortcut. So go into the game folder and create a shortcut on the desktop from the game .exe.

[Minuit]

Originally posted by xBCxRangers:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

You can find out yourself. Install the games, shut down Steam, then start the games via their own shortcuts. If the game launches without additionally launching Steam, it's DRM-free.

And so you mean, like sign out and use the shortcut and if it works, it's good to go?

You need to reach the game in the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common or: D:\SteamLibrary\SteamApps\common if the game is installed on the D drive. Then, inside the game folder, you will search for the main executable of the game -> "name of the game".exe often.

Then, as written by others, if that file runs your game when Steam is closed, it is DRM free. The shortcut has to target this executable.

I don't have any of the games you listed, but you may also be limited by DLCs: you can sometimes launch the vanilla game but not the DLCs without Steam.