Polish developer CD Projekt Red is more than just the game studio behind The Witcher. The company is also gearing up to release its own DRM-free platform called GOG Galaxy. CD Projekt Red got one step closer today as the platform on Tuesday entered open beta, following a closed testing period earlier.

CD Projekt Red didn't say exactly when GOG Galaxy will launch in full, but the first major release will be--you guessed it--The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which arrives on May 19. Other AAA games will follow.

GOG Galaxy was announced during CD Projekt Red's annual summer show last year.

The platform will replicate some of the features offered through Steam, like the ability to automatically update games, chat with friends, and compare achievements. While certain functionality--like playing online or talking to other people--will of course require an Internet connection, GOG customers who opt to make use of Galaxy will be free to play all of their games offline without any online activations required.

GOG Galaxy users are also free to download a standalone, DRM-free backup of every game in their library. This is to ensure that "keeping purchases safe is easier than ever," CD Projekt Red explains.

“For us, quality trumps quantity. We meticulously think about every feature and how can we make it better." GOG executive Piotr Karwowski said in a statement. “We also know that people want to have freedom of choice, so GOG Galaxy and its features are not forced on you. Making it optional is the best motivation for us to make it better; we want it to be so good that you’ll actually want to use it."

Some other GOG Galaxy features include:

Friends lists

Game time tracking

Achievements

Chat

Cross-platform play (where supported)

Platform-independent multiplayer between GOG and Steam

You can sign up for the GOG Galaxy open beta here.