Ghostwire: Tokyo Joins GOG Preservation Program, Ditches Bethesda.NET

Ever booted up an older game and been hit with a launcher you forgot existed? Ghostwire: Tokyo just made sure that won't happen with Bethesda.NET anymore. Tango Gameworks' spooky, neon-drenched action-adventure has officially joined GOG's Preservation Program, and that means a cleaner, more future-proof way to play.

Now, you might be wondering why a 2022 game needs preserving already. Fair question—it doesn't exactly qualify for AARP yet. But the move is less about age and more about longevity. By joining the program, GOG is promising to address any stability issues that pop up as decades pass and operating systems change. That's a big deal for a game that could otherwise get left behind.

So what actually changes? For starters, the Bethesda.NET integration is gone. That means no extra launcher, no account hassle—just the game. And if you were hoping this was about Denuvo, well, that was already removed shortly after it was added, so no surprises there. The real win is the long-term support promise and a smoother first launch.

It's worth noting that Ghostwire: Tokyo still appears to be published by Bethesda Softworks, so if you're trying to avoid Microsoft products for any reason, you'll have to weigh that. But for everyone else, this is a welcome cleanup.

The game itself proved surprisingly popular, pulling in over 6 million players. We called it a great game that got overshadowed by Elden Ring around release—alongside quietly adored titles like Teardown and Sifu. Like its left-field follow-up Hi-Fi Rush, Ghostwire seemed to hit hard for the cult it attracted.

Tango Gameworks would have been closed if Xbox's sudden closure hadn't been canceled out by an acquisition from PUBG owner Krafton. So the studio's still kicking, and hopefully it can capture some of that juice in its current projects under Krafton.

For now, Ghostwire: Tokyo on GOG is the definitive way to experience the game without the extra baggage. Will you be picking it up, or are you just glad to see preservation getting some love?