User Guide · v1.2.0

Backlog Zero
User Guide

Everything you need to set up and get the most out of Backlog Zero. Use the sidebar to jump to any section.

Getting Started · 1 of 2

Installation

Backlog Zero is available for Mac and Windows. Both versions are free to download from itch.io.

Mac

  1. 1 Download the .dmg file from itch.io.
  2. 2 Open the .dmg and drag Backlog Zero into your Applications folder.
  3. 3 On first launch, macOS will block the app because it isn't notarized through Apple. Right-click (or Control-click) the app in your Applications folder and select Open.
  4. 4 Click Open again on the dialog that appears. You won't be asked again.

⚠️ Mac only: Do not double-click the app on first launch — macOS will block it with no option to proceed. Always right-click → Open on the first run.

Windows

  1. 1 Download the .exe installer from itch.io.
  2. 2 Run the installer and follow the on-screen steps.
  3. 3 If Windows Defender SmartScreen appears, click More info → Run anyway.

Getting Started · 2 of 2

First Launch

When you open Backlog Zero for the first time, your library will be empty. That's expected — the app doesn't pull from anywhere automatically until you connect your platforms in Settings.

The first thing to do is open Settings from the left sidebar and work through the platform connections one by one. You don't need to connect everything at once — add what you have and fill in the rest later.

Tip: Start with Steam if you have a large Steam library — it's the fastest to set up and will populate your library immediately.

Platform Setup · Steam

Steam

Steam requires a Steam ID and a free API key. Once configured, your library syncs automatically and session tracking runs in the background while Steam games are open.

  1. 1 Find your Steam ID. Go to your Steam profile in a browser — the number at the end of the URL is your Steam ID (e.g. 76561198XXXXXXXXX). If your profile uses a custom URL, visit steamid.io to find the numeric ID.
  2. 2 Get a free Steam API key at steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey. Log in and register any URL — the URL itself doesn't matter.
  3. 3 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → Steam and paste both your Steam ID and API key.
  4. 4 Click Sync Steam Library. Your games will import automatically.

⚠️ Your Steam profile must be set to Public for the API to work. Go to Steam → Edit Profile → Privacy Settings → set Game Details to Public.

Platform Setup · Xbox

Xbox

Xbox sync uses OpenXBL — a free community-built Xbox Live API. Because Microsoft doesn't provide a list of games you own, Backlog Zero imports games based on your achievement history. Only games you've launched at least once will appear.

  1. 1 Create a free account at xbl.io.
  2. 2 Connect your Xbox account and copy your API key from the dashboard.
  3. 3 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → Xbox and paste your API key.
  4. 4 Click Sync Xbox Library.

Games not showing up? If you own an Xbox game but have never launched it, it won't appear. Right-click any game in your library and select Add Game to add it manually.

Platform Setup · GOG

GOG Galaxy

Backlog Zero reads your GOG library directly from the GOG Galaxy database on your machine — no export or API key needed. GOG Galaxy must be installed and you must have logged in at least once.

  1. 1 Install GOG Galaxy if you haven't already.
  2. 2 Log into GOG Galaxy and let your library sync at least once.
  3. 3 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → GOG and click Import GOG Library.

Note: GOG Galaxy must remain installed for this integration to work. Backlog Zero reads the local database directly — if GOG Galaxy is uninstalled, the database is removed and the import won't work.

Platform Setup · Epic & Amazon

Epic Games & Amazon Luna

Both Epic and Amazon libraries are imported via Heroic Games Launcher — a free, open source app that manages both platforms. Backlog Zero reads Heroic's local data to pull your games.

  1. 1 Download and install Heroic Games Launcher.
  2. 2 Log into your Epic Games and/or Amazon Games accounts inside Heroic.
  3. 3 Let Heroic sync your libraries — this may take a moment on first run.
  4. 4 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → Epic Games or Settings → Amazon and click the import button.

Alternative: If you prefer not to use Heroic, you can export a CSV from each platform manually and import it in Settings.

Platform Setup · Cover Art

Cover Art

Steam games get cover art automatically from Steam's CDN. For GOG, Epic, Amazon, and Xbox games, Backlog Zero uses IGDB (the Internet Game Database) via the Twitch Developer API.

  1. 1 Go to dev.twitch.tv/console and log in with a Twitch account (free).
  2. 2 Click Register Your Application, give it any name, set the OAuth redirect to http://localhost, and select Application Integration as the category.
  3. 3 Copy your Client ID and generate a Client Secret.
  4. 4 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → Cover Art and paste both values.
  5. 5 Click Fetch Missing Art to trigger a background fetch for all games without cover art.

Missing art after fetching? Some games may not be in the IGDB database. For those, you can search for and assign cover art manually from the game detail view.

Platform Setup · Price Tracking

Price Tracking

Backlog Zero integrates with gg.deals for Wishlist price tracking across 40+ stores. A free API key is required.

  1. 1 Go to gg.deals/api and generate a free API key.
  2. 2 In Backlog Zero, go to Settings → Price Tracking and paste your key.
  3. 3 Add games to your Wishlist and set a target price — Backlog Zero will alert you when the price drops.

Key expired? API keys from gg.deals expire occasionally. Go back to gg.deals/api, generate a new one, and paste it into Settings → Price Tracking.

Features · Library

Library

The Library page is your central view of every game you own across all connected platforms. Each game can be assigned a status, tagged, rated, and annotated.

Statuses:

  • Playing — currently active
  • Completed — finished
  • Backlogged — owned but unplayed
  • Abandoned — started but stopped

Duplicates are automatically flagged when the same game is detected across multiple platforms. Statistics shows your totals; Library Health gives you the review queue when it is time to clean them up.

Adding a game manually: Right-click anywhere in the library and select Add Game, or use the + button in the toolbar.

Features · Statistics

Statistics

The Statistics page gives you a full dashboard view of your library. Key metrics include total games, unplayed backlog count, duplicates, hours played, and games finished.

Use Statistics when you want to understand the shape of your collection: platform breakdowns, genre distribution, most played games, recently added games, and current wishlist value.

Features · Library Health

Library Health

Library Health is the cleanup dashboard for your collection. It separates fixable cleanup from optional reference gaps so you can improve the library without chasing every missing external field forever.

Fixable cleanup includes:

  • Duplicates — games owned on 2+ platforms
  • Tags — games that need useful tags for filtering and picker logic
  • Genres — games missing genre coverage
  • Cover Art — missing covers or titles ready for No Cover resolution
  • Play Status — games that have not been classified yet

Reference gaps are field-specific and optional: descriptions, developers, and release dates. They are useful when available, but not every old or niche title needs perfect data to belong in your library.

Features · Sessions

Sessions

Sessions track when and how long you play. Steam sessions are logged automatically when a Steam game is running. All other platforms require manual logging.

To log a session manually:

  1. 1 Open the game's detail view from your Library.
  2. 2 Click Log Session and enter the date, duration, and any notes.
  3. 3 Save. The session appears in the game's history and feeds into your Habits and Identity Dossier data.

Tip: The more sessions you log, the more accurate your Habits dashboard and Identity Dossier become.

Features · Goals

Goals

Goals let you set a backlog reduction target and track your progress over time. A goal might be "finish 10 backlogged games before buying anything new" — Backlog Zero tracks completions and shows you how close you are.

Goals work alongside Sessions — as you log sessions and mark games as Completed, your goal progress updates automatically.

Setting a goal: Go to the Goals page and click New Goal. Choose a target number of completions and an optional deadline.

Features · Identity Dossier

Identity Dossier

The Identity Dossier analyzes your library and play history to produce a full gamer profile. It assigns you one of 10 archetypes based on your actual behavior — genres you play, games you finish versus abandon, session length, and library breadth.

Each archetype is rendered as a tarot-style classification card with its own visual identity. The Dossier also includes a quarterly Backlog Reality Check — a snapshot of how your library changed over the past three months.

Note: The Dossier is most accurate after you've logged several sessions and your library is reasonably complete. The more data it has, the more accurate the classification.

Features · Discover

Discover

The Discover page helps you decide what to play next. It includes several tools:

  • Play Next — personalized recommendations from your backlog based on your habits
  • Hidden Gems — highly rated games in your backlog you've been ignoring
  • Find Similar — surface games in your library similar to one you've been playing
  • Curate — a guided tool for working through your backlog and making decisions
  • Surprise Me (Backlog Picker) — picks a random unplayed game from your backlog when you can't decide

Features · Wishlist & Free Games

Wishlist & Free Games

Wishlist lets you track games you want but haven't bought. Set a target price and Backlog Zero will alert you when that price is reached across any of the 40+ stores tracked by gg.deals. Requires a gg.deals API key — see the Price Tracking setup section.

Free Games aggregates current giveaways from Epic Games Store and Amazon Prime Gaming so you never miss a free claim. The list updates automatically.

Features · Friends

Friends

The Friends page lets you compare your library and backlog with others. See what you both own, what they've finished that you haven't, and how your stats stack up.

How it works: Friends share a Backlog Zero export file with you. Import it from the Friends page and their library appears alongside yours for comparison. No account or cloud connection needed.

Features · Data

Export & Import

Your library data is stored locally on your machine. Backlog Zero can export and import that data as JSON — useful for backups, moving to a new machine, or sharing with friends.

To export:

  1. 1 Go to Settings → Export.
  2. 2 Choose a full export or select specific categories.
  3. 3 Save the JSON file somewhere safe.

To import:

  1. 1 Go to Settings → Import.
  2. 2 Select your backup JSON file.
  3. 3 Review the warning — importing will overwrite your current data.

⚠️ Always export a backup before reinstalling or moving to a new machine. Your data cannot be recovered without a backup.

Features · Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Backlog Zero supports keyboard navigation throughout the app. Press ? at any time to show the shortcut hint overlay.

Shortcut Action
?Show keyboard shortcut overlay
G then LGo to Library
G then SGo to Statistics
G then HGo to Habits
G then IGo to Identity Dossier
G then DGo to Discover
G then GGo to Goals
G then WGo to Wishlist
G then FGo to Free Games
G then RGo to Friends
TCycle theme (Dark → Light → Accessible)
/Focus search