GameDock Helper · App for the PC you play on
Show GameDock what's on the machine you play on.
GameDock Helper is a small app for the desktop, laptop or handheld you play on. It finds your Lutris, Heroic, emulator and standalone PC games, tells GameDock how full each drive is, and backs up your saves after every session. It runs on Linux today; Windows is next on the roadmap, then macOS.
- Free
- Linux today
- Optional
01
You choose every folder and drive.
The Helper suggests where your Steam, Lutris, Heroic and emulator games live, and you confirm or change each one. Nothing is scanned until you ask.
02
Your drives, from any screen.
How full each drive, SD card and network share is, and how much of it is games, on GameDock's Device page, wherever you are browsing.
03
Every emulator game in your library.
Games in RPCS3, PCSX2, DuckStation, Dolphin, Xenia, Cemu, PPSSPP and more sit beside your store games, however you launch them.
Everything it does
GameDock Helper, in full.
- Signs in to your account
- Sign in with the same email address you use on GameDock, and the machine appears under Settings › Devices. The Helper never creates an account.
- Runs quietly in the tray
- Set it to start with your desktop and it keeps your installs, drives and saves current on its own, in Game Mode on a handheld too.
- Flatpak, AppImage or .deb
- For any modern 64-bit Linux, on a desktop, a laptop or a handheld. Everything else in GameDock works without it.
- Achievements from standalone PC games
- PC games installed outside a store launcher do not record Steam achievements. When a game keeps its achievements in a file on your PC instead, GameDock Helper reads it and counts them with the rest.
- Everything installed, from every launcher
- Steam, Lutris and Heroic games, and games in emulators such as RPCS3, PCSX2, DuckStation, Dolphin, melonDS, Xenia, Cemu, PPSSPP and the Switch emulators, even those you launch through Steam ROM Manager or EmuDeck.
- Save backups with history
- Your saves from standalone PC games, Steam games and emulators, backed up to GameDock after each play session, with earlier versions kept so a broken save can be undone. Three versions of each game on the free plan, ten on Plus.
- How full each drive is
- Every drive, SD card and network share you choose, with how much is games and how much is free.
- Install from anywhere
- Press Install on a game's page, and Steam on your PC starts the download, whichever device you are browsing on.
- Move games between drivesPlus
- Pick the games, pick the drive, and GameDock moves them, with Lutris updated to find them in their new place.
- Tidy up SteamPlus
- Give every game in Steam the name and cover GameDock shows, sort them by series, add Heroic, Lutris and emulator games to Steam, and keep Steam collections and Lutris categories the same.
- Plus · Part of GameDock Plus. Everything without this note is on the free plan.
Questions
Worth knowing first.
What is GameDock Helper, and do I need it?
Only if you want GameDock to see the machine you play on. GameDock Helper is a small app for a desktop, laptop or handheld that lets GameDock see what is installed, how much room each drive has, and your games from Lutris, Heroic and emulators. It backs up your saves after you play, and on Plus it can move games between drives and write your names and artwork to Steam. It runs on Linux today; Windows is next on the roadmap, then macOS. Everything else in GameDock works without it.
How do I install GameDock Helper?
Download it from Settings › Devices in GameDock. It runs on any modern 64-bit (x86-64) Linux and comes as a Flatpak (the best choice on a Steam Deck or if you are unsure), an AppImage that runs anywhere, and a .deb for Debian and Ubuntu. Create your GameDock account on the web first, then open the Helper and sign in with the same email address, and the machine appears under Settings › Devices within seconds. The free plan allows one device, and Plus three.
Does it work on a Steam Deck?
Yes. Install the Flatpak in Desktop Mode, sign in, and set it to start with your desktop. It keeps running when you switch back to Game Mode, so GameDock sees your Deck's games, SD card and saves, and backs the saves up after you play. The same goes for other Linux handhelds.
Is there a Windows or Mac version of GameDock Helper?
Not yet. A Windows version is next on the roadmap, with a Mac version planned after it. The rest of GameDock already works whatever computer you use, since your stores connect through Chrome. Until then, Playnite does this well on Windows and is free.
Start with your account.
It takes a minute, and is free for your whole library. Add GameDock Helper whenever you are ready.