Gom Player 2.3.120

It has been around for years and still has a large following, especially for its subtitle handling and its "play broken files" feature that can open a video that is still downloading or has a damaged index.

The catch is that the free version shows ads and nudges you toward the paid edition, GOM Player+, so it helps to know exactly where the line sits before you install.

What GOM Player Actually Does - in Plain Terms

It plays your videos and music without you hunting for codecs.

GOM Player ships with built-in decoders for the formats most people actually have, and when it hits something it cannot read, its Codec Finder tries to point you to the missing piece.

On top of basic playback you get screen capture, A-B repeat (loop a section of a clip), playback speed control, subtitle sync and a skinnable interface.

The subtitle library is the standout - it can search for and auto-match subtitles to what you are watching, which is why a lot of long-time users stick with it.

Free Version vs GOM Player+ - What You Actually Get

This is the part that trips people up, so here it is plainly. The free GOM Player (version 2.3.120) does everything described above, but it is ad-supported - you will see promotional pop-ups, including one when you close the app.

GOM Player+ (version 24.0.9) is the paid edition: same core player, no ads, a cleaner interface, smoother 4K and UHD playback, and a few extras like split-screen and AI subtitle generation.

GOM Player+ is a one-time paid license, not a free trial that keeps working forever, so treat the "+" as the thing you pay for.

If you just want a free player and the ads bother you, that is a completely reasonable reason to look elsewhere - and several of the players we cover below are free with no ads at all.

Who GOM Player Is For - and Who Should Look Elsewhere

GOM Player makes sense if you value its subtitle library and do not mind the occasional ad, or if you specifically want the broken-file recovery feature. It is also a familiar, comfortable choice if you have used it for years.

It is a weaker pick in a few real situations, and the reviews on this page are honest about them.

DVD playback and some audio tracks (like Dolby/AC3) can be hit or miss, a few users report missing audio on certain MKV files, and EAC3 and DTS are paid codecs rather than free extras. If any of that describes your library, a player with everything decoded internally and no ads will be less hassle.

The two strongest free, no-ads options we host are VLC Media Player, which plays almost anything out of the box across Windows, Mac and Linux, and MPC-HC, a lightweight Windows player that sips system resources.

For maximum format options in one app, PotPlayer is the closest match to GOM Player's feature density, and KMPlayer offers similar built-in codecs with 3D support. Minimalists who want a tiny, fast player with no installer extras tend to prefer mpv player.

What's New in GOM Player 2.3.120

The recent 2.3.x releases have focused on quiet fixes rather than big new features. Version 2.3.120 is a maintenance update with bug fixes and stability improvements.

The more notable recent additions came just before it: an AI voice-recognition subtitle generator that can create subtitles from a video's audio, an updated browser engine for the in-app web features on Windows 10 and later, and a batch of subtitle and screen-capture fixes.

An earlier 2.3.x update also resolved a playback stall that happened with AV1 video and improved HEVC HDR tone mapping.

Before You Install: A Few Honest Notes

Two things worth knowing up front. First, the installer for the free version includes ads and may offer extras during setup, so read each screen rather than clicking straight through. Second, if a specific file still will not play after install, the usual culprit is a missing system codec rather than the player itself. Installing a system-wide codec layer fixes that for every Windows app at once - the K-Lite Codec Pack is the easiest all-in-one option, and LAV Filters is the lighter, decoder-only choice if you prefer to keep things minimal. For HEVC/H.265 files specifically (common with 4K and modern phone recordings), the official HEVC Video Extension adds system support, and our guide on playing H.265 videos with LAV Filters walks through the setup.

Quick Tests Before You Commit to a Download

If you are not sure a problem file is even healthy, you can check it in your browser before installing anything.

The Online HEVC Player plays H.265 files directly in Chrome or Edge and can convert them to MP4 locally if your browser cannot decode them, and the Codec Finder helps identify what a stubborn file actually contains.

Both run on your machine with nothing uploaded - handy on a locked-down work laptop where you cannot install software.

For more background, the guide on the best players for HEVC files compares the desktop options side by side, and AV1 vs H.265 in 2026 explains the newer codec you will increasingly run into.

Get GOM Player 2.3.120 Free for Windows 11/10

GOM Player is freeware, virus-checked, and has been downloaded more than 1.4 million times here.

Grab the current free build from the GOM Player download page. If you would rather skip the ads entirely, compare it against the free, no-ads players above before deciding - and if you want a fuller rundown of which app suits which job, our media players category lists everything we cover.