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General discussionSteam games you can play without the Steam client(1830 posts) (1830 posts) 
(1830 posts) 
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This is my favourite topic
Posted July 09, 2019
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AB2012: I can confirm Bejeweled 3 works without Steam, but I don't own the others to test. It would be nice if someone who does could check as these are the kind of 2000-2005 era flash games that had their own dedicated authentication servers pulled a while back after EA acquired them.
But if authentication still needed even with Steam client, doesn't that mean the game won't even run?
Posted July 09, 2019
Party Hard (Windows) and Pathologic Classic HD (Windows) both work without any tweaks. The store link for adding an entry for the latter is here:-
https://store.steampowered.com/app/384110/
Post edited July 24, 2019 by AB2012
Posted July 20, 2019
Legends of Amberland

Confirmed by the developer:

https://rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/legends-of-amberland-rejected-by-gog.128058/

"There is no DRM protection of any kind integrated in the game (there never was and never will, it applies to all my games by the way), so you can just launch the game without launching Steam client anytime you wish after downloading"(c)
Posted July 27, 2019
Okay, we're all updated again! :D

Also, another Epic store one for those interested: You can apparently make Tetris Effect DRM-free by going into a config file and telling it that you'd rather use Steam, which lets you use nothing. Yeah, I don't know, either.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tetris/comments/ch0d2a/how_to_tetris_effect_without_egl/

(THE TETRIS EFFECT TRICK HAS SINCE BEEN PATCHED. IT WILL ONLY WORK ON THE FIRST VERSION OF THE GAME'S RELEASE THROUGH THE EPIC STORE.)

Also also, does anyone have Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Steam that they can test? I'm just trying to figure out what to do with a Steam gift card that I have, and I'm probably going to grab Bloodstained either here or there soon.
Post edited August 05, 2019 by pedrovay2003
Posted August 16, 2019
Some Artifex Mundi games comfirmed to run right out of the box without Steam on Win7/64:

Endless Fables 3: Dark Moor
Lost Grimoires 2: Shard of Mystery
My Brother Rabbit
Path Of Sin: Greed
Queens Quest 3: The End of Dawn
Posted August 22, 2019
Do not require the Steam client to be played. Win7/x64

Sky Force Anniversary
Sky Force Reloaded

Saves are stored in the Registry (Windows 7 x64)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Infinite Dreams
HKEY_USERS\ *ID Numbers Specifics I assume* \Software\Infinite Dreams
Post edited August 22, 2019 by Leif_Hagelsmak
Posted August 27, 2019
Lucius III is playable on Win7/64 without the Steam client - out of the box.
Post edited August 27, 2019 by MarkoH01
Posted August 27, 2019
I'll be updating the wiki in a bit here, but in the meantime, a couple from me: SUPERHOT VR is DRM-free, just like its not-VR counterpart. Also, on the Epic store, Control, the new game from the Alan Wake and Quantum Break people, is completely DRM-free.
Posted August 27, 2019
Excellent resource, keep up the good work.
Posted September 07, 2019
Fanatical Throwback Bundle (7 Games) = $1.99
They all work fine without Steam. Tested on Windows 10 Pro system.

Spellcasting Trilogy
The Dame was Loaded
Brave Battle Saga
Dragon View
Nightshade
Radical Rex
Minskies
Post edited September 07, 2019 by Heretic777
Posted September 15, 2019
Das Geisterschiff

Confirmed by the devs (after having been turned down by GOG):

https://steamcommunity.com/app/975230/discussions/0/1643167006283394018/

"To make up for that, we made our game DRM-free across all storefronts"(c)
Post edited September 15, 2019 by Dunatarh
Posted September 15, 2019
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Dunatarh: Das Geistershiff

Confirmed by the devs (after having been turned down by GOG):

https://steamcommunity.com/app/975230/discussions/0/1643167006283394018/

"To make up for that, we made our game DRM-free across all storefronts"(c)
Small correction: the name of the game is "Das Geisterschiff" - probably just a typo on your end.
Post edited September 15, 2019 by MarkoH01
Posted September 15, 2019
Not Steam Games, but has anybody noticed Epic games will run without launching the client.

I only own two games on Epic, but they are two of their biggest AAA titles, so you'd expect Epic to get it right.

Doesn't mean they are DRM free, as Metro Exodus is one of them, Crack Watch states the DRM Protection is Denuvo v5.6.
Indeed every few days (three days, I think) it fails to load from my exe shortcut, throwing an error window up.
One load through Epic, and you can shut down, and play store free once again.

The other game is Control, which has no Denuvo, and Crack Watch states the DRM Protection is EpicGames

However Apart from launching the Epic Store to download updates, I don't need the store at all.
I have played the entire game without running the store in the background.

So I just tried copying the entire game to a new location, unknown to Epic client.
I can run the game with both DX11, and DX12 exes, being blocked from accessing the internet, by my custom firewall settings.
They do try to connect constantly, cycling during my quick test, through source ports (51854 to 51904)
Having five blocked attempts per IP Address.

Destination IPs
3.225.193.206 - 35.168.37.167 - 35.153.165.117 - 34.199.42.144 - 3.94.67.65 - 35.171.99.140 - 34.232.151.54 - 3.224.143.153 - 52.3.214.110 - 52.5.135.24 - 3.213.158.248 - 52.4.200.136 - 52.3.199.88 - 52.22.167.223 - 52.4.186.227 - 52.3.98.22 - 34.195.26.210 - 34.199.66.0 - 3.226.82.184 - 54.164.134.61 - 18.210.64.195 - 34.201.188.116 - 52.45.88.73 - 34.201.203.98

The IP addresses repeated on different source ports, but destination port was always 443.

Regardless of whether the Internet access is blocked, or not, game runs, and Epic Store client does not.
Neither appearing in System Tray, or as a background App, I used Process Hacker to check that.

So though the game is clearly meant to run through the Epic store, and even requires the Epic SDK:
eossdk-win64-shipping.dll

Much like spme games on GOG require the steam_api64.dll (or steam_api.dll)
Conarium (GOG)\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\Steamworks\Steamv139\Win64\steam_api64.dll
Divinity - Original Sin II - Definitive Edition (GOG)\DefEd\The Divinity Engine 2 DefEd\steam_api64.dll
Vampyr (GOG)\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\Steamworks\Steamv139\Win64\steam_api64.dll
SpellForce 3 (GOG)\steam_api64.dll
Metro 2033 - Redux (GOG)\steam_api64.dll
Remothered - Tormented Fathers (GOG)\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\Steamworks\Steamv132\Win64\steam_api64.dll
Q.U.B.E. 2 (GOG)\Engine\Binaries\ThirdParty\Steamworks\Steamv139\Win64\steam_api64.dll
Metro - Last Light - Redux (GOG)\steam_api64.dll
Oxenfree (GOG)\steam_api64.dll
Oxenfree (GOG)\Oxenfree_Data\Plugins\steam_api64.dll (REALLY Oxenfree? You love it so much you had to be a 64-bit bigamist)

It's not just the 64-bit games
Titan Quest - Anniversary Edition (GOG)\steam_api.dll (Ancient game, but got new DLC added last year)
Virginia (GOG)\steam_api.dll
Virginia (GOG)\Virginia_Data\Plugins\steam_api.dll (REALLY Virginia? You love it so much you had to be a 32-bit bigamist)

Now it may look like overkill listing so many, but this is just a fraction of the games that require Steam's API on GOG.
As I was looking, one thing occurred to me, these are all, games added, or updated through Galaxy.
I blame that cursed plague of every store client, Achievements. How I detest them.

The main point, I intended to make, before I got distracted, hunting "Achievement Hunters", was that inclusion of the API, or SDK, does not mean the game has DRM, and though I have no doubt that Epic Store is intended to include DRM, it appears it does not work.
As far as I'm concerned, not having to use the store client, is far more important than any game being DRM free.
It's why I get 80% of my games from GOG, DRM free is just a nice added bonus..
I don't give a damn about The Epic Stores lack of features, I would never use any of them anyway.

This one "feature" would be enough to make Epic my second choice, but it's just a SNAFU, so they drop back to last, where they belong.
So I'm happy that Epic Games is so incompetent that it can't even force their crappy client on me.
Post edited September 16, 2019 by UhuruNUru
Posted September 16, 2019
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UhuruNUru: Not Steam Games, but has anybody noticed Epic games will run without launching the client.

I only own two games on Epic, but they are two of their biggest AAA titles, so you'd expect Epic to get it right.

Doesn't mean they are DRM free, as Metro Exodus is one of them, Crack Watch states the DRM Protection is Denuvo v5.6.
Indeed every few days (three days, I think) it fails to load from my exe shortcut, throwing an error window up.
One load through Epic, and you can shut down, and play store free once again.
So it should not be on the list. In fact, a game that is using Denuvo imo should not even be supported at all - but I am guity as well as I bought those new Quantic Dream games.

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UhuruNUru: The other game is Control, which has no Denuvo, and Crack Watch states the DRM Protection is EpicGames
Yes, it been stated here already by the host of this thread himself that Control is DRM-free :)

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UhuruNUru: So though the game is clearly meant to run through the Epic store, and even requires the Epic SDK:
eossdk-win64-shipping.dll

Much like spme games on GOG require the steam_api64.dll (or steam_api.dll)

Now it may look like overkill listing so many, but this is just a fraction of the games that require Steam's API on GOG.
As I was looking, one thing occurred to me, these are all, games added, or updated through Galaxy.
I blame that cursed plague of every store client, Achievements. How I detest them.
Better blame the devs. GOG in most cases does not remove DRM from their games themselves - the devs/publisher deliever GOG DRM-free builds of their works. In the cases above the devs simply took their Steam builds and removed Steam protection. It's just the easiest way for them. If you look at some cracks you will see that often crackers do the same - manipulate some Steam DLLs and remove the DRM from them.

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UhuruNUru: As far as I'm concerned, not having to use the store client, is far more important than any game being DRM free.
It's why I get 80% of my games from GOG, DRM free is just a nice added bonus..
That is good for you but I guess many (myself included) see it differently. DRM-free is one of THE main reason I buy here. I know that I don't need to be connected AT ALL after the download and unfortunately that is not the case with many, many games on Steam and some games on Epic.
Post edited September 16, 2019 by MarkoH01
Posted September 17, 2019
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MarkoH01: So it should not be on the list. In fact, a game that is using Denuvo imo should not even be supported at all - but I am guity as well as I bought those new Quantic Dream games.
I was using it to point out that running without the store client, and being DRM free are two different things, not that it should be on a list.

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MarkoH01: Yes, it been stated here already by the host of this thread himself that Control is DRM-free
My point was it doesn't appear as though it's meant to be DRM free, but Epic levels of incompetence, make it that way.

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MarkoH01: Better blame the devs. GOG in most cases does not remove DRM from their games themselves - the devs/publisher deliever GOG DRM-free builds of their works. In the cases above the devs simply took their Steam builds and removed Steam protection. It's just the easiest way for them. If you look at some cracks you will see that often crackers do the same - manipulate some Steam DLLs and remove the DRM from them.
Again my point was requiring the API/SDK does NOT make it DRM, and is most likely got something to do with the achievements, or lazy devs doing minimum work to get it working on GOG.
If Steam's DRM is used, the same API file is required, but it always requires Steam Client to be running at the same time, as that's how Steam's DRM works.

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MarkoH01: That is good for you but I guess many (myself included) see it differently. DRM-free is one of THE main reason I buy here. I know that I don't need to be connected AT ALL after the download and unfortunately that is not the case with many, many games on Steam and some games on Epic.
I like DRM free, but no Store Client is more important to me.
If I could choose between using EA's Origin (Currently DRM, and Store Client), with No DRM, but still have to use the Store Client, or having an offline form of DRM, and no Store Client, I'd take the No Store client every time.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussionSteam games you can play without the Steam client(1830 posts) (1830 posts) 
(1830 posts)