I think by now many if not most new GOG users are probably not even aware there is an option to using the Galaxy client, nor how that works. So by now by default I presume new users asking for help are using Galaxy, even if I am not.

Ah this topic made my day :D

I honestly find that a bit scary, to be honest.
It's good that many young folks seem to be discovering GOG. But at the same time it's terrible that younger players have no notion of what "installing and playing games without an online client" is. Some kids under 15 probably have no clue what "owning" your PC games means (unlike their console-playing neighbours).

I can acknowledge steam's importance in creating a digital market for videogames and thus enabling a bigger market for PC gaming. But in the long run I fear that steam's influence has done more damage than good for the market.
Just my opinion, though.

Sounds like you downloaded it but just haven't installed it yet.
It downloads to the download folder set in the options. It'll be whatever the default is assuming you haven't changed it.

How is this done - using Galaxy to DL offline installers?

Go to a game page and select the "Extra" tab.

Galaxy 2.0: Click on a game, click on the Extra button top center.

It worse than that it affects the whole PC industry where people can't even learn properly about computers or to remove the - in the link below. This comparison between old and new video is even more relevant today.
ht-tps://youtu.be/0wDtxYeJdzg?t=50 Glorious PC gaming disaster race in action. :p

I suspect this is not the only GOG Galaxy feature or functionality a lot of people is not aware of.
In the forum there are some examples of demands about options that are already implemented in the client.

I really don't want to sound like a total judgemental asshat when this subject comes up, but just how clueless people can be does sometimes amaze me. I mean, for most of my life I considered myself a computer idiot. Oh, I always loved games, but I was never interested in computers beyond that and what most people could do seemed like black magic to me. Still today something like getting Scummvm to see and ply the second CD of Discworld 2 is pretty much the pinnacle of my haxxor skillz. And yet somehow along the way this level of skill elevated me from "village idiot" to "savvy PC gamer". I don't know if I should laugh or cry.

I will try to be simple (even if explanations were given before)

Through a browser : (go at the end of this post in the contrary)

Offline installers : are just the files for a game (keep in mind some games require Galaxy for some features : Multiplayer; trophies etc..) :

So you download all files ( 1 *.exe and some *. bin) in the same directory with your browser.
And you run the *.exe file which launch the installer (if you are on Windows)

As said before, the "backup installers" are named like this because, you can backup them where you want without any external service needed to install it. (ie : Galaxy)

I never used Galaxy, but it's also possible to download the offline installers through it.

Most of the games don't need Galaxy at all.

Read carefully the game product page if the game needs Galaxy for Multiplayer (it's mentionned normaly) and the game section for the game you mentionned in your library. I just checked, everything you need to know is mentionned except you need to download all parts for the backup files (that's not written but obvious).

See the screenshoot i took for BioShock 2 (the 1mb file is the .exe, others are .bin files), Sometimes not all files are not displayed at first, it's possible with the game you mentionned you need to close the window in you library and re-open it : if your resolution isn't high enough or for another reason (noticed this for The Evil Within).

Those informations are given for using with your browser. IF you use Galaxy, i can't really help.

I read later you used Galaxy, so :

Since Galaxy 2.0 is still in beta stage : i suggest you drop it, if you have trouble to install a game.
Beta stage, means things are not totally finished....

The primary use of the client is to install the game without hassle, if you got this trouble i suspect the Galaxy design is questionable.
Since i don't use the client i may not understand properly what you did. But backup installers don't install the game without extra actions from you : reason you don't find the game installed, but you have probably all files required to install it somewhere on your computer, if you find where the files are located. If you have putted some screenshots i guess things would i have been easier for us since your initial explanations lacked of informations.

The Offline backup installer is the installer for the game that you can use to install the game if your computer is Offline (without an internet connection) instead of using Galaxy, the GOG client that can also be used to install games. For example, I use Linux to download the games and then install them on a Windows computer that is not connected to the internet (to avoid computer viruses). I can only use the offline backup installers to do that. The word "backup" just means that you can backup the files on an external hard drive if you want to, so that you always have access to the games you purchase.


The issue you're having is with your browser and operating system (for example, Chrome and Windows 10) and possibly not understanding that offline installers are the DIY (do it yourself) method of installing games. This is NOT simple like a game console where you never see the file structure of what you install.

You will have to do some studying and possibly trial and error to figure out how your computer works so you can download and install programs.

First, you have to configure your browser to allow you to choose where files are downloaded each time you download a file. Otherwise, downloaded files will be in some default location you don't know (probably something like "Downloads" in your "My Documents" folder).

How you configure your browser to do that will depend on your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc) and possibly what version of the browser you're using. So, I can't tell you how. You may need to do a Google search to learn how to do it.

Second, you need to know how to use your file browser on your computer. File browsers have different names depending on your Operating System. In Windows, it's often called "My Computer". How you find it will again depend on your operating system.

Now, to make your life easier, you NEED to enable the file browser to show file extensions (the 3 or 4 letter endings of files. GOG installers use a .exe file which runs the installer and .bin files which contain all the data for installing the game).

Then, you need to chose a place on your hard drive to put the installer files for each game. A directory named "Downloads" for example works. I created a directory called "GOG-install-files" on another hard drive and then put the installer files for each game in their own sub-directory of that folder. Of course, you need to learn how to create directories / folders as well as everything else I've mentioned (usually right click where you want to do it and then select "create new folder" or something similar). This was one of the first things I had to learn when I first got a computer.

So, you'll want to become familiar with your browser and file manager in your operating system. Once you know how they work and how to download files, see extensions, make directories, etc, it makes everything else involved with computers a lot easier.

If you don't want to do any of that, you're probably better off installing Galaxy (the GOG game client) and then after installing it, running it, logging in to your account through Galaxy, and then downloading the game that way. I haven't used it though. I only use the off-line installers.

Except, he/she mentionned the issue isn't with browser look there :

https://www.gog.com/forum/general/what_the_hell_is_the_offline_backup_installers/post23

at this point, it would been easier to use a browser if he / she got an issue to install a game with the client which is still in beta stage ... even with a browser the default download directory is obvious (since it's designed to be my downloads or somethings like this). I understood he / she have at least the basic knowledge so it's not the issue. The issue if i understood : he / she probably wanted to install the game but in the end the backup installers were selected. (which is not what the obvious initial action he / she wanted).

Thanks for the info.

backup installers well what i like to do is copy the exe file and bin whatever file to a blank dvd-r so in case gog shuts down i will have it for ever