The best game launchers, according to hackers
8 game launchers were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and November 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 2 earn the Hacker Approved badge.
Top picks
The two most recommended game launchers with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsCriticizes One comment
Easy setup and play, like Steam
Free open source launcher for running GOG and Epic games alongside Steam, with easy setup. Common caveat: less polished than Steam.
Works well with GOG and other stores
Free Linux launcher for Windows and GOG games with community install scripts, though critics say some setups still need tinkering or fail.
All 8 game launchers, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Approval share is recommenders out of everyone who gave an opinion; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 13, in which someone recommended it.
| Rank | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heroic Games Launcher | 50 | 9 | 85% | 12 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Lutris | 33 | 12 | 73% | 8 | 10 yrs4 owners | Approved |
| 3 | GOG Galaxy | 18 | 24 | 43% | 5 | — | — |
| 4 | Battle.net | 12 | 8 | 60% | 7 | — | — |
| 5 | Steam Big Picture | 8 | 5 | 62% | 5 | — | — |
| 6 | GameNative | 7 | 0 | 100% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | Playnite | 5 | 1 | 83% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 7 | GameHub | 5 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment over the past year. Someone who praises the same game launcher in five threads counts once.
The badge goes to game launchers that at least 10 people recommend, with recommenders outnumbering critics at least 2 to 1, recommended in at least 4 of the 13 months.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.