What are the benefits of a DRM free game on steam?

[C1REX]

Steam has a few DRM-free games like Baldur's Gate and Cyberpunk. What are the benefits of not having DRM in a game?

Would such a game work without the Steam client on another PC?

Also, why do some people hate certain DRMs and are okay with others?

[lukaself]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 videomike_Ultimate_Plushie：

. Never buy games with DRm and should you find you did, refund immediately. It does nothing but hurt the operation of the game to no benefit at all to you.

The list of DRM free games is sadly very short.

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

GOG has a bit more but still missing a ton of big games.

As I already advised to you in another similar topic, you should read the things you link thoroughly if you want to then have a productive discussion on the topic, you missed quite an important piece of info, in spite of being marked with a big WARNING sign:

DISCLAIMER: Currently this list isn't even remotely a complete listing of DRM-free games on Steam!

It's a wiki, it only gets updated when someone with an interest in the topic and who knows about this wiki stumbles upon a DRM-free game. It makes the Venn diagram of people who can populate that list very narrow and there are more than 50000 games on Steam, which means that list will miss quite a lot of games due to the logistical impossibility to test every game.

In Steam's list of best sellers for 2023, about a quarter is DRM-free games, showing that DRM-free games actually have a large presence, if only in terms of sales already.
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/BestOf2023

[niralamart000]

all files available without needing permission for using OS

[C1REX]

引用自 lukaself：

It's true that the list is incomplete, but I've tried running the games I've already installed, and none of them worked with the Steam client closed. I don't know the exact percentage of totally DRM-free games, but it doesn't seem that large, especially for AAA games. The concerns of some people about potentially losing access to games they've purchased if they don't update their Windows could be valid.

Personally, DRM doesn't bother me, but I like to discuss it out of curiosity. I do play games with DRM and don't mind Steam's DRM. I used to play games on consoles, where all games have DRM. I use Windows, which includes DRM, and I don't have Linux installed. I watch movies on Amazon Prime, which uses DRM, and I buy movies there even though I know I don't actually own them. I use an iPhone with DRM, listen to music protected by DRM, and use a lot of software with DRM. My TV probably has DRM too.

[Boblin the Goblin]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

It's true that the list is incomplete, but I've tried running the games I've already installed, and none of them worked with the Steam client closed. I don't know the exact percentage of totally DRM-free games, but it doesn't seem that large, especially for AAA games. The concerns of some people about potentially losing access to games they've purchased if they don't update their Windows could be valid.

Personally, DRM doesn't bother me, but I like to discuss it out of curiosity. I do play games with DRM and don't mind Steam's DRM. I used to play games on consoles, where all games have DRM. I use Windows, which includes DRM, and I don't have Linux installed. I watch movies on Amazon Prime, which uses DRM, and I buy movies there even though I know I don't actually own them. I use an iPhone with DRM, listen to music protected by DRM, and use a lot of software with DRM. My TV probably has DRM too.

Make sure you are moving the install folder out of the steamapps folder and then launching it while Steam is completely closed

[lukaself]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

It's true that the list is incomplete, but I've tried running the games I've already installed, and none of them worked with the Steam client closed. I don't know the exact percentage of totally DRM-free games, but it doesn't seem that large, especially for AAA games. The concerns of some people about potentially losing access to games they've purchased if they don't update their Windows could be valid.

Personally, DRM doesn't bother me, but I like to discuss it out of curiosity. I do play games with DRM and don't mind Steam's DRM. I used to play games on consoles, where all games have DRM. I use Windows, which includes DRM, and I don't have Linux installed. I watch movies on Amazon Prime, which uses DRM, and I buy movies there even though I know I don't actually own them. I use an iPhone with DRM, listen to music protected by DRM, and use a lot of software with DRM. My TV probably has DRM too.

Hope you won't mind but I took the liberty to check your most played games list and you seem to gravitate towards big budget titles. Most indie games such as Hades, Satisfactory, Factorio, Hollow Knight, Sons of the Forest... don't use DRM, either out of principle or because they know people interested in indie games tend to care more about ownership than most. Still, even in the AAA market space you can find games such as BG3, CP2077 and others not using any DRM either, not even Steam's.

Still, from your your library of most played: Risk of Rain 2(the first one only), Hades, Vampire Survivors, Dying Light, The Ascent, FTL, Ori, Dungeon of the Endless, Celeste(only on Epic)... are all DRM-free on Steam. About a quarter of the 44 I checked, which lines up with my note above about a quarter of Steam's best seller being DRM-free. Not bad!

I don't mind any DRM as long as it's invisible and doesn't have the ability to prevent you from playing now or in the future. That's why you'll often find me rambling about Denuvo because it blocked me from playing on a few occasions for no reason, caused large scale outages and does not play well with Proton which allows games to run on the Linux-based Steam OS.

[C1REX]

引用自 SlowMango：

Make sure you are moving the install folder out of the steamapps folder and then launching it while Steam is completely closed

My short list of currently installed games:
- Armored Core 6
- Disgaea 5
- Elden Ring
- Halls of Torment
- Katamari Damacy REROLL
- Lies of P
- LIGHTNING RETURNS FINAL FANTASY XIII
- RESIDENT EVIL 2
- Returnal
- Risk of Rain 2
- Starfield
- Steel Assult
- Street Fighter 6
- The Surge

Not a single 1 works without steam being open. Even The Surge that is available on GOG seemingly DRM free. At this point I'm not sure If I even own any game that can be launched without steam.

[C1REX]

引用自 lukaself：

Still, from your your library of most played: Risk of Rain 2, Hades, Vampire Survivors, Dying Light, The Ascent, FTL, Ori, Dungeon of the Endless, Celeste... are all DRM-free on Steam. About a quarter of the 44 I checked, which lines up with my note above about a quarter of Steam's best seller being DRM-free. Not bad!

My Risk of Rain 2 refuses to work without steam. I will try some others smaller and quick to install games to see if they will work.

I've just tried Celeste and Vampire Survivor. Games copied to a completely different drive. They refuse to work without steam being open.

Do I just start their exe file or there is a specific way to launch them without steam?

[Boblin the Goblin]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

Still, from your your library of most played: Risk of Rain 2, Hades, Vampire Survivors, Dying Light, The Ascent, FTL, Ori, Dungeon of the Endless, Celeste... are all DRM-free on Steam. About a quarter of the 44 I checked, which lines up with my note above about a quarter of Steam's best seller being DRM-free. Not bad!

My Risk of Rain 2 refuses to work without steam. I will try some others smaller and quick to install games to see if they will work.

I've just tried Celeste and Vampire Survivor. Games copied to a completely different drive. They refuse to work without steam being open.

Do I just start their exe file or there is a specific way to launch them without steam?

引用自 SlowMango：

Make sure you are moving the install folder out of the steamapps folder and then launching it while Steam is completely closed

[C1REX]

引用自 SlowMango：

Make sure you are moving the install folder out of the steamapps folder and then launching it while Steam is completely closed

That's what I said. I moved these games out of steam folder and placed them on a completely different drive. Like Celeste folder directly on G: drive. I click on the *.exe file and they don't work.

[Boblin the Goblin]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 SlowMango：

Make sure you are moving the install folder out of the steamapps folder and then launching it while Steam is completely closed

That's what I said. I moved these games out of steam folder and placed them on a completely different drive. Like Celeste folder directly on G: drive. I click on the *.exe file and they don't work.

Keep them on the same drive, just not in the Steam folder.

[lukaself]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

Still, from your your library of most played: Risk of Rain 2, Hades, Vampire Survivors, Dying Light, The Ascent, FTL, Ori, Dungeon of the Endless, Celeste... are all DRM-free on Steam. About a quarter of the 44 I checked, which lines up with my note above about a quarter of Steam's best seller being DRM-free. Not bad!

My Risk of Rain 2 refuses to work without steam. I will try some others smaller and quick to install games to see if they will work.

I've just tried Celeste and Vampire Survivor. Games copied to a completely different drive. They refuse to work without steam being open.

Do I just start their exe file or there is a specific way to launch them without steam?

That one is my bad, it appears Risk of Rain 2 is only DRM-free on the Epic Store. The first Risk of Rain was though. Although I missed River City Ransom: underground which has been confirmed to be DRM-free by the developer, so it compensates a little.

It's quite awkward to check which games are actually DRM-free on Steam because, not only Valve does not advertise that fact, launching DRM-free sometimes requires a little tweak, most often because the developer wanted to make sure that the Steamworks services are running rather than as a means to protect against piracy.

[C1REX]

引用自 lukaself：

It's quite awkward to check which games are actually DRM-free on Steam because, not only Valve does not advertise that fact, launching DRM-free sometimes requires a little tweak, most often because the developer wanted to make sure that the Steamworks services are running rather than as a means to protect against piracy.

That's the thing. If a game has cloud saves and achievements I don't think you can launch them without steam being open. It's a simple DRM that can be easily cracked by a hacker but not by an average user like me. It seems like 100% of my steam games has this DRM. I can't play River City Ransom: Underground without steam client being open.

[lukaself]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

It's quite awkward to check which games are actually DRM-free on Steam because, not only Valve does not advertise that fact, launching DRM-free sometimes requires a little tweak, most often because the developer wanted to make sure that the Steamworks services are running rather than as a means to protect against piracy.

That's the thing. If a game has cloud saves and achievements I don't think you can launch them without steam being open. It's a simple DRM that can be easily cracked by a hacker but not by an average user like me. It seems like 100% of my steam games has this DRM. I can't play River City Ransom: Underground without steam client being open.

Actually you can have Steamworks without using Steam's DRM as it's an optional feature of Steamworks. There's a few hoops to jump through but you can.

As for RCR:U, the developer himself stated that the game is DRM-free. https://steamcommunity.com/app/422810/discussions/0/3183345000080149757/?ctp=3#c3183345176719147601

[C1REX]

引用自 lukaself：

Actually you can have Steamworks without using Steam's DRM as it's an optional feature of Steamworks. There's a few hoops to jump through but you can.

Can you tell me how can I launch any of my games without steam and without a crack or third party software?
It's probably possible theoretically but is it practically available to me right now?

[Spawn of Totoro]

引用自 C1REX：

引用自 lukaself：

Actually you can have Steamworks without using Steam's DRM as it's an optional feature of Steamworks. There's a few hoops to jump through but you can.

Can you tell me how can I launch any of my games without steam and without a crack or third party software?
It's probably possible theoretically but is it practically available to me right now?

If the developer didn't add the DRM to it, then you can just start it by going to the game's directory and clicking on the .exe file needed to start the game.

Otherwise it will still need Steam to run, even if not to launch.