Anyone else use the "Retro Game Collector" app? (Also a link to my game collection page.)

[Radio F Software]

I did a search for this and nothing came up which was weird to me because I know there's a significant amount of users here who collect. I have way too many video games in my collection and things were getting to the point where I would unintentionally double buy games thinking I didn't already own it and then later finding out I just wasted my money. I started looking for some way to track my collection through my phone and Retro Game Collector popped up among a couple others. I downloaded a few of the search results and tried them out and wound up sticking with this one. I realize it probably sounds like I'm getting paid to promote this dumb app but I promise you I'm not. I was just really pleasantly surprised by how efficient this app was and I wanted to tell other people about it. I'm an Android user and the app is available on the Google Play store and after a quick search I found it on the iOS store too. If you still use a Windows Phone in the year of our lord 2024 then I guess you're SOL, sorry.

 

Basically, when you download the app you can also download the complete library of one console for free. This is essentially a big checklist of in most cases every single game released for the platform and you can check off whether you have just a loose cart/disc or if you have the box and manual with it. There's also an option for owning a sealed copy. You get the one database for free but if you want lists for other systems they used to be 99 cents each, which was the case when I downloaded them, but apparently now the developer removed that option and instead offers you access to all of the databases for $38.99. I'll admit, that's a little steep. I definitely did not pay 39 dollars in total for selectively downloading game databases for the consoles I own. Despite this I still think it's kinda worth it for the convenience of being able to track everything from your phone.

 

According to my dashboard in the app there are 1,765 physical games in my collection. The collection is worth $38,507.75. I feel like calculating out the value to the cents isn't necessary but I'm amused the app does that. It tracks eBay sales for each game to give you an average "value" of each game based on the completeness of your copy (loose, +box, +manual, or sealed). The quality of the estimated values vary wildly in my experience though but it's a fair at-a-glance guide. You can also see how much your collection for specific consoles is worth too. There's a page that shows you what your rarest and most valuable games are for each system and usually these are two different games but not always. For example the most valuable game for the PS1 that I own is a complete boxed copy of Starblade Alpha. It's worth $431. Granted my copy used to be a rental store one so it's not in the best condition, and the crappy adhesive that was used to stick the cardstock case label to the plastic longbox has since rotted away, but I can at least flex on people and say that I bought that game for five dollars ~25 years ago and act macho.

 

You can generate a link to your entire collection through the app. Here's mine if you want to look at it for some reason: https://my.puregaming.org/?u=24429347&sys=32X. The website is kinda jank looking (as are parts of the app's UI) but it's functional for what it is. I think the app and everything connected to it is made by literally just one guy so it's not a bad effort.

 

Cataloging all of my games in the app took me a solid three day weekend of going through literally everything I own but now that I've done it I can just use the app has a reference when I am out and about. Hacks & homebrews generally don't seem to be added to the databases in my experience but you can add custom items to each database and manually add your unique games to your collection. The app also makes a distinction between NTSC & PAL region games (mostly) but it doesn't separate out JP & NA region games it just kinda dumps everything into one list which I don't like. There are lists for modern consoles too like the Nintendo Switch which I collect for and it usually takes a couple of weeks for newly released games to appear in the app's Switch database.

 

Anyways, I hope this post helps someone manage their collection. And if you happen to use the app too then feel free to share a link to your page in this thread.

[Senneman]

Great you share your experience with Retro Game Collector 🙂! I'm actually using the app too, and it's been a game-changer for managing my collection. It's saved me from accidentally buying duplicates, especially when I'm on a game-hunting spree.

I also made the switch from Android to iOS, and the app's helpdesk was super helpful in migrating my stuff seamlessly.

But yeah, I'm with you on the pricing accuracy thing. It'd be awesome if the app could consider regional prices more accurately, especially for systems like the Master System and CDi which are way cheaper in Europe. (Ebay is not a good source)

Anyway, here's my collection link: https://my.puregaming.org/?u=24155861