GOG is expanding its Preservation program with a clever way to keep classic PC games connected to their original packaging. Five titles, including Myst, Descent, Hitman: Codename 47, Star Trek: 25th Anniversary, and Armikrog, now include interactive 3D scans of their physical box art through GOG’s announcement.
Each scan captures the front, back, and spine of the original box. Buyers can download the models after purchase and open them with the 3D viewer already built into Windows and Mac, without installing extra software or plugins. The result is a digital box that can be rotated on-screen from every side.
Flat, printable versions of the same artwork let players take the project a step further. GOG is working with Benjamin Wimmer, the creator of Big Box Collection, to offer files that can be cut, folded, and glued into a physical display box at home.
Those paper recreations restore shelf presence, but they are not complete boxed game releases. The files do not include discs or other physical game media. GOG’s DRM-free releases can still be archived separately on CDs or DVDs, giving collectors the option to pair a printable package with a physical backup of the game files.
The collaboration also connects GOG’s effort to a fan project that has spent years presenting high-resolution 3D models of classic PC game packaging in a browser. For players who remember shelves filled with oversized boxes, the recreated artwork offers more than a quick look at a cover. It restores some of the ritual surrounding older PC releases.
Classic big boxes often contained manuals, maps, books, and other supplements, with some releases adding smaller extras such as stickers or coasters. By saving the packaging alongside the games, GOG is keeping more of that history accessible even as physical releases become less common.
The timing is especially relevant as Sony is reported to be planning an end to physical PlayStation game production in 2028. That concern has already reached upcoming releases, with The Witcher 4’s 2028 target raising questions about whether a traditional PlayStation disc edition will exist.
In a GOG interview, Wimmer described the work as a shared responsibility. “What we definitely need are heroes to step forward and take good care of our games,” he said.
GOG’s printable boxes will not replace the originals, but they give owners a way to bring back part of the physical PC experience without hunting down rare vintage packaging. Would you build one for your collection? Tell us what you think in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
