While everyone’s focused on Steam’s Winter Sale, a lesser-known DRM-free game store just launched its own holiday promotion that deserves serious attention. Zoom Platform kicked off its 2025 Holiday Sale running through December 31st, offering discounts between 25% and 90% off across nearly 600 games. If you’ve never heard of Zoom Platform, you’re not alone. But this store has been quietly operating since 2014, preserving classic games and offering DRM-free experiences while hosting titles you literally cannot buy legally anywhere else.
What Is Zoom Platform
Zoom Platform operates as a DRM-free digital storefront similar to GOG, focusing primarily on classic and retro titles while also featuring contemporary indie games. The company, operated by the Jordan Freeman Group, has been active for over a decade with a mission centered on game preservation and ensuring older titles work smoothly on modern systems. Everything purchased from Zoom Platform comes as offline installers without digital rights management, meaning you can download, back up, and reinstall your games forever without requiring internet authentication.
The store’s unique selling proposition goes beyond just being DRM-free. Zoom Platform actively works to enhance and update the games they sell, much like GOG did in its early days. They don’t simply dump ROMs or abandonware onto their servers. Instead, they secure proper licenses, update games to run on Windows 10 and 11, and provide customer support for technical issues. These updates aren’t kept exclusive to their platform either. When Zoom Platform improves a game, they often share those updates with other storefronts including Steam.
The Duke Nukem Connection
Perhaps Zoom Platform’s most notable distinction is being the only place you can currently purchase legal digital copies of certain Duke Nukem titles. Due to complicated licensing disputes between Gearbox Software and 3D Realms, several Duke Nukem games including Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition and the original Duke Nukem side-scrollers disappeared from Steam and GOG. Zoom Platform secured the rights and now serves as the exclusive digital retailer for these classics. For Duke fans, that alone makes the store worth knowing about.
What’s On Sale
The Holiday Sale 2025 includes approximately 600 games with discounts ranging from 25% to a massive 90% off. The sale page features hand-picked highlights including Peripeteia at $18.74 (25% off), Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition at $4.49 (25% off), Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project Enhanced Edition at $4.49 (25% off), Hatred at $2.49 (75% off), and Dancin’ Divas at $8.99 (40% off). Those represent just a tiny fraction of what’s available.
The catalog spans decades of PC gaming history. You’ll find everything from DOS-era classics to modern indie releases. Educational games from the 90s sit alongside cult classic shooters, obscure adventure games, and contemporary titles. The eclectic mix means there’s something for basically every taste, whether you’re hunting for childhood nostalgia or discovering forgotten gems you never knew existed.
Hidden Gem: Peripeteia
One standout title worth highlighting is Peripeteia, currently discounted to $18.74. This cyberpunk immersive sim set in an alternate-history post-Soviet Poland launched in Early Access in February 2025 and has been quietly impressing fans of games like Deus Ex and System Shock. You play as Marie, a cybernetic ex-soldier reduced to mercenary work in a crumbling city where fires in drum barrels provide the main source of heat and light.
PC Gamer called Peripeteia one of the best immersive sims in years, praising its massive vertical environments, supernatural abilities, and the sheer number of ways to approach objectives. You can stack crates to climb out of alleys, hack computers to unlock doors, possess enemy bodies, or just shoot your way through problems. The game features an inventory Tetris system, multiple factions with competing agendas, and one of the best hacking minigames in recent memory that plays like hot-and-cold on your keyboard.
What makes Peripeteia special is how it channels the spirit of classic Looking Glass Studios and Ion Storm immersive sims while adding its own identity through the unique post-Soviet cyberpunk setting. It’s Deus Ex if you played as a retired Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, navigating the ruins of Soviet architecture and dealing with gas-masked thugs wielding old Mosins and AKs. At $18.74, it’s one of the most interesting games on sale that most people have never heard of.
Why Choose DRM-Free
The DRM-free model offers benefits that extend beyond philosophical arguments about digital ownership. When you buy from Zoom Platform, you receive offline installers that work without requiring the store’s launcher or internet connection. This means games remain playable even if Zoom Platform shuts down someday, unlike purchases tied to services like Steam where your library theoretically could vanish if Valve closes.
Practical advantages include the ability to back up installers to external drives or cloud storage, install games on multiple computers without authentication, and play without dealing with launcher updates or server outages. For retro game preservation, the DRM-free approach ensures these titles remain accessible for future generations rather than becoming lost when authentication servers eventually go offline.
The Preservation Mission
Zoom Platform takes game preservation seriously, positioning themselves as digital archivists ensuring classics don’t disappear into licensing limbo. When publishers abandon older titles or storefronts delist them due to expired music licenses or defunct developers, these games often become impossible to purchase legally. Zoom Platform steps in to secure rights and keep them available, functioning as a cultural preservation effort as much as a commercial venture.
Standing Up for Artistic Freedom
In August 2024, Zoom Platform made headlines by refusing to delist adult games after payment processors expressed concerns about content on the platform. While Steam and Itch.io faced similar pressure and removed certain titles, Zoom Platform issued a statement affirming they have no plans to remove any games and will do everything in their power to prevent such delistings. The company positioned itself as fervent supporters of artistic freedom.
To address payment processor concerns without censoring content, Zoom Platform implemented a tripartite solution including opt-in two-factor authentication and a wallet system allowing users to add funds to accounts rather than making individual transactions for potentially controversial titles. A company representative noted that even mainstream games like Grand Theft Auto, Duke Nukem, and Saints Row were described as potentially at risk in these discussions, highlighting concerns that content policing wouldn’t stop at explicitly adult games.
How It Compares to GOG
The inevitable comparison is to GOG, the much larger DRM-free storefront owned by CD Projekt. GOG boasts a massive library, excellent curation, robust community features, and the Galaxy launcher that rivals Steam in functionality. Zoom Platform can’t compete on scale or polish, operating with a far smaller team and budget. The website feels more utilitarian than GOG’s slick interface, and the selection is considerably smaller.
Where Zoom Platform differentiates itself is in niche offerings and willingness to host games larger platforms won’t touch. The Duke Nukem exclusives represent the most obvious example, but the store also features obscure educational titles, controversial games that faced delisting elsewhere, and indie experiments that never gained traction on mainstream storefronts. For collectors hunting for specific hard-to-find titles or supporting smaller stores committed to preservation, Zoom Platform offers value beyond what GOG provides.
Free Games Too
Worth mentioning: Zoom Platform offers around a dozen completely free games. While they’re not prominently featured and require scrolling through the catalog to find, longtime users report accumulating 25 or more free titles over the years through various promotions. These aren’t demos or limited trials. They’re full games you can add to your account and download forever at no cost.
The Trust Question
For a storefront that’s been operating since 2014, Zoom Platform remains surprisingly unknown. That raises natural questions about legitimacy and longevity. The platform is 100% legitimate, securing proper licensing for everything they sell and maintaining relationships with publishers and developers. The Jordan Freeman Group backing them has been in the gaming industry for decades, with founder Bernie Stolar having overseen the North American launches of both the PlayStation 1 and Sega Dreamcast.
The longevity concern is more valid. Any smaller digital storefront could potentially shut down, leaving customers wondering about their purchases. This is where the DRM-free model provides insurance. Unlike Steam purchases that rely on Valve’s servers, Zoom Platform games come as offline installers you can download and back up. Even if the company disappeared tomorrow, your backed-up games would continue working indefinitely. That’s the entire point of DRM-free distribution.
FAQs
What is Zoom Platform?
Zoom Platform is a DRM-free digital game storefront that has operated since 2014, focusing on classic games, retro titles, and game preservation. They sell offline installers for Windows, Mac, and Linux games without digital rights management, similar to GOG but with a smaller catalog and focus on harder-to-find titles.
How long does the Zoom Platform Holiday Sale last?
The Holiday Sale 2025 runs through December 31, 2025, at midnight MST as Arizona enters the New Year. Approximately 600 games are discounted between 25% and 90% off during the promotion.
What is Peripeteia?
Peripeteia is a first-person cyberpunk immersive sim set in alternate-history post-Soviet Poland. You play as Marie, a cybernetic ex-soldier working as a mercenary in a crumbling city. The game combines shooter, stealth, and RPG mechanics inspired by Deus Ex and System Shock, currently in Early Access.
Why can’t you buy Duke Nukem games on Steam or GOG?
Licensing disputes between Gearbox Software and 3D Realms resulted in certain Duke Nukem titles being delisted from Steam and GOG. Zoom Platform secured the rights and currently serves as the exclusive digital retailer for games like Duke Nukem 3D: Atomic Edition and the original Duke Nukem side-scrollers.
Is Zoom Platform legitimate and safe?
Yes. Zoom Platform is a legitimate storefront operated by the Jordan Freeman Group since 2014. They secure proper licenses for all games sold, accept payments through PayPal and Stripe, and have been around for over 10 years. The DRM-free nature means you can back up installers as insurance.
How is Zoom Platform different from GOG?
Both are DRM-free storefronts, but Zoom Platform focuses more on obscure classics, game preservation, and titles unavailable elsewhere due to licensing issues. GOG has a much larger catalog and more polished interface, while Zoom Platform serves a niche audience hunting for specific hard-to-find games.
Do Zoom Platform games work on modern systems?
Yes. Zoom Platform actively updates games to ensure compatibility with Windows 10, Windows 11, and modern hardware. They don’t just dump old games on their servers; they work to make them function properly on current systems, similar to GOG’s approach.
Can I get Steam keys from Zoom Platform?
No. Purchases from Zoom Platform come as DRM-free offline installers, not Steam keys. However, some games available on Zoom Platform also exist on Steam as separate products. The store focuses exclusively on DRM-free distribution.
Conclusion
Zoom Platform’s Holiday Sale 2025 won’t compete with Steam’s massive discounts on AAA blockbusters or GOG’s polished storefront experience. But that’s not what makes it interesting. This is a small DRM-free store committed to game preservation, hosting titles you literally cannot buy legally anywhere else, and standing up for artistic freedom when larger platforms cave to pressure. For collectors hunting Duke Nukem classics, retro enthusiasts seeking obscure gems, or anyone who values truly owning their games through offline installers, the sale offers genuine value. Peripeteia alone at $18.74 represents one of the most interesting immersive sims in years flying under mainstream radar. The eclectic 600-game catalog spans everything from DOS-era educational software to contemporary indie experiments, creating a digital museum of PC gaming history that deserves more attention than it receives. Will Zoom Platform ever rival Steam or even GOG in popularity? Almost certainly not. But in an industry increasingly dominated by subscription services, always-online requirements, and games as temporary licenses, a store that lets you download, back up, and own games forever serves an important purpose. The Holiday Sale running through December 31st offers the perfect excuse to explore what this underdog storefront has to offer. At minimum, grab those Duke Nukem exclusives before licensing disputes make them disappear again.