Gameplay Time Tracker vs GamingGaiden

Gameplay Time Tracker records time spent in selected games and applications by monitoring their executables. Its Windows desktop interface can launch tracked programs and display a graph of the past seven days of playtime. It also handles remote game-save backups: create them manually or have them run when a session ends, retain them for a chosen number of days, and restore a save by selecting an available backup. A SteamGridDB API key enables retrieval of application icons and hero images. The project describes the app as written in C# with WPF and licensed under GNU GPL version 3.0, which permits use, modification, and distribution under that license. Settings are generated in the user's Documents folder under Gameplay Time Tracker/settings.json. The documented configuration uses Windows-specific paths and startup-folder behavior. Version 2.0.0 removed legacy data conversion; the project recommends converting legacy data with a pre-2.0.0 build. The app is free, with no free trial listed.

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.