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Manually Added Local Games

Adding, organizing, and enriching standalone local games, custom executables, and ROMs

Manually Added Local Games

Universal Game Launcher natively discovers and manages games across all major game launchers — including Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG Galaxy, Ubisoft Connect, EA Desktop, Xbox / Microsoft Store, Battle.net, itch.io, and Amazon Games.

In addition to automatic launcher detection, Universal Game Launcher provides complete support for manually adding local games, standalone DRM-free executables, indie releases, and custom shortcuts so your entire collection lives in one unified library.

📁 Adding Local Games (+ Add Game)

To add a local game or standalone executable:

  1. Open the Library view (/library).
  2. Click the + Add Game button at the top of the left games list sidebar.
  3. In the modal:
    • Browse Executable: Click Browse… to select your .exe, .bat, .cmd, or script binary.
    • Automatic Title Derivation: The game title is automatically generated from the executable filename or parent directory using the Universal Title Normalizer.
    • Platform Attribution: Categorize the game under Standalone, or attribute it to a specific storefront or publisher.
    • Launch Arguments & Working Directory: Specify custom command-line parameters and working folders.
    • Custom Cover Art: Optionally browse and select a local cover image (.png, .jpg).
  4. Click Save Game. The game appears immediately in your library under its platform accordion.

🔤 Intelligent Title Normalization (utility-title-normalizer)

Standalone and indie games often arrive with awkward directory names, compressed slugs, or release tags. The built-in Universal Title Normalizer automatically cleans these titles:

  • RPG Maker Engine Parsing: Automatically checks child folders for www/data/System.json or data/System.json and reads the authentic "gameTitle" property (e.g. resolving relicts-auf-aeson to Relicts of Aeson).
  • Slug De-concatenation: Decomposes concatenated lowercase folder names into natural English titles (e.g. myfutafamily to My Futa Family).
  • Article Inversion: Converts inverted library titles to natural reading order (e.g. Legend of Zelda, The - The Wind Waker to The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker).
  • Deduplication: Automatically groups identical executables and prevents duplicate entries in library:custom_games.

⚙️ Per-Game Customization Modal (⚙ Manage)

Once added, any standalone title can be fully customized by clicking ⚙ Manage in the showcase header:

  • Title (Display Name): Edit the display name at any time.
  • Short Description: Provide a custom synopsis or plot overview.
  • Developers & Publishers: Authoritative creator and studio credits.
  • Release Date: Formatted release date.
  • Genres: Custom category tag pills.
  • Custom Artwork Slots:
    • Portrait Capsule Cover (600×900): Direct image URL or local file picker (Browse...).
    • Hero Wallpaper Banner (16:9): Direct image URL or local file picker (Browse...).
    • Transparent Logo: Direct image URL or local file picker (Browse...).

🤖 Automatic Multi-Source Metadata Resolution

Standalone games benefit from the Universal Metadata Engine:

  • The engine queries Steam Store Search, GOG Catalog v1, and Wikipedia / Wikidata MediaWiki API to automatically match game details and synopses.
  • If community artwork is desired, configuring a free SteamGridDB API key in Settings → Plugin Settings enables automatic 600×900 capsules and hero backdrops.

🛡️ Persistence & Safe Isolation

All metadata, custom tags, artwork slot assignments, and collection memberships for manually added games are persisted safely in the generic embedded SQLite database (database.sqlite) and in-memory Redis KV tier (mem_kv).

  • Universal Game Launcher never writes to Steam’s shortcuts.vdf or external client files.
  • Manually added games operate with full independence.

➡️ Next Steps