What should I consider when choosing between Steam and GOG for cloud saves?

[Zoey_W]

I've been trying to decide between keeping my games on Steam or moving them over to GOG for the DRM-free versions, but I keep hitting a wall. My main worry is losing all my cloud saves and hours of playtime if I switch, even though owning my games outright is really appealing.

[ScottA]

I tried the swap a while back. I kept Steam for the cloud and bought a few DRM-free titles on GOG to test the water. The surprise was how little the cloud saves cross over. I copied save folders by hand and prayed the games would load them. Some titles just didn't cooperate. Hours played stayed on Steam too, not carrying over to the DRM-free install. Owning the game felt nice, but the history tied to it was the casualty.

[Harper.B]

I get wanting the ownership angle. The DRM-free vibe is real, but I kept Steam for friends lists, achievements, and the occasional workshop mod. The friction of moving a big library is real too, and not all games cooperate if you try to run them from a different launcher.

[ThomasRL]

I did a tiny experiment, bought two similar games on GOG, and tried to move the install from Steam to GOG. One worked after a couple tweaks, the other balked and asked for Steam to be present. It felt like relying on a few stubborn launchers rather than a clean transfer. I logged a handful of hours and realized migration isn’t just about owning the files.

[Ella_G]

Do you think the real problem is the cloud saves or the anxiety of giving up the Steam ecosystem and all the little things that go with it?