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How do you Organize your games on PC

F

Felspawn

Member
so the vast majority of games i get on the PC are on Steam, i like the service, i like the overlay, its a manageable level of DRM (when publishers aren't stacking their own addition crap on top........ Ubisoft) it works for me. that said not everything is available on Steam, (stuff like Mass effect 3 come to mind) or stuff that use to work if you opened them from within Steam but had that functionality broken (Blizzard titles post-battle.net launcher).

So my question is this, how do you organize your gaming Library on your PC? be they from Steam, Gog.com, Origin, Blizzard etc. Is it as simple as just having a folder full of Icons that open whatever service is required to run the game, or do you have another setup, please share with pics if possible.
 
S

shandy706

Member
My_Messy_Desktop_Tuesday_5_January_2010.jpg
Click to expand...

My desktop


I keep a single folder on the desktop labeled "games". I can launch nearly any game from there. I also put links to most games on my Steam library..
 
T

The Dear Leader

Banned
I just have a shortcut for all the major clients on my desktop (Steam, Uplay, Origin, Battle.net etc.) and a shortcut of all DRM free games as well.
 
F

FaintDeftone

Junior Member
Non-Steam games have icons on the desktop. My Steam games are simply categorized by genre and sorted that way within the Steam client. That is all I do.
 
Bl@de

Bl@de

Member
Felspawn said:
So my question is this, how do you organize your gaming Library on your PC? be they from Steam, Gog.com, Origin, Blizzard etc. Is it as simple as just having a folder full of Icons that open whatever service is required to run the game, or do you have another setup, please share with pics if possible.
Click to expand...

Well pictures are always easier, so take a look:

Steam
steam6ks9q.jpg


Three Categories: Singleplayer, Multiplayer and Not Installed

GOG
gogihsq2.jpg


A folder on the desktop next to the Steam icon. Inside all the installed DRM-free goodies^^

- Blizzard: Don't use it
- Origin: Don't use it
- uPlay: Started from Steam when launching M&M X.

That's it. Simple.
 
T

truthiness

Member
Install all games in C:\Games.

Steam and Origin automatically start up when my PC turns on, so any games I want to play in there I just go in that client.

Otherwise, just shortcuts to the games I play the most on the desktop. This is pretty much just the Battle.net client and whatever game I'm playing the most at the time. I like to have a very clean desktop, so there are only ever like 4-5 games there at a time.

With Windows 8, you can also just make a section on your start screen with a bunch of Games shortcuts there. Helps clean things up a bit, and that screen is always easily accessible.
 
F

Felspawn

Member
yeah its basically what i've been doing, i wish there was a unified interface you could run all your games out of , but i guess that's just not something you can do in a fractured environment like PC gaming
 
V

Veritigo_X

Member
I use Steam. If the game isn't on Steam (like Minecraft or Elite: Dangerous) I add it using the 'Add Non-Steam Game' function. I like having all my games in one cohesive interface and it's nice being able to still chat with friends using the Steam overlay.
 
R

Robaperas

Junior Member
shandy706 said:
My desktop


I keep a single folder on the desktop labeled "games". I can launch nearly any game from there. I also put links to most games on my Steam library..
Click to expand...

I have them the same way, keeps my desktop tidy, also I have different categories on my steam library, games to replay, finished, and different genres.
 
G

garath

Member
/shrug. My new games that I'm currently playing have shortcuts on my desktop. I group them by when I got them.

My most played games (CS:GO, League of Legends, Battle.NET, etc) all have links on the desktop and are grouped together.

The rest can be found in their respective digital client as needed. No need to have 8,000 games immediately accessible. Just the ones I'm playing.
 
C

Chainsawkitten

Member
I install it in the standard location it asks for. I'm not gonna manually remove the files and registry entries anyway so it doesn't matter. I have a folder for games that don't have an installer.
 
T

The_Monk

Member
Steam, Origin and Uplay clients are pinned in the Start bar (Windows 7) while the Desktop is clutter free with only one folder work related. On my windows bar I only have the short cut for Chrome and nothing else since I like things clean and minimal.

iJMd06z.png


From other shortcuts, say, from gog I put them all in the Documents folder.

On Steam I try to have only a few titles installed at the same time:

zRo3nxy.png


Trying to cut some of them since it helps on focusing on the Backlog when you only have a couple of them installed. My goal is to have a Top 10 most of the time while playing 2-3 different PC at a time.
 
F

Felspawn

Member
Veritigo_X said:
I use Steam. If the game isn't on Steam (like Minecraft or Elite: Dangerous) I add it using the 'Add Non-Steam Game' function. I like having all my games in one cohesive interface and it's nice being able to still chat with friends using the Steam overlay.
Click to expand...

I do that too when i can, shame it doesnt work for everything :(
 
V

Veritigo_X

Member
Felspawn said:
I do that too when i can, shame it doesnt work for everything :(
Click to expand...

What doesn't it work for? I was honestly surprised that the Steam overlay worked in Minecraft since it has to go through a launcher first. I figure if it works with that nothing else should have a problem.
 
S

shandy706

Member
Bl@de said:
Well pictures are always easier, so take a look:

Steam
steam6ks9q.jpg


Three Categories: Singleplayer, Multiplayer and Not Installed

That's it. Simple.
Click to expand...

But my not installed folder only has like 20 games and my other 2 folders would have like 200 games.

We need to go deeper, lol.
 
B

BadWolf

Member
For steam games just the list view, I don't have that many games for it.

For non-steam games I have a desktop icon for the game I'm currently playing and delete it once I'm finished. I just use the desktop search function to find games again later. So my desktop is pretty clean.
 
F

Felspawn

Member
Veritigo_X said:
What doesn't it work for? I was honestly surprised that the Steam overlay worked in Minecraft since it has to go through a launcher first. I figure if it works with that nothing else should have a problem.
Click to expand...

i mainly meant to the blizzard games, i didnt know there was a solution, i'll be trying it out when i get home
 
T

TheBowen

Sat alone in a boggy marsh
Most games are all added on steam and are put into different categories

Backlog
May Replay ( Games that I'm currently replaying )
Cant Complete ( Games which dont have a 'true ending' e.g Civ 5 , FTL, Trials Fusion )
Completed, DLC ( Games that ife completed but still have additional content to complete)
Completed, Never Again ( Games , whether good or bad , that ive completed but delete due to done everything i was in them )
Multiplayer
Nah You're alright mate ( Shitty games that i never want to play )
Pointless Crap ( Betas etc )
Demos
 
V

Veritigo_X

Member
Felspawn said:
i mainly meant to the blizzard games, i didnt know there was a solution, i'll be trying it out when i get home
Click to expand...

Ah gotcha. I don't play any Blizzard games. Glad you have a solution for that. Hopefully you don't have other problem games because having all your games in Steam is clearly the best option :D
 
B

bobeth

Member
The_Monk said:
Steam, Origin and Uplay clients are pinned in the Start bar (Windows 7) while the Desktop is clutter free with only one folder work related. On my windows bar I only have the short cut for Chrome and nothing else since I like things clean and minimal.

iJMd06z.png


From other shortcuts, say, from gog I put them all in the Documents folder.

On Steam I try to have only a few titles installed at the same time:

zRo3nxy.png


Trying to cut some of them since it helps on focusing on the Backlog when you only have a couple of them installed. My goal is to have a Top 10 most of the time while playing 2-3 different PC at a time.
Click to expand...
Prettu much the same here, I hate clutter.
 
D

Durante

Member
My desktop is empty, and I never click on anything really. I also never delete or organize anything. I just install stuff.

When I want to launch a game I press the windows key and type a word in its title and press enter. Takes roughly a second.
 
G

glaurung

Member
I have Steam.

I rarely keep more than 3-4 games on my PC at the same time. I have a 300 MB net pipe, so downloading anything is a doddle. If I want to play something, I hit download, go make a cup of tea or coffee, and by the time I come back, it's always done.
 
K

Kup

Member
shandy706 said:
My desktop


I keep a single folder on the desktop labeled "games". I can launch nearly any game from there. I also put links to most games on my Steam library..
Click to expand...

My Desktop has just the Recycle Bin on it... Damn, son.
 
Caffeine

Caffeine

Member
i hide my desktop icons and pin everything steam, league, emulators, battle.net launcher to the taskbar in steam i hide all the games i dont have installed and just have a small install list of games i still go back too.
GBMOrlT.png
Click to expand...
 
L

Ladekabel

Member
Alphabetical on my desktop, at least the games I have installed.

In my Steam library apart from alphabetical they are organized after favorites, finished, might play eventually and still have to play. Games that ended up in my library for what ever reason and I'm not interested in playing are not visible in my library thanks to Steam's hide function.

Don't have GoG games on my PC. Would put them on my laptop, if I had one.
 
V

Veritigo_X

Member
Durante said:
My desktop is empty, and I never click on anything really. I also never delete or organize anything. I just install stuff.

When I want to launch a game I press the windows key and type a word in its title and press enter. Takes roughly a second.
Click to expand...

It's weird, I do this for every other program besides games. There's just something nice about clicking a pretty icon in Steam to launch a game. It's the digital equivalent of grabbing a game off the shelf.
 
SerTapTap

SerTapTap

Member
I carefully label all of my Steam games into one or more Categories. Steam, in it's infinite spite, leaves all of these categories open by default making my list even worse, or occasionally forgets what category 80% of games are in, making me just search anyway. I kinda wish it had voice search like my PS4.

I also have folders for DRM free games, ROMs and ISOs (ROMs are synced with dropbox, ISOs are not due to size) so I can easily back up/mess with them as needed, though I try to launch all those games via Steam.

There's also a dump folder where I keep DRM free demos/review copies of games that aren't from Steam. I put those into "nah" or "done" folders after playing.
 
H

HabeeNo

Member
SDcxrdd.png


Favorites (games I just play, no campaign involved)
Completed Games (Done, and probably will never touch again)
In Progress (Playing the campaign)
Owned but not Installed (Backlog/Humble Bundle)
 
N

Ninja Kn1ght

Member
No icons on my desktop. I use an app called depressurizer to sort my steam library. Anything I expect to be playing for a while I pin to the taskbar for quick access.
 
J

JBourne

maybe tomorrow it rains
I just launch everything from Steam, unless it causes problems. Some Origin games don't play nice with the Steam overlay.

Love seeing all my games in grid view.
 
Z

Zeyphersan

Banned
I keep whatever launcher service I need (Steam, uPlay, Origin, GOG Galaxy eventually, Battlenet) on the desktop. I do my damndest to not buy games not attached to some service somewhere. Not because I'm against that at all, but I know for a FACT that I'll forget about it. I just will.

And then of course each service keeps their own list of what you have and don't have so that's taken care of
 
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