Which universal game launcher should you choose?
Several programs can bring Steam, Epic, GOG and the rest into one library — and they do not go about it the same way. Here is what each one does, and what it does not.
We are hardly neutral, so let us say it up front: this page is written by the playR team. So the table below states only things you can check, and the paragraphs after it send you to a competitor whenever it answers your need better than we do. There are cases where playR is not the right choice.
The table
| playR | Playnite | GOG Galaxy 2.0 | Heroic | LaunchBox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PC stores |
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|
|
|
Imports games already installed |
| Console libraries |
|
Via extensions | Via community integrations | No | No |
| Steam family library | Yes | Via an extension | No | No | No |
| Cloud gaming |
|
Via an extension | No | No | No |
| Emulators and retro games | No | Yes | No | No | Yesits specialty |
| Console mode: full screen, controller-driven | YesTV mode | YesFullscreen mode | No | No | Yeswith Big Box, paid |
| A server at home, several PCs on the same library | Yes | Nobut its database can sit on a shared drive | Nothe library stays on that machine | Nothe library stays on that machine | Nothe library stays on that machine |
| Price comparison for your wishlists | Yesacross some thirty stores | Via an extension | No | No | No |
| Alerts when a game is given away | Yes | Via an extension | No | No | No |
| Ratings and personal lists | Yes | Yes | Tags and filters | Favourites and categories only | Yes |
| Progress tracking: to play, playing, finished | Yeswith a coloured dot on the cover art | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Filing a game with a simple drag and drop | Yeslists and statuses | No | No | No | No |
| Dashboard: statistics across the whole collection | Yesincluding the collection’s estimated value | Playtimestatistics via an extension | Playtimeper game, with no overall view | Playtimeonly | Playtimeonly |
| Translated interface | 9 languages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extensions | No | Yesthe richest ecosystem of the lot | Yesbut dormant since 2021 | No | Yesthemes and plugins |
| Operating systems |
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|
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| Wine and Proton, to play on Linux | Planned | No | No | Yesits core business | No |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free | Freebut Big Box is paid |
Checked in August 2026 against each project’s official site and repository. These programs move fast: if a cell is wrong or has aged badly, tell us and it will be fixed.
Which one, for what?
playR
For anyone with games across several stores, several PCs at home, and the wish to find the same library everywhere — plus a TV and a controller in the living room. It is the only one here that works as a server: the library lives on a machine of yours and the others connect to it. It also brings wishlist price comparison, alerts on games being given away and cloud gaming, which none of the others does out of the box. And filing a game — into a list or a status — takes a simple drag and drop, where the others go through a menu.
Pick it if you have several PCs and want the same library everywhere, controller included.
Not for you if you want retro, Linux today, or open source.
Playnite
A highly configurable desktop launcher, with a full-screen controller mode and community extensions. It handles emulators too. In return, almost everything runs through extensions you have to find, install and configure one by one: setting it up is long and tedious, and you have to go back to it with every change. The library itself stays on the machine it is installed on.
Pick it if you play on a single Windows PC and do not mind the time spent configuring.
Not for you if you want it to work without setup, or your library on several PCs.
GOG Galaxy 2.0
GOG’s own client, able to show other platforms through community integrations. Those have not been maintained since 2021, and the software barely moves any more.
Pick it if GOG is your main store and the integrations you need still work.
Not for you if you are counting on new features: the software and its integrations have stalled.
Heroic Games Launcher
An open-source launcher for Epic, GOG and Amazon, which installs and runs those games through Wine and Proton. It handles neither Steam nor the other stores, and its collection management stops at favourites and categories.
Pick it if you play on Linux or Steam Deck.
Not for you if most of your games are on Steam, or you have a large collection to organise.
LaunchBox
Aimed at retro collections: emulators, cover art, skins, and Big Box — paid — for a full-screen controller showcase. On the PC side, it merely imports what is already installed on the machine.
Pick it if your collection is mostly consoles and arcade — ground playR does not cover, and will not.
Not for you if what you really want is to bring your PC stores together.
Try playR
Free, one single installer, Windows 10 and 11. The server comes with it, or runs on your NAS.