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So, obviously this is a different storefront from GOG, but I hadn't found a recent thread on this so I thought I'd point out:

For a while, Amazon Prime members would get free games on Twitch. Every now and then I'd grab them just because, but I never so much as downloaded Twitch as I'm more of a GOG person (and Steam if it's the only option).

Twitch is, I understand, not considered DRM-free, so I doubt that's of much interest to anyone here.

However, now it appears that Amazon has its own app / launcher. I don't see the word "Twitch" anywhere on there. You can still get free games with Prime. I downloaded Void Bastards and tested it - much like Steam, you can have a desktop icon for the game, but it still opens the launcher, which I know is a deal-breaker for most.

I then cut internet to see if it would launch. Still launched, even though it opened the app. I don't know if anyone has any more information about what the DRM situation is with these games, but I couldn't find much with some googling (everything mentioned Twitch, not this Amazon Games app). Is this app basically Galaxy-style DRM as opposed to, say, Origin?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still only buying games on GOG and itch.io because I like stand-alone installers and not requiring internet access. But I thought it's possible someone else here might be a bit more interested in the free games if they realized at least they'll work without internet.

EDIT: It looks like this is a rebrand of the Twitch app(?) so maybe just ignore this if you're already familiar.
Post edited January 10, 2021 by sergeant_citrus
Bulk of the games will have DRM (Amazon is a bit sketchy lack detail on what drm used though). there is a small handful of drm free games (mostly older titles)
low rated
you dont need twitch just an amazon games app which installs/launches them
the two games i installed worked without the app and after trial time expired , dunno about the other games
To avoid misunderstanding, I'll start this by saying that DRM free is incredibly important to me, and I wouldn't buy from GoG were it not DRM free.

To be fair, I don't worry about DRM free if the game is being given away (i.e. I'm not paying for it myself). In those circumstances, I can overlook the fact that the game is basically a rental, because I haven't paid for it - it's a bit like GTA 5 on Epic - yes, it's double DRM, but I haven't paid for it, I've now completed the single player and if I lose access, it's a shame, but not the end of the world.

As such, I take the free Amazon Prime games every month. I know you could argue that they're not free as I have to pay for Prime, but I'm paying for Prime for the video and free delivery.
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sergeant_citrus: I then cut internet to see if it would launch. Still launched, even though it opened the app. I don't know if anyone has any more information about what the DRM situation is with these games
You can test it yourself, by moving the installed game files to another computer which is cut from internet and has never had that game nor the gaming client installed on it.

If the game still launches ok on that other PC (by running its executable), the game can be considered DRM-free, I guess.
Post edited January 10, 2021 by timppu
I consider those games "half DRM-free" :D... because you need the launcher to install them, but afterwards you can start them up without it/move the install folder around, like most games on the Epic launcher (that I've played)
low rated
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XVX777: I consider those games "half DRM-free" :D... because you need the launcher to install them, but afterwards you can start them up without it/move the install folder around, like most games on the Epic launcher (that I've played)
Yeah but that shouldnt be a problem you have to log in to gog anyway to download the games. The only diff is gog has downloadable installers.
high rated
The following are the games I've downloaded from Amazon that are DRM free. Obviously you need to use the app to download them. Just like any online service you need to make sure you backup your games since you never know when the game will be modified which can break the game, add or remove features, add or remove drm, etc

A Knight's Quest
Anna's Quest (XP 32bit)
Art of Fighting 2 (Vista 32bit)
Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Autonauts (64bit)
Baseball Stars 2 (Vista 32bit)
Blazing Chrome (Vista 32bit)
Blazing Star (Vista 32bit)
Bridge Constructor
Bridge Constructor (Vista 32bit)
Bridge Constructor Medieval
Chroma Squad (64bit)
Close to the Sun
Dark Devotion (Vista 32bit)
Dead Age (XP 32bit)
Dead in Vinland (Vista 32bit)
Deadlight Director's Cut
Dear Esther (XP 32bit)
Dream Daddy (XP 32bit)
Dungeon Rushers (XP 32bit)
Effie (64bit)
Extreme Exorcism
Fatal Fury Special (Vista 32bit)
Forsaken Remastered (64bit)
Garou Mark of the Wolves (Vista 32bit)
Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
GRIP Combat Racing (64bit)
HyperDot
Impulsion (64bit)
Ironcast
Ironclad (Vista 32bit)
Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl
Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl (64bit)
King of the Monsters (Vista 32bit)
Kona
Kunai (Vista 32bit)
Layers of Fear (XP 32bit)
Lethis - Path of Progress
Lost Horizon
Mad Tracks (Vista 32bit)
Max The Curse of Brotherhood (XP 32bit)
Melbits World (64bit)
Metal Slug 2 (Vista 32bit)
Metal Slug 3 (Vista 32bit)
NeuroVoider (XP 32bit)
Observer (64bit)
Outcast Second Contact (64bit)
Overcooked
PictoQuest (Vista 32bit)
Project Warlock (64bit)
Pulstar (Vista 32bit)
Pumped BMX Pro (64bit)
Q.U.B.E. 2
Q.U.B.E. 2 (64bit)
Reus (XP 32bit)
Samurai Shodown 2 (Vista 32bit)
Samurai Shodown V Special (Vista 32bit)
Sengoku 3 (Vista 32bit)
SEUM Speedrunners from Hell
Shaq Fu A Legend Reborn (Vista 32bit)
Sheltered
Shock Troopers (Vista 32bit)
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad (Vista 32bit)
Sigma Theory Global Cold War
Silence (XP 32bit)
Smoke and Sacrifice
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (64bit)
Steel Rats
Stick it to the Man
Surf World Series
Surf World Series (Vista 32bit)
Tempest (XP 32bit)
The Darkside Detective
The Darkside Detective (Vista 32bit)
The Flame in the Flood (64bit)
The Inner World (XP 32bit)
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2002 (XP 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 97 Global Match (XP 32bit)
The Last Blade 2 (XP 32bit)
The Last Tinker City of Colors (XP 32bit)
The Occupation
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL (XP 32bit)
Treachery in Beatdown City (Vista 32bit)
Truderbrook (Vista 32bit)
Turmoil
Turok 2 Seeds of Evil (64bit)
Vane (64bit)
Victor Vran Overkill Edition
Vostok Inc (64bit)
Warsaw (64bit)
Wizard of Legend
Yooka Laylee
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Post edited January 10, 2021 by DosFreak
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DosFreak: The following are the games I've downloaded from Amazon that are DRM free.
Wow, thanks for the list!

I appreciate the feedback, everyone. I'll try that whole "moving the program to a different computer" thing and report back.
low rated
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sergeant_citrus: So, obviously this is a different storefront from GOG, but I hadn't found a recent thread on this so I thought I'd point out:

For a while, Amazon Prime members would get free games on Twitch. Every now and then I'd grab them just because, but I never so much as downloaded Twitch as I'm more of a GOG person (and Steam if it's the only option).

Twitch is, I understand, not considered DRM-free, so I doubt that's of much interest to anyone here.

However, now it appears that Amazon has its own app / launcher. I don't see the word "Twitch" anywhere on there. You can still get free games with Prime. I downloaded Void Bastards and tested it - much like Steam, you can have a desktop icon for the game, but it still opens the launcher, which I know is a deal-breaker for most.

I then cut internet to see if it would launch. Still launched, even though it opened the app. I don't know if anyone has any more information about what the DRM situation is with these games, but I couldn't find much with some googling (everything mentioned Twitch, not this Amazon Games app). Is this app basically Galaxy-style DRM as opposed to, say, Origin?

Don't get me wrong, I'm still only buying games on GOG and itch.io because I like stand-alone installers and not requiring internet access. But I thought it's possible someone else here might be a bit more interested in the free games if they realized at least they'll work without internet.

EDIT: It looks like this is a rebrand of the Twitch app(?) so maybe just ignore this if you're already familiar.
I really like your writing style, great information, thanks for posting.
low rated
avatar
DosFreak: The following are the games I've downloaded from Amazon that are DRM free. Obviously you need to use the app to download them. Just like any online service you need to make sure you backup your games since you never know when the game will be modified which can break the game, add or remove features, add or remove drm, etc

A Knight's Quest
Anna's Quest (XP 32bit)
Art of Fighting 2 (Vista 32bit)
Aurion Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Autonauts (64bit)
Baseball Stars 2 (Vista 32bit)
Blazing Chrome (Vista 32bit)
Blazing Star (Vista 32bit)
Bridge Constructor
Bridge Constructor (Vista 32bit)
Bridge Constructor Medieval
Chroma Squad (64bit)
Close to the Sun
Dark Devotion (Vista 32bit)
Dead Age (XP 32bit)
Dead in Vinland (Vista 32bit)
Deadlight Director's Cut
Dear Esther (XP 32bit)
Dream Daddy (XP 32bit)
Dungeon Rushers (XP 32bit)
Effie (64bit)
Extreme Exorcism
Fatal Fury Special (Vista 32bit)
Forsaken Remastered (64bit)
Garou Mark of the Wolves (Vista 32bit)
Genesis Alpha One Deluxe Edition
GRIP Combat Racing (64bit)
HyperDot
Impulsion (64bit)
Ironcast
Ironclad (Vista 32bit)
Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl
Jay and Silent Bob Mall Brawl (64bit)
King of the Monsters (Vista 32bit)
Kona
Kunai (Vista 32bit)
Layers of Fear (XP 32bit)
Lethis - Path of Progress
Lost Horizon
Mad Tracks (Vista 32bit)
Max The Curse of Brotherhood (XP 32bit)
Melbits World (64bit)
Metal Slug 2 (Vista 32bit)
Metal Slug 3 (Vista 32bit)
NeuroVoider (XP 32bit)
Observer (64bit)
Outcast Second Contact (64bit)
Overcooked
PictoQuest (Vista 32bit)
Project Warlock (64bit)
Pulstar (Vista 32bit)
Pumped BMX Pro (64bit)
Q.U.B.E. 2
Q.U.B.E. 2 (64bit)
Reus (XP 32bit)
Samurai Shodown 2 (Vista 32bit)
Samurai Shodown V Special (Vista 32bit)
Sengoku 3 (Vista 32bit)
SEUM Speedrunners from Hell
Shaq Fu A Legend Reborn (Vista 32bit)
Sheltered
Shock Troopers (Vista 32bit)
Shock Troopers 2nd Squad (Vista 32bit)
Sigma Theory Global Cold War
Silence (XP 32bit)
Smoke and Sacrifice
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection (64bit)
Steel Rats
Stick it to the Man
Surf World Series
Surf World Series (Vista 32bit)
Tempest (XP 32bit)
The Darkside Detective
The Darkside Detective (Vista 32bit)
The Flame in the Flood (64bit)
The Inner World (XP 32bit)
The King of Fighters '98 Ultimate Match Final Edition (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2000 (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2002 (XP 32bit)
The King of Fighters 2002 Unlimited Match (Vista 32bit)
The King of Fighters 97 Global Match (XP 32bit)
The Last Blade 2 (XP 32bit)
The Last Tinker City of Colors (XP 32bit)
The Occupation
Tiny Troopers Joint Ops XL (XP 32bit)
Treachery in Beatdown City (Vista 32bit)
Truderbrook (Vista 32bit)
Turmoil
Turok 2 Seeds of Evil (64bit)
Vane (64bit)
Victor Vran Overkill Edition
Vostok Inc (64bit)
Warsaw (64bit)
Wizard of Legend
Yooka Laylee
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Thanks for letting us know ... great list.
low rated
avatar
XVX777: I consider those games "half DRM-free" :D... because you need the launcher to install them, but afterwards you can start them up without it/move the install folder around, like most games on the Epic launcher (that I've played)
No such thing as "half DRM-free" really. It either has some or it doesn't.
What you really mean is DRM-Light or DRM-Free with a bit of work ... legal that is, not the same as cracking.

Ideally in this case, you would use the Launcher as a downloader and installer, then zip the install folder up once installed, and there you have a DRM-Free version. You could even create your own installer for it easy enough. The painful bit is having to install first and then either copy elsewhere or compress to a singe file, as all of that can take quite a while, especially with large games. Once you have it zipped though, it is easier and quicker to move around and backup.
avatar
XVX777: I consider those games "half DRM-free" :D... because you need the launcher to install them, but afterwards you can start them up without it/move the install folder around, like most games on the Epic launcher (that I've played)
avatar
Timboli: No such thing as "half DRM-free" really. It either has some or it doesn't.
What you really mean is DRM-Light or DRM-Free with a bit of work ... legal that is, not the same as cracking.

Ideally in this case, you would use the Launcher as a downloader and installer, then zip the install folder up once installed, and there you have a DRM-Free version. You could even create your own installer for it easy enough. The painful bit is having to install first and then either copy elsewhere or compress to a singe file, as all of that can take quite a while, especially with large games. Once you have it zipped though, it is easier and quicker to move around and backup.
Well, that's why I said:
I consider those games "half DRM-free"
as in,
I consider them half DRM-free,
not you,
I do.
Like, a turn of phrase that I use in my head.

But thanks for the smartass reply I was trying to avoid anyway. It was very helpful in recounting numerous things I already know. The world is now a better place because you told me. I'll inform the international institute of video game accuracy, maybe you'll get a prize.
I bought some games there forever ago because they were DRM free. Dark Messiah and Prototype being a couple off the top if my head. I don't even know if they sell that stuff anymore, every time I look it's all Steam keys. Come to think of it, not even sure how to redownload the ones I bought (though I backed up the important ones).
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StingingVelvet: I bought some games there forever ago because they were DRM free. Dark Messiah and Prototype being a couple off the top if my head. I don't even know if they sell that stuff anymore, every time I look it's all Steam keys. Come to think of it, not even sure how to redownload the ones I bought (though I backed up the important ones).
if you have Amazon Prime, you can use their client (https://www.amazongames.com/en-us/support/prime-gaming/gf25r2a8vvfhxtqw/articles/download-and-install-the-amazon-games-app/gnt5xgk748qmfxxj) and they regulary give away games as part of your prime subscription. Most recently (last week) it ws Void Bastards, When ski lifts go wrong and Along the edge. I am not sure how DRM free it is (never checked)