In general GOG does not sell keys. There are very few exceptions that I will mention but it is safe to remember GOG does not do that. If you are looking for a key you are doing this on your own risk - I do not recommend it. Steam seems to be the only store which allows keys to be given to other stores. Epic also does not allow that. The trusted stores are usually these who get their keys from the devs/publishers.

The few exceptions I mention are first "Gamesplanet". I have never used it or know anything about it but it is the only place I have seen to sell GOG keys and it says in their activation tutorial how to activate a key which suggest you are given a key. I cannot confirm if this is true or not but there are games with GOG activatation there. The other exceptions I know about are humblebundle and fanatical. Humblebundle sometimes has GOG bundles while Fanatical sells a very few games mostly from Bethesda. They both require to link your account - no key is given!

GOG got very few keys on a few platforms only, but even GOG is having some key offers at some other sites, as you may have noticed it. The sheer majority, by far... are Steam keys, indeed.

Gamesplanet is one of them offering GOG keys, yes. Humblebundle is as well legit, yes but it is primarily a "Steam" key reseller, very few other keys.

For Steam, even GOG or EGS it seems, i can recommend "instant-gaming" so far never had any issues with a key. There are many other sites of course... those are just some good examples.

Besides, of course EGS does "allow" key reselling, although just as GOG with a pretty limited selection on a few sites only.

What happens if a shop is not offering any key? Easy answer: They can "go home", because the customer demand for cheaper games is just to high. Not that i always enjoy it (i only use GOG keys if i get a present, from users or GOG) but this is the truth in the world we live today. Even Sony and Nintendo are now doing "cheap mass sales" on their own stores, kinda the same way GOG, Steam, EGS and what else are doing it... if they dont... they can as well "go home": It is their pillar of "high digital success" and they know it.

I saw the new initiative today: https://www.gog.com/en/gog-preservation-program

(essentially a fancy badge to show GOG has poked at a game)

The 'patch notes' for the GOG made improvements are down the right side of the store pages for games, for example with Dungeon Keeper II:

"What improvements we made to this game:
Update (13 November 2024)

Added missing localizations (DE, DA, NL, FR, IT, PL, SV) for a more inclusive experience
Resolved registry issues for smoother functionality
Fixed broken maps where creatures were not recruitable
Optimized configuration settings for better performance
Validated stability
Verified compatibility with Windows 10 and 11
Added Cloud Saves support

Internal Update (23 July 2018)

Updated internal installer structure, no changes to game files"

Which I use as an example because it's an interesting one compared to the "improved stability" ones: even though DKII wasn't a game on this list it does show that missing localisations could be returned to games via GOG's own tinkering which could clear out a little bit of the list and help chip away at the games that have multiple missing features.

Metal Slug Tactics has released patch 1.0.1 only for Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1590760/view/6467826493922738221

GOG version has not received any updates since the initial release version v1.0.0_RC2.5c_GOG.

EDIT: here is a developer comment saying it is going to be released on GOG: https://steamcommunity.com/app/1590760/eventcomments/6786456167984947856/?ctp=2#c6786456167984981805
But still it's not released at the same date, while the first version was released at the same date.
Developer explicitly told it was a Steam-only release, and having Steam-only release is "treating GOG customers as second class citizens" even if GOG release comes one or two days later.

Well at least in the comments someone have asked about it and a dev from the team have answered it is coming to GOG.

This is a fresh release... give it some time.

I am already happy if a GOG update is not becoming delayed for more than a week. Some updates are unfortunately delayed over 6 months but at least there was finally a update, for example SpaceBourne 2. The true issues are indeed games that has not been updated for over a year (if there is a update available, of course) because the odd it may still happen is close to none.

There are indeed innovative methods for making the updating on several platforms way lesser work, but many publishers simply are not using it, be it incompetence or they simply do not care.

Well - apparently what they said and what they did are different things since it would not come at all to GOG if it actually were Steam-only. The fact that it was not released on the same day is NOT second class treatment. Since devs often develop and test on Steam before finally pusing the update to other stores this is a pretty normal behaviour. If a difference of a few days would really be second class treatment this list would be gigantic ;)

Yeah, and not only that, but also completely unrealistic. Anyone who actually expects a whole team to work around the clock to just synchronize patches for every conceivable platform has their expectations completely out of whack.

I can understand the disappointment when patches don't appear here even after 2 months or more, but like this...

We can be happy if the updates appear here within 1 or 2 weeks, that's not going to break a leg. Anyone who has a problem with that should perhaps actually buy from Steam and forego DRM-Free.

Just my 2 cents.

Folks, have a nice weekend! :)

Why do you need "innovative methods" to build the same Unity game to multiple platforms? Tag a release in the version control system, use the same build process you used to build v1.0.0 and upload the resulting artifacts to all platforms on the same day. What is the manual work needed to build a GOG release when Steam release is already out?

It's not like a solution to this problem hasn't existed in some form since [checks notes] 1962.

No excuse, only laziness or needing education.

Now, if GOG can't process an update in a timely manner, that's a different problem that could also be solved with a version control system.

We all: Steam, GOG, XBOX, PlayStation, and Switch alike are all dining guests sharing a single table. If the chef is unable to serve our meals in a timely manner: served professionally and simultaneously, we are unlikely to return unless other elements are superb - the atmosphere, waiting staff, cost, quality of the food, etc. These elements are having to do extra work because another area is lacking. Even any deviation demonstrates that the kitchen team has a shortcoming in either their preparation, execution, or lack equanimity.
My friend must either begin or sit and wait, allowing his food to go cold. If this game were a cross-platform, multiplayer game, someone would be left out if the patches deviate before the evening of that day commences. All of us on the GOG side of the table must suffer the silent torture and indignation of having to hear the boisterous laughter coming from the Steam end.
Perhaps some customers are willing to be more or less lenient with these standards, but still it applies. My Steam friend has finished eating, and I am stuck eating stale, complimentary bread. We are neither impatient no unreasonable, but we are holding professionals to a professional standard - perhaps very severely, but this is the standard placed on a team expected to handle a renowned IP like Metal Slug.
The complexities and stresses placed upon this team are far greater, as they are tasked with serving a grand and luscious function, but even the lone man solo-developer in his Ramen Shack is capable of a more orderly service!

Metal Slug Tactics was delayed once already and delivered in an unpolished state by a small independent team, so there's a little peek behind the curtain. They are clearly talented, hard-working, with respect to the source material - all intentions to serve a fine dish, but well, it's still delayed. It's not the fault of the customer that the development was too small and made to release the game too early. If the game was delayed to early December in-line for Christmas instead, few would have noticed and all these timing and graphical issues would have ceased to be.

Perhaps it's cruel, but on the list with you!

Why GOG? If updates aren't delivered, then that's probably the fault of the developer and/or publisher.

Furthermore, if I understand you correctly (1962? WTH?), the argument is completely out of touch. It requires perfection and smooth automation, and there are still people at work here. If you don't understand that, then I don't know what to say...

Version control systems. Like SVN or Git. They indeed, are rooted in IBM update routines dating back to 1962, but are far from an obsolete technology.

The idea is simple: One unified build, manged on one central repository that all contributors may help in managing.

Then, as said before, compile the build into a single package, and deliver to those who it awaits.

The principle is that there doesn't need to be a build for Steam, Humble, Zoom, or what have you. You just drop the package off and leave them to figure it out. If GOG isn't prepared for that, then it's really on them; as stated by 4599. It isn't anything radical.

The solution is automated builds, and I expect that developers by now use CI to automatically build on every commit to the version control system to make sure the game still builds after every change and run the tests (I expect that Unity game does not ignore the existence of the Unity Test Framework).

There may be delays in processing the game by the store, like moderation and approval in Google Play or GOG taking time to generate offline installers, but nothing should prevent *submitting* the release to both and GOG and Steam on the same day. In this case developers said they simply did not submit anything tot GOG and made a Steam-only release.

I've been a fan of GOG's philosophy—truly owning your games, no DRM, complete control. But lately, I'm feeling increasingly frustrated. The inconsistent patch support is seriously undermining what makes this platform special.

Let me be clear: I WANT to love GOG. The concept of DRM-free gaming is incredible. But when game developers treat GOG like a second-class distribution platform and either delay patches or straight-up ignore updating their games here, it makes my purchases feel invalidated.

Steam has a seamless update system. GOG? It's like playing patch roulette. Some games get updates, some don't, and there's no consistency. For a platform that prides itself on game preservation and user ownership, this feels like a major contradiction.

The truth is, this inconsistency is driving me away from GOG. It breaks my gamer heart to say this.