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Arc

Turn folders of installed games into a library worth opening. Arc brings cinematic artwork, critic and user ratings, and a direct Play action to your Windows desktop.

Built with Tauri 2, Rust, React and SQLite, Arc uses Windows WebView2 and keeps scanning, persistence and game launching in Rust. The current Windows installer is about 3.5 MiB; WebView2 is provided by the system or installed separately by its bootstrapper.

A library that feels like yours

Arc 0.1.8 on Windows, showing an installed library with Bloodborne as the featured game.

Feature	What you get
Find your games	Recursive folder discovery, Windows EXE metadata and confidence-based filtering of installers, crash handlers and support binaries.
Put the artwork first	Portrait covers, cinematic heroes and game logos. Choose alternatives through SteamGridDB or import local PNG/JPEG/WebP artwork.
One desktop, one design	A custom Arc title bar with drag-to-move, double-click maximize/restore and window controls that stay available in dialogs.
Launch the right installation	Installed Steam games use Steam; supported store registrations use their own clients. Standalone games use validated EXE paths with Windows path compatibility.
Know the scores	One compact line: MC 84/7.4 · Steam 87. Critics, users and Steam positives keep their own scales, colors and source links.
Prepare before Play	Optional SCSKiller 1.2.5 shader preparation, live progress, recording setup with the compatibility CLI and driver cache controls.
Keep it local	Library, artwork cache, preferences and verified ratings persist locally in SQLite and remain available offline.
Make it personal	Favorites, recently played, search, sorting, grid/list views, editable titles, hide/restore and removal exclusions.
Bring PS4 along	Extracted PS4 game discovery by CUSA serial, existing shadPS4 launches and compatible Bloodborne BBLauncher setups.
React to changes	Debounced filesystem watching refreshes configured game folders.
Own the code	MIT licensed. A clear React/Rust boundary, migration-backed SQLite and regression tests.

Start playing

1. Download the Windows x64 installer.
2. Open Settings and add your game folders.
3. Add an optional SteamGridDB API key for automatic artwork, or import your own images.
4. Scan, open a cover and choose Play.

The first desktop library starts empty. Automatic ratings require no API key or Chrome extension. Artwork credentials are encrypted with Windows DPAPI. Removing an entry only removes it from Arc; game files remain on disk.

v0.1.19 is an early preview, distributed as an unsigned NSIS installer. Windows x64 is the supported release target. Arc does not ship games, ROMs, firmware or an emulator. The library screenshot above was captured on v0.1.8; the custom title bar was introduced in v0.1.14.

Scores without the clutter

MC 84/7.4 · Steam 87 means critics 84/100, users 7.4/10 and 87% positive Steam reviews. A dash means unavailable; it is never a fabricated zero.

Details show the source, platform and scales. PS4 entries use PS4 Metacritic ratings. Steam results include all languages and purchase types, including off-topic reviews. Verified scores refresh automatically every 72 hours while Arc is open; overdue checks run on the next launch or resume. Saved scores remain visible offline. Use Refresh ratings or Correct game match with a Steam URL/App ID when needed.

Matching/parsing logic is adapted from CriticPeek; Rust supplies bounded provider requests and SQLite storage. No Chrome runtime is required. See rating architecture and third-party notices.

Prepare shaders before you play

Arc integrates the optional SCSKiller installation and supports SCSKiller 1.2.5, including its portable data layout and partial-compilation verdicts. Connect it in Settings, open a native game's details, then Analyze game → Compile shaders. Arc shows verified support reasons, live stages and a graceful Stop action. Settings also shows driver cache usage and NVIDIA size controls; a game's details offers confirmed per-game cleanup. The optional 1.2.5-arc.1 compatibility CLI preserves Arc's pipeline-cache detection and enables Prepare recording → Play → Analyze again for compatible games. Its matching native tools include upstream's ray tracing progress, compile priority and recorder fixes. SCSKiller is installed separately and is not bundled in Arc's installer. shadPS4 uses its own cache. Setup and integration details.

Built to be understood

flowchart LR
    UI[React / TypeScript] <-->|Tauri IPC| Rust[Rust backend]
    Folders[Your game folders] --> Scanner[Scanner + metadata]
    Scanner --> Rust
    Rust <-->|Library + cache| DB[(SQLite)]
    Rust --> Launch[Native / shadPS4 launch]
    Rust <-->|Artwork| Art[SteamGridDB]
    Rust <-->|Verified ratings| Ratings[Steam + Metacritic]

Loading

Layer	Stack
Desktop	Tauri 2 + Windows WebView2
Interface	React + TypeScript + Vite + custom CSS
Native core	Rust, Windows APIs, walkdir, notify
Storage	SQLite + local artwork files
Packaging	NSIS; MSI can also be built from source

The frontend launches by database game ID. Rust validates stored paths and arguments. Provider requests use fixed HTTPS boundaries; downloaded HTML is parsed as data. Normal startup reads SQLite instead of recursively scanning every installation.

Architecture · Design system · Brand assets · Validation

Build from source

Install Node.js 22+, stable Rust with the MSVC toolchain, Visual Studio C++ Build Tools and WebView2. Follow the Tauri Windows prerequisites.

git clone https://github.com/ozaimoglu/arc.git
cd arc
npm ci
npm run desktop

For frontend work, run npm run dev and open the local preview printed by Vite. It includes eight sample games; scanning and launching require the desktop app.

Check and package

npm test
npm run build
python scripts/check-schema.py
cargo test --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --locked
cargo clippy --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml --locked --all-targets -- -D warnings
node node_modules/@tauri-apps/cli/tauri.js build --bundles nsis

Install Clippy with rustup component add clippy if needed. Installers are written to src-tauri/target/release/bundle/nsis/. npm run package:win builds both NSIS and MSI. Windows CI checks the code and uploads a freshly built NSIS artifact.

Roadmap

The first version focuses on local discovery, artwork, ratings and launching. The next useful contributions are:

• Steam, Epic, GOG and Xbox library imports
• Collections and richer library organization
• Controller navigation and a fullscreen library
• Descendant-process tracking and more accurate playtime
• Artwork cache pruning
• Broader emulator and ROM support

These are planned directions, not shipped features. Native game detection is heuristic; unusual installations may need a title edit or a matching fix. Installed Steam games launch through Steam and follow its per-game running state. Locally registered Epic, Riot, EA, Ubisoft, Battle.net, Rockstar and GOG installations route through their owning clients; Knight Online uses its own launcher. Their sessions follow game processes within the registered installation, excluding shared clients. Standalone and console sessions track the directly launched process. See launching details and limits.

Help build Arc

Try an installation, report a reproducible bug, or send a focused PR. Scanner fixtures, rating-match regressions and keyboard improvements are useful places to start.

Contributing guide · Report a bug · Propose a feature

If Arc belongs in your game setup, star the repository and help shape the next release.

License

MIT © 2026 Arc contributors for Arc's application code and original assets. The optional SCSKiller compatibility patch is separately GPL-3.0-or-later with upstream additional permission. Dependencies, game artwork and provider content retain their respective rights. Arc is independent of Valve, Metacritic, SteamGridDB and shadPS4.