Which games can PlayCounter track?

Support is based on the process, not the store

There is no short, fixed “supported launcher” list behind PlayCounter. The Windows app observes running processes and matches their executable filenames to games. A distinctive filename with a known match can be tracked automatically wherever the game was started. A filename that is not known yet can be assigned locally.

That makes support broader than one account library, but it does not mean every title is identified perfectly on first launch. Automatic coverage depends on accurate executable-to-game matches. Generic names and shared processes need special handling, described below.

Games from major PC launchers

Recognized games can be timed when launched through Steam, Epic Games, GOG, Xbox or Game Pass, EA, Ubisoft, Battle.net, and other PC launchers. PlayCounter does not connect to those accounts or ask to import their installed libraries. Once the actual game process is running, its executable filename is what matters.

This also means you do not need to re-add a game to a different frontend just for timing. Start it from the store client, Start menu, desktop shortcut, mod manager, or wherever you normally do. The guide to tracking playtime outside Steam covers that workflow in detail.

DRM-free, portable, and standalone games

Legally obtained DRM-free releases, portable games, indie downloads, fan games, and titles with a standalone installer can all produce ordinary Windows executable processes. A recognized executable is automatic. An unknown one can be added as a local custom game or submitted as a community match for review.

The install folder does not decide whether a game is supported. For Windows matching, PlayCounter sends the filename rather than the full executable path. Moving a portable build therefore does not inherently change its filename match, though renaming the executable can prevent recognition.

Unknown games and community coverage

A title may be missing because it is new, niche, renamed, or simply not in the shared matching data yet. The user can name it as a local custom game and keep tracking. They may also submit the executable-to-game relationship for review. A reviewed approval improves automatic matching for future players.

Community growth is useful, but accuracy takes priority over raw match count. A suggestion made by one person is not immediately a trusted global mapping. This is how PlayCounter can become more automatic over time without silently teaching every client a bad answer.

Generic and ambiguous executable names

Some games ship as game.exe, start.exe, or another name used by unrelated titles. PlayCounter cannot safely infer a universal game from that filename alone. When multiple exact candidates are known, it presents them for one local choice. The selection is remembered on that PC and is not promoted to a normal global one-to-one match just because one user selected it.

That is still much less setup than finding and configuring every executable in advance: distinctive known names remain automatic, while only uncertain cases ask. Read how automatic game detection works for the complete matching sequence.

Emulators, browser games, and cloud clients

An emulator often runs every ROM inside the same emulator executable. The visible Windows process may therefore identify the emulator, not the individual console game. PlayCounter may track that shared emulator process as one application rather than produce a reliable per-ROM total.

Browser games and cloud gaming clients have a similar limitation: many titles can share one browser or streaming-client process. Process detection alone does not always reveal which content is active inside it. These are honest limits of filename-based tracking, not a promise of title-level support.

Games, tools, and other applications

PlayCounter can also keep time for a locally defined non-game application. That is useful for a level editor, creative tool, or any executable whose usage you deliberately want in the same local record. Conversely, ordinary background processes can be ignored so they do not clutter the games view.

What support includes and excludes

• Windows only: PlayCounter is not currently distributed for macOS or Linux.
• Observed sessions: it records while PlayCounter is running; it does not automatically reconstruct missed time.
• No historical import: older Steam or launcher hours are not pulled into the record, though time can be added manually.
• Local history: totals, session counts, and recent session history stay in local app storage.
• No account required: automatic matching does not require a PlayCounter login.

PlayCounter's coverage is therefore best understood as “Windows processes that can be identified,” not “games sold by a particular store.”