A video game collection usually grows in several places at once: a Steam account, a console library, a few store accounts and a shelf of boxes. When you want to find a game, the difficult part is often remembering where you own it and whether you have already started it.
A useful inventory answers three questions: what do I own, where can I play it, and what do I want to do with it? You can build that inventory gradually in ArkPixels, an Android game collection and backlog tracker.
Start with one part of your collection
Choose a source you can check today: one console shelf, your installed PC games or your Steam library. Add a small group, confirm its details and then move to the next source. You do not need to catalogue every purchase before the inventory becomes useful.
For games outside Steam, use manual entry. Search for the title, check the matching game and record your owned platforms. Matching the right title matters when a series has remakes, similarly named sequels or different editions. Use notes for edition and store details; ArkPixels does not provide separate physical/digital format, edition or store fields.
Steam import is optional. It can save time for a large PC library, while console and other store purchases can remain manual entries. An imported list still deserves a quick review: owning a game does not automatically mean you want it in your active backlog.Record ownership at the copy level
Record ownership at the copy level
Imagine that you own a digital PC copy of a game and a physical console edition of the same title. Record both owned platforms and write a short ownership note, such as “PC: digital; console: boxed collector edition”. Collections or tags can also identify your physical shelf. A manual title can represent several owned platforms; imported copies from different Steam profiles remain associated with those profiles.
- The game title and edition you actually bought.
- The platform on which you can use it.
- A note about physical or digital ownership and the relevant store.
- Its status in your personal library.
- Any note you need to locate or recognise that copy.
Keep notes short and practical. “Disc on living-room shelf” is more useful during a quick search than a long description copied from the store page. Avoid putting passwords or account recovery details in collection notes.
Separate your collection from your backlog
Your collection contains the games you are keeping track of. Your backlog contains the games you intend to play. Those sets do not need to be identical.
Mark games you are currently working on as Playing, future candidates as Backlog and finished games as Completed. Paused is useful when you expect to return to a game. Dropped can record a deliberate decision to stop. Wishlist entries help you remember a possible purchase, but should remain distinguishable from owned games.
This keeps a large collection from becoming an equally large to-do list. A multiplayer game you return to occasionally can also have a different role from a story you want to finish once.Use a small number of filters and collectionsThis keeps a large collection from becoming an equally large to-do list. A multiplayer game you return to occasionally can also have a different role from a story you want to finish once.
Use a small number of filters and collections
Start with filters that solve an immediate question: games on the console beside you, games in Backlog or games already in progress. Browse those subsets before adding more organisation.
Collections can group a series, a household shelf or a personal selection. Tags can describe something that cuts across platforms, such as “relaxing” or “local co-op”. Give each label a clear purpose. If two tags mean the same thing, combine the habit around one of them rather than adding both to every entry.
For example, a collection called “Weekend candidates” can contain a handful of games from several platforms. The platform filter then narrows that list to the hardware you can use today.
Review repeated titles before merging or deleting
A repeated title can be an accidental duplicate, a different edition or a legitimate second copy. Check its platform, ownership source and personal data before removing anything. ArkPixels includes library control tools for reviewing organisation and possible duplicates; treat the result as a prompt to inspect the records.
Be especially careful with imported Steam copies. Keep the copy associated with the intended Steam profile and preserve notes or progress that belong to it. A tidier grid is only useful if it still represents your ownership correctly.
Maintain the inventory when something changes
After a purchase, add the new copy while its details are fresh. After a play session, update the relevant status or progress. Every few weeks, review a small filtered subset rather than the entire collection.
A good first session is simple: add ten games, check their platforms, choose statuses and create one useful collection. The result is already a working inventory. You can expand it at a pace that leaves time to actually play.