Game Clients Apps and Alternatives

The concept of 'game libraries' has materialized roughly around a decade ago from the necessity of bringing games to their digital forms, given that they take way less space than their physical counterpart (CDs, DVDs).

Aside from letting users manage their collection of titles in a more convenient way than racking removable storage media on a shelf, these clients also offer more features that can benefit developers and users alike. Some of the features include DRM, multiplayer support, social networking systems, regular updates, friends lists, cloud saving and in-game voice chatting.

The Steam platform is supposedly the largest platform of this kind and was the first one that claimed the 'Game Library' title. Users can benefit from all the functions mentioned above, as well as acquire titles if they are available in the store. Developers can use the Steamworks API to integrate many features to their products, including achievements, matchmaking capabilities, micro-transactions, and Steam Workshop support.

Origin is also a digital distribution platform that was developed by Electronic Arts and offers digital rights management (DRM) and online gaming support. It enables users to purchase digital content from the EA catalogs and binds the content to their Origin accounts after the acquisition, letting them download and play it afterward.

Uplay was developed by Ubisoft and aimed to provide users with multiplayer support, communication services, and achievement/trophy systems for several platforms such as PC, PlayStation 4, Wii U or Xbox 360. By playing the games in their library and performing specific actions, users can receive points (called Units) that they can exchange for game-related rewards.

GOG Galaxy enables users to buy and play games from the GOG.com store and share them with their friends. However, installing the client isn't mandatory and it functions under the same DRM-free principle as GOG.com. A couple of years after its launch, it enabled users with the GOG Connect service, which let users who owned certain Steam games redeem the DRM-free version from GOG.com.

For indie games aficionados, Game Jolt is a real gem, as the app enables users to discover new entries, acquire them, support the developers, download content to their computers and play the games from a single place. Aside from the library-like behavior of the app, users also benefit from social feature such as forums and a built-in chat.

GameRoom is a client that aims to incorporate every single game that is installed on your computer, regardless of the platform it uses. Given that it features support for several platforms, including Steam, Origin, Uplay and GOG Galaxy, users can merge the titles in their collection into a unique library.