GameEx vs Heroic Games Launcher
GameEx
gameex.comHeroic Games Launcher
heroicgameslauncher.comSide by side
| Figure | GameEx | Heroic Games Launcher |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Game launchers | 9.3 (#4) | 7.9 (#25) |
| Spec score · Game Library Managers | 9.1 (#3) | 7.7 (#15) |
| Purpose | GameEx is an arcade and emulator front end for MAME, GameBase, Daphne, PC games and command-line emulators, and also offers HTPC features. | Heroic is an open-source launcher for installing and playing games from Epic Games Store, GOG, and Amazon Prime Gaming. |
| Store integrations | The feature list names plug-and-play integrations for Steam, EA Origin and Uplay. | Heroic says it integrates with Epic through Legendary, GOG through GOGDL, and Amazon Prime Gaming through Nile, all open-source command-line tools. |
| Support | The maker says commercial support and customizations are available and in many cases provided free of charge. | The FAQ directs users to the project documentation and Discord for help, and says persistent issues can be reported on GitHub. |
Plans
In their own words
GameEx
GameEx is an arcade and emulator front end for MAME, GameBase, Daphne, PC games and command-line emulators, with HTPC features. The site lists original GameEx, GameEx Arcade Edition and GameEx Evolution. Its feature list describes support for nearly any emulator, with advanced MAME support, and compatibility with arcade controls such as X-Arcade, Slik-Stik, JPAC and IPAC, as well as remotes and gamepads. Media features include video and DVD playback, picture viewing, internet radio, a jukebox, a news reader and a YouTube module. Named integrations include Steam, EA Origin, Uplay, iTunes, Windows Media Player, GameBase, GameEx Arcade and the TMDb API. GameEx Online and GameExtender add networked display, remote control and online game statistics. Its listed free plan costs nothing, but commercial use requires each copy to be registered or purchased. The listing includes Android, Linux, macOS and Windows; the maker describes Linux or Mac use through WINE as experimental, while the multiplatform alpha builds may lack features.
Heroic Games Launcher
Heroic Games Launcher is a free, open-source desktop launcher for installing and playing games from Epic Games Store, GOG and Amazon Prime Gaming. It supports Linux, Windows 10 and 11, and macOS 14 or newer; SteamOS is supported with downloads available through Discover. Users can install, uninstall, update, repair, move and import games, and access the Epic and GOG stores from within the interface. Heroic supports Wine and Proton on Linux and CrossOver on macOS, with custom Wine and Proton versions available for Linux. It can sync game saves with the cloud and accepts games and applications outside Epic and GOG, though automatic updates or save syncing may not be available for those additions. The project says it does not collect personal data, usernames or passwords; optional anonymous analytics are off by default. Linux downloads include Flatpak, AppImage, RPM, DEB and TAR.XZ packages. Heroic is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.0. Its FAQ warns that using Wine or Proton on an unsupported operating system may result in bans, depending on the game.