Game Time Manager vs GamingGaiden

Game Time Manager is a free Windows PC app that tracks gaming time and play history, with the stated aim of helping users balance gaming with the rest of life. When it detects a full-screen game, it periodically displays how long the user has been playing. The default overlay stays visible for 10 seconds every 10 minutes, and its settings can be changed in config.toml without restarting the app. It records what was played and when. The maker describes it as compatible with most PC games. After installation it runs in the background and starts when the user logs in. Installation requires downloading a release, unzipping it, and running install.ps1 with PowerShell. The project is published under the Apache License 2.0. Listed releases are pre-release alpha versions, with v0.0.1-alpha.3 the newest shown. Play-over-time metrics and game-specific rules are TODO items rather than available features. Its free plan is free and lists Windows 10 and 11 as tested.

GamingGaiden is a Windows tray application for tracking play time and session history across PC and emulated games. It can automatically track games and new ROMs after an emulator is registered, and supports RetroArch cores. Games launched directly from an emulator’s graphical interface are not tracked; the manual recommends a frontend or command-line shortcuts. The app detects idle time and removes it from session records. Its statistics include lifetime summaries, session counts and lengths, daily, monthly, and yearly play time, most-played games, and games grouped by emulator. A backlog lets users mark games Playing, Finished, On Hold, or Dropped. The project also lists HWiNFO64 integration and Google image search for game icons or box art. GamingGaiden is described as portable and offline, with data stored locally and automatic backups after each session. It can be installed on multiple gaming PCs and share a database while tracking each PC separately. The free project is licensed under AGPL-3.0. Downloads are offered only through its GitHub repository; Windows SmartScreen may show an Unknown Publisher warning because the application lacks a public CA signature.