GOG offers free games with preorders of Absolver, Hello Neighbor, and more

Preorder bonuses are a common part of the videogame business, but they usually come by way of a game's publisher, and not the platform where it's being sold. But GOG would like you to think about buying games from its digital storefront rather than, you know, elsewhere, and so it's offering free games to people who purchase Absolver, Hello Neighbor, The Pillars of the Earth, and/or Sudden Strike 4 through its storefront.

Preorder Absolver on GOG and you'll also get Furi; pony up for Hello Neighbor and GOG will throw in Jazzpunk; Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth comes with The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav; and the Sudden Strike 4 preorder bonus is Sudden Strike 1, 2, and 3. The freebies were "hand-picked by developers and GOG to really go great together," a rep said, and come on top of existing preorder bonuses, including purchase-price discounts and in-game items such as the Labyrinth Prospect Mask and Uring Priest gear set in Absolver.

The offers aren't entirely unique to GOG—Sudden Strike 4 preorders on Steam include the previous trilogy, too—but it is an interesting way for the platform to attract the attention of of gamers who make a habit of shopping elsewhere. And these aren't just throwaway oldies, either. We rated both Furi and Jazzpunk very highly in our reviews, and while Chains of Satinav is getting up there in years (it came out in 2012), it's one of Daedalics better works, and as a point-and-click adventure it doesn't suffer the ravages of age as obviously as other genres tend to.

All four games are available for preorder now, and the bonus freebies will be granted as soon as the preorder is completed. The offer will be valid for each game's preorder period, and in the case of Absolver and Hello Neighbor, will remain available for two weeks after they come out.

PRODUCTS

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.