Video Game Cataloging Software for PC - Preferably Free

Donatello on 28/03/2021 - 10:50
Last edited 28/03/2021 - 10:51

Most people have a backlog.

Most people buy games at bargain/sale prices.

Some people forget what they own/bought.

Is there a free software for cataloging your video game collection?

I can't remember where I saw/read it, all you had do was put in the barcode for a title you own and it would auto populate the details - obviously had to have internet connection. Can't remember if it was cloud based or local, free or paid. :(

In before comments: Google it or just use a spreadsheet or build your own database. :'(

Gaming

Comments

  • Okayy on 28/03/2021 - 10:54

    Excel sheet with some game cover.

  • neal-c on 28/03/2021 - 11:55
    +2

    I have over 2,500 gamer across multiple platforms and I have been caught out before in the past about buying a game I already had!
    I simply exported my game list in Steam using a tool (can't remember what it was at the time), then imported the data (.csv file) into Excel.
    I manually did this for my other games on other platforms as they were smaller.
    As a hint you can copy text on-screen and paste in Notepad (or Notepad++) and then clean up/remove irrelevant info and just past game name details.

    In Excel I had the following Columns - Game Name, Platform, Standalone, DRM Free, Filename, Licensed Accounts
    Once pasted in games in Excel i then entered the Platform, it is was a free download or not managed in Steam I would a copy to the file location and indicate it is Standalone. But importantly I selected the Game Name column and applied a "Duplicate Values" conditional formatting rule that would highlight any duplicates.
    Note: I ensured all text was coverted to "Title Case" at the beginning just to make sure that a typo preventing me from finding duplicates.

    Anyway… long story short, Excel is your best bet! Simple effective and Free.
    Using a tool in my opinion is too much work as most of the details of your games (ie.Picture, details about it are stored within the gaming platform [ie. Steam, Epic, PS etc]
    The main purpose of Excel it to prevent you buying a "second copy" or to find what games you have.

    I also had a tab called Games Wanted and copy /pasted my Steam Wish List (I only maintain one wish list on Steam as I can connect Steam up to Isthereanydeal.com) and it will email me when it goes cheap etc. Then if I buy the game on a platform other than Steam or (get it free on Epic!) then I remove it from my Steam wishlist.
    Having a copy of this wishlist in Excel is OK, but it can become out of sync with Steam.

    I also, put the Excel in the cloud so i can access it on my phone and the also have steam on my phone, that way if I am at the shop and what to check if i have something already I can check on my phone…..just so i don't buy a physical copy of a game that I may have on Digital format etc.

    Hope that helps..

    BTW> I also use different TABS on this same spreadsheet to keep track of movie purchases as I have in the past bought more than one copy of the same movie!!!!

    • Donatello on 28/03/2021 - 12:08

      Actually, that's a good tip. Have the game spreadsheet in the cloud.

  • boomramada on 28/03/2021 - 12:05
    +1

    I used to had a ms access database, like 10 years ago 😬
    Just keep using spreadsheet and move on, don't make your life so complex.

  • buckethat on 28/03/2021 - 12:34
    +2

    Sheesh.. what a problem to have.

    • Donatello on 28/03/2021 - 12:49

      LOL. Sure is! ;)

  • Yuri Lowell on 28/03/2021 - 13:03
    +1

    Was it this one? https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.hairyharri…

    I've used it before but not the barcode feature. It does an okay job but it lacks information for PAL games (you can just substitute NTSC though). Unfortunately it's only for smart phones.

    It's not software but I'd recommend The Backloggery website. It's been around for yonks but gives you the freedom to input any game, although that does make it a bit annoying to use as you have to type up the title manually and input the details yourself as it has no database lookup.

    Another one is Gamefaqs. Their database covers pretty much every game in existence and they have a game collection feature that is quite easy to use.

  • Soulsearcher on 28/03/2021 - 13:23
    +4

    I use the GoG Galaxy client - it will track your GoG games, along with Steam, Origin, UPlay & Epic.

    https://www.gog.com/galaxy

  • Kendrite13 on 28/03/2021 - 14:00

    I'm not sure if I quite get what you need but would Playnite help you? https://playnite.link/

    It's free and open source. I have it installed and it seems to work but I don't use it much.

    Imports all your games from most of the big platforms.

  • coxjon on 28/03/2021 - 14:33

    I’ve used the CLZ apps for movies and books but can’t comment on the games one. I liked the movies and books ones as I could scan barcodes. Not sure if it’s as easy to add games

    https://apps.apple.com/au/app/clz-games-game-database/id3190…

  • Screamingeagle on 28/03/2021 - 19:53

    Launchbox.

    It is designed as a frontend for Emulation but you can just use it as a catalog if you want. You can import games from various PC stores (Steam, Origin, GOG, Microsoft Gamepass etc). It has a massive database of games across all platforms (plus you can add your own).

    The only thing I would recommend is that if the database gets really big is to put it on an SSD.

  • veetor on 14/04/2021 - 23:21

    The software you're thinking of sounds like Game Collector from collectorz.com.

    I mostly use a spreadsheet for my video games, but I also have an account on darkadia.com which also lets you manage your collection. I think GameFaqs also has something similar.

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