There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that arrives after a death: you’re grieving, you’re coordinating family, and you’re also staring at a long list of tasks that feel strangely modern. Phones. Subscriptions. Social media. And, sometimes, a digital game library that mattered more than you realized—because it’s where someone spent quiet evenings, stayed connected with friends, or found comfort on hard days.
If your loved one had a GOG.com account, you may be wondering what happens to it now, whether you can close it, and what you’re supposed to do if you don’t have access to the email address on file. This guide will walk you through GOG’s deletion process in plain language, then zoom out to the bigger picture: how digital legacy fits into thoughtful funeral planning—especially for families choosing cremation and making decisions about cremation urns, cremation jewelry, and keeping ashes at home.
How GOG account deletion works
GOG allows an account owner to request deletion from inside their account settings. The key detail is the confirmation step: the deletion request typically must be confirmed through the email address associated with the account. According to GOG Support, clicking the “DELETE ACCOUNT” button sends a confirmation request to the account email, and after confirmation the profile is permanently deleted within 14 days (during which the account can still be accessed).
In other words: if your family has access to the login and the email inbox, the process is relatively straightforward. If you don’t have email access, you’re not stuck—but the path changes, and it usually means working with support to regain access first or asking what options exist for next of kin.
If you have access to the account and the email on file
When you can sign in and open the email inbox connected to the account, these are the practical steps most families follow:
- Log in to the GOG account using the existing credentials.
- Go to account settings and look for the account removal option (the “DELETE ACCOUNT” button).
- Submit the deletion request.
- Open the confirmation email sent to the address on file and confirm the request.
- Keep an eye on the timeline: GOG notes a window (up to 14 days) before permanent deletion is finalized.
Before you finalize deletion, pause for one gentle question: is there anything in this account that someone will want to preserve? Not games (those are typically licensed, not transferable), but memories—reviews, forum posts, wish lists, screenshots, even usernames that friends recognize. Some families choose to leave a low-activity account untouched for a while, especially if the account helped the person stay connected. Others prefer closure and privacy. Either choice can be loving.
What happens to purchased games, reviews, and forum activity?
For most digital platforms, purchased content is tied to an account and governed by a user agreement that doesn’t treat the library like a physical object you can inherit. That can feel unfair, especially when someone curated a collection over years. Practically, though, what matters for your decision is this: deleting the account is meant to be permanent, and it can remove future access to the account’s owned content once deletion is complete. If family members want the option to download installers during the transition period, that’s part of why the “up to 14 days” window matters.
GOG Support explained that as for social traces—reviews and forum activity—platforms vary in how they handle attribution once an account is removed. If you’re worried about a loved one’s name remaining attached to posts, or if you want clarity about what remains visible, it’s worth asking support directly about the current behavior and what can be anonymized or removed. Start from the official deletion instructions and then ask the follow-up that fits your family’s needs.
What if the family can’t access the email address needed to confirm deletion?
This is the situation many families face. Email access is often locked behind a password reset, a device, or two-factor authentication that nobody else can complete. If your loved one used a dedicated email for gaming accounts—or if the email provider closed the mailbox due to inactivity—you can end up with the login credentials but no way to receive the confirmation email.
In that case, your first step is usually not deletion—it’s account access recovery. GOG’s support guidance for lost access is clear that you should reach out so they can update credentials manually after confirming identity as the account owner. That process is designed for living users, but it also tells you the direction: support is the path when the email on file can’t be reached.
For families handling a death, “confirming identity” may mean providing context and documentation. Different companies ask for different things (sometimes a death certificate, proof of authority, or details that match the account). If you’re writing to support, it helps to keep the request simple and respectful:
- Explain that the account owner is deceased and the family is trying to close the account.
- Share the username and the email address on file (if you know it), and note you do not have inbox access.
- Ask what documentation is required for a next-of-kin or estate representative request.
- If your priority is privacy, say so plainly: you want the account removed and personal data handled appropriately.
If your request is specifically about privacy rights and personal data, GOG's published privacy contacts may also be relevant. Their Support Center privacy policy lists a contact email for privacy-related questions and requests.
One practical tip: if the email account still exists but you can’t access it, you may be better off recovering the email first (through that email provider’s recovery process) rather than trying to force a platform-level workaround. That approach tends to be faster and reduces back-and-forth with multiple support teams.
How digital legacy fits into funeral planning
It can feel strange to jump from “delete a gaming account” to big, tender questions like how to memorialize someone. But this is exactly what happens in real life. You close accounts in the morning, and by afternoon you’re discussing where ashes should rest, whether siblings want to share keepsakes, and how to create something that feels steady for years—not just for the first week.
That’s why digital legacy is part of funeral planning. It’s not just paperwork; it’s how a life is remembered, protected, and carried forward. And because cremation is now the majority choice in the U.S., more families are making decisions about ashes and memorial items than ever before. According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the projected U.S. cremation rate for 2025 is 63.4%.
That trend shows up in what families ask next: What do we do when the ashes come home? Do we choose one primary urn, or share among family? Is it okay to keep ashes in the house? Are there meaningful ways to include a pet who died in the same season of loss?
Choosing cremation urns for ashes without adding stress
Most families don’t wake up one day excited to shop for an urn. You’re trying to make a decision that feels emotionally “right” while also being practical: size, placement, cost, durability, and whether a memorial will live at home, in a columbarium niche, or in a cemetery. If you want a calm place to start browsing, Funeral.com’s collection of cremation urns for ashes is designed to help you see the range without getting overwhelmed.
From there, many families realize they’re not choosing just one item—they’re choosing a plan. A primary urn can anchor the memorial, while smaller pieces support the way real families grieve across households, siblings, or distance. That’s where small cremation urns and keepsake urns can be genuinely helpful: not because anyone needs “more stuff,” but because one container doesn’t always match one family’s reality.
If you’d like a step-by-step guide that translates urn choices into real-world decisions (home display, burial, travel, scattering, and timing), Funeral.com’s Journal article How to Choose a Cremation Urn is a supportive place to begin.
Keeping ashes at home and what “safe” really means
For many families, keeping ashes at home starts as a temporary decision—“just until we’re ready”—and then becomes a longer chapter. The practical concerns are usually the same: where to place the urn, how to protect it from being knocked over, what to do if children or pets are in the home, and how to handle visitors with different comfort levels.
If you’re in that space, Funeral.com’s guide Keeping Ashes at Home walks through the emotional and practical side, including respectful placement ideas and basic legal considerations that commonly come up in the U.S.
What to do with ashes when the plan isn’t one-size-fits-all
Some families want a single resting place. Others want a “both/and” plan: keep a portion at home, scatter in a meaningful place, and give siblings a small keepsake. If you’re asking what to do with ashes, it may help to read a comparison written for real families rather than industry jargon. Funeral.com’s guide What to Do With Ashes covers common options and the practical questions that come with each.
And if water was part of your loved one’s life—boating, the ocean, fishing trips, a favorite lake—some families find peace in a water burial plan. If you’re deciding between a biodegradable urn ceremony and scattering at sea, Funeral.com’s article Water Burial vs. Scattering at Sea explains what each looks like in practice.
Pet urns for ashes and making room for “secondary” grief
It’s common for pet loss to sit alongside human grief, either because a pet died close in time or because the pet was part of how your loved one coped and lived. If your family is choosing pet urns or pet cremation urns, you’ll want the same things you want for any memorial: dignity, durability, and a design that feels like your companion.
Funeral.com’s pet urns for ashes collection includes a wide range of options, and if you want something that looks like art as well as a memorial, the pet figurine cremation urns collection is designed around lifelike forms. For families who want to share a small portion, pet keepsake cremation urns can offer a gentle way to include multiple people in remembrance without conflict.
If you’d like guidance before you choose, the Journal article Pet Urns for Ashes explains sizes, styles, and what to consider when you’re trying to honor a bond that was daily and real.
Cremation jewelry and the quiet comfort of something wearable
Not every memorial lives on a shelf. For some people, the most comforting choice is wearable: a pendant, a charm, a small vessel that carries a tiny portion of ashes. Cremation jewelry can be especially meaningful for adult children who live far away, for siblings who want an equal share, or for someone who simply needs a private form of closeness.
Funeral.com offers both a broader cremation jewelry collection and a dedicated cremation necklaces collection, including styles often searched as cremation necklaces or “necklaces for ashes.” If you want the practical details—how they seal, how they’re filled, and what to ask before buying—start with Cremation Jewelry 101.
Cost questions: how much does cremation cost?
Even families who want a simple goodbye can get blindsided by pricing. Part of what makes cremation feel “simpler” is flexibility—direct cremation, a memorial service later, an urn you choose yourself, or keepsakes shared over time. But flexibility also means the total can vary widely by region and by what’s included.
If you’re trying to answer how much does cremation cost in a way that’s honest and usable, Funeral.com’s 2025 guide How Much Does Cremation Cost breaks down common fees, explains the difference between direct cremation and full-service options, and shows where families often have meaningful choices.
For a broader view of the trend behind these questions, the Cremation Association of North America publishes annual statistics and projections based on disposition data.
Bringing it together: a gentle, practical checklist mindset
If you’re working through a death, it can help to group decisions into “now” and “later.” “Now” might be closing accounts that create ongoing risk—financial services, email, shopping logins, gaming accounts with stored payment details. “Later” might be the memorial decisions that deserve breathing room: selecting cremation urns, choosing between small cremation urns and keepsake urns, deciding on cremation jewelry, or figuring out whether keeping ashes at home feels comforting or heavy.
And if you’re somewhere in the middle—unsure, tired, trying to do right by a person you love—know this: you’re not failing because you don’t have all the answers at once. You’re doing the work of care. One decision at a time.
FAQs
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Can I delete a GOG.com account without access to the email address on file?
Usually, the deletion request must be confirmed through the email address connected to the account. If you don’t have inbox access, the best next step is to contact GOG support to ask about recovering access or what documentation they require for a next-of-kin request. GOG’s account recovery guidance indicates support can help update credentials manually after confirming identity as the account owner.
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How long does GOG account deletion take once it’s confirmed?
GOG’s deletion instructions note that after you confirm through email, the profile is permanently deleted within 14 days, and during that period the account can still be accessed. After deletion, the removal becomes irreversible.
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What happens to purchased games if the GOG account is deleted?
In general, digital game libraries are tied to the account and governed by the platform’s terms, so deletion can remove future access to owned content. If your family is unsure, consider waiting until you understand what (if anything) needs to be downloaded or preserved during the deletion window, and ask support specific questions before finalizing.
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Who should contact GOG: a family member, executor, or estate representative?
If you’re requesting changes to an account you can’t access—especially after a death—it’s best for the executor, administrator, or a clearly authorized family member to contact support and ask what documentation is required. Keeping the request simple (username, email on file if known, and what you’re asking for) usually helps the process move more smoothly.
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If we’re handling digital accounts, when do we need to decide what to do with ashes?
You rarely need to decide “forever” immediately. Many families keep ashes at home temporarily while planning, waiting for travel, or choosing an urn. If you want a steady overview of options—keep, scatter, bury, or water burial—Funeral.com’s resources on keeping ashes at home and what to do with ashes can help you plan at a pace that feels humane.
