Hey everyone,

it’s me again, one of the two developers behind GameVault, a self-hosted gaming platform similar to how Plex/Jellyfin is for your movies and series, but for your game collection. If you've hoarded a bunch of games over the years, this app is going to be your best friend. Think of it as your own personal Steam, hosted on your own server.

If you haven’t heard of GameVault yet, you can check it out here and get started within 5 minutes—seriously, it’s a game changer.

For those who already know GameVault, or its old name He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we are excited to tell you we just launched a major update. I’m talking a massive overhaul—so much so, that we could’ve rebuilt the whole thing from scratch. Here’s the big news: We’re no longer relying on RAWG or Google Images for game metadata. Instead, we’ve officially partnered with IGDB/Twitch for a more reliable and extended metadata experience!

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also rolled out a new plugin system and a metadata framework that allows you to connect to multiple metadata providers at once. It’s never been this cool to run your own Steam-like platform right from your good ol' 19" incher below your desk!

What’s new in this update?

• IGDB/Twitch Integration: Say goodbye to unreliable metadata scrapers. Now you can enjoy game info sourced directly from IGDB.
• Customizable Metadata: Edit and fine-tune game metadata with ease. Your changes are saved separately, so the original data stays intact.
• Plugin System: Build your own plugins for metadata or connect to as many sources as you want—unlimited flexibility!
• Parental Controls: Manage age-appropriate access for the family and children.
• Built-in Media Player: Watch game trailers and gameplay videos directly in GameVault.
• UI Overhaul: A fresh, streamlined look for the app, community, game and admin interface.
• Halloween Theme: For GameVault+ users, we’ve added a spooky Halloween skin just in time for the season!

Things to keep in mind when updating:

• GameVault Client v1.12 is now required for servers running v13 or above.
• Older clients won’t work on servers that have been updated to v13.

For a smooth update and a guide on how to use all these new features, check out the detailed migration instructions in the server changelogs. As always, if you hit any snags, feel free to reach out to us on Discord.

If you run into any issues or need help with the migration, feel free to join and open a ticket in our Discord community—we’re always happy to help!

If you want to support our pet-project and keep most upcoming features of GameVault free for everyone, consider subscribing to GameVault+ or making a one-time donation. Every little bit fuels our passion to keep building and improving!

Thanks for everything! We're more than 800 Members on our discord now and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest version.

Hey everyone,

it’s me again, one of the two developers behind GameVault, a self-hosted gaming platform similar to how Plex/Jellyfin is for your movies and series, but for your game collection. If you've hoarded a bunch of games over the years, this app is going to be your best friend. Think of it as your own personal Steam, hosted on your own server.

If you haven’t heard of GameVault yet, you can check it out here and get started within 5 minutes—seriously, it’s a game changer.

For those who already know GameVault, or its old name He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, we are excited to tell you we just launched a major update. I’m talking a massive overhaul—so much so, that we could’ve rebuilt the whole thing from scratch. Here’s the big news: We’re no longer relying on RAWG or Google Images for game metadata. Instead, we’ve officially partnered with IGDB/Twitch for a more reliable and extended metadata experience!

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also rolled out a new plugin system and a metadata framework that allows you to connect to multiple metadata providers at once. It’s never been this cool to run your own Steam-like platform right from your good ol' 19" incher below your desk!

What’s new in this update?

• IGDB/Twitch Integration: Say goodbye to unreliable metadata scrapers. Now you can enjoy game info sourced directly from IGDB.
• Customizable Metadata: Edit and fine-tune game metadata with ease. Your changes are saved separately, so the original data stays intact.
• Plugin System: Build your own plugins for metadata or connect to as many sources as you want—unlimited flexibility!
• Parental Controls: Manage age-appropriate access for the family and children.
• Built-in Media Player: Watch game trailers and gameplay videos directly in GameVault.
• UI Overhaul: A fresh, streamlined look for the app, community, game and admin interface.
• Halloween Theme: For GameVault+ users, we’ve added a spooky Halloween skin just in time for the season!

Things to keep in mind when updating:

• GameVault Client v1.12 is now required for servers running v13 or above.
• Older clients won’t work on servers that have been updated to v13.

For a smooth update and a guide on how to use all these new features, check out the detailed migration instructions in the server changelogs. As always, if you hit any snags, feel free to reach out to us on Discord.

If you run into any issues or need help with the migration, feel free to join and open a ticket in our Discord community—we’re always happy to help!

If you want to support our pet-project and keep most upcoming features of GameVault free for everyone, consider subscribing to GameVault+ or making a one-time donation. Every little bit fuels our passion to keep building and improving!

Thanks for everything! We're more than 800 Members on our discord now and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the latest version.

Hey folks,

Thank you, everyone, for the feedback and the huge desire for a User Interface overhaul for GameVault on our Discord Poll.

In case you're wondering what GameVault is, it's like having your own video gaming platform for games on your server – think Plex, but for video games. If you are a self-hosting gamer, you most likely want to check this out.

With the brand new version 1.8, we've taken your feedback to heart and worked hard to give GameVault a fresh coat of paint!

I attached a before/after pic of how it used to look (left) versus now (right) so you can see the difference.

The UI underwent a complete makeover, and aside from looking pretty awesome, it is much better in terms of usability as well.

Just so you know: The first UI was kind of basic and only meant for us two developers, as we didn't initially plan to release this project to the public.

Now that the traction is so huge and thousands of people are using this software, it would plainly feel wrong not to give it a facelift. So, every button and detail has been thoughtfully placed to make things way more user-friendly.

If you weren't a fan of the old UI, now's the time to swing by and check out the changes.

If you also want to steer the future development of GameVault, make sure to join our Discord Server.

You can check out GameVault here.

Hey fellow self-hosters!

It's u/Alfagun74 from GameVault, the self-hosted platform for organizing and sharing your servers DRM-free games collection. We've come a long way since our initial release, and I'm thrilled to share what's been happening with GameVault since then.

From "Crackpipe" to GameVault

If you've been with us since the start, you might remember our initial quirky name, "Crackpipe." Well, we had a good laugh, but as we grew, we decided to go for something more fitting – GameVault! It's your personal gaming treasure trove, and the name says it all.

What's GameVault?

For the uninitiated, GameVault is like having your own Steam for game files lying on your server. It's a self-hosted, source-available gaming platform. Bring your DRM-free game files, and GameVault organizes them, enriches them with metadata, and gives you a user-friendly interface to manage and play your games. It's all about enjoying your favorite titles with friends.

What's happened since initial release?

Since our initial release four months ago, we've been hard at work, reaching version 9 on the backend and 1.7 on the frontend.

Here's a reel of the exciting big features we've added:

1. Auto Extraction and Installation of Videogames
2. Uninstalling Games through GameVault
3. Uploading Images directly to your GameVault
4. Support for a metric ton of archive formats
5. Crash Reports
6. Database Backups & Restorations
7. Bandwidth Control
8. Random Game Finder

What's on the Horizon?

We've been listening to your feedback, and here's what was asked for the most:

1. UI Redesign for the Library and Installations Tab
2. Support for ROMS and Emulators
3. Support for extra files like Soundtracks etc.

Right now we're knee-deep in redesigning the Library, the heart of our application. Big changes are on the way, waving goodbye to the installations tab and bringing in a sleeker UI for Library, Game View, and Game Settings. More on and a sneak-peek is coming to our blog soon.

Join the GameVault Community!

If you haven't already, come join our vibrant community on Discord. You can influence the direction of GameVault and participate in exclusive polls over there.

Spread the Word and Stay Tuned!

Help us promote GameVault among fellow self-hosters. Your efforts could inspire a bored developer to join and contribute to our project!

Let's make gaming personal again with GameVault!

Hi guys,

we're excited to reconnect with you all here on Lemmy after our project "Crackpipe" generated quite a buzz recently. With its brand new name, we proudly present "GameVault"!

In case you missed our, let's say - "controversial" debut on reddit and lemmy, let us give you a quick rundown of what GameVault is all about:

GameVault is a fantastic gaming platform that you can host yourself, allowing you and your friends to enjoy "alternatively obtained" games on your own terms. It simplifies the whole gaming experience by organizing, downloading, installing, playing, and tracking your favorite games right on your file server. GameVault automatically detects game files, builds a metadata database, and offers a user-friendly client for seamless downloading and gameplay. Imagine having your own personalized Steam for games stored on your file server!

Linux users, please note that we don't currently have a native client available. However, our documentation includes a community-driven approach to running the client on Linux, which you can find under "Advanced Usage."

Are you ready to add another Link to your Dashboards?

Feel free to pay a visit to our website and join our Discord and Lemmy Community to become part of an awesome community!

Hey folks,

our team has worked tirelessly for a year to bring you Crackpipe, the open-source, decentralized, and liberal alternative to conventional cloud-based game platforms like Steam and Origin. We're thrilled to announce that Crackpipe is now available for everyone, and we're delighted to share it with the community as an open-source project.

With Crackpipe, you and your friends can enjoy playing and tracking games on a shared file server, free from the restrictions of traditional platforms. Embracing "alternatively obtained" games, including DRM-free titles, Crackpipe offers a flexible and open approach to gaming - think Jellyfin, but for Videogames.

Take full control of your gaming experience with Crackpipe's self-hosted approach. Explore your server's game collection, securely download, launch, and play games, and monitor your playtimes and progress - all even when the server is offline. Compare stats and play states with other users on the server for added fun.

Our server features include automatic indexing of games, metadata enrichment with RAWG API, multi-user authentication, configurable logging, health monitoring, full-text search, filters, sorting, pagination, and a fully documented API. Crackpipe's high configurability ensures it fits your specific needs.

Join us on this journey to embrace a more open, flexible, and enjoyable gaming experience for all. Try Crackpipe today and share your contributions, feedback, bug reports, and feature requests.

Link: https://crackpipe.de

You can also check out our launch at producthunt: https://www.producthunt.com/posts/crackpipe

UPDATE: here