Use Kolektor With Your Existing Game Stores

Kolektor is a Windows game launcher for players who already use Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Xbox/Game Pass, EA App, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, Amazon Games, or standalone PC game folders. We built Kolektor to sit above those stores: keep the original stores for account, install, and update work, then use Kolektor as the daily library for installed games.

Quick Answer

What Stays In The Original Store

Kolektor does not ask you to abandon the launchers and stores that own your games. PC gaming still depends on the original platform for many jobs, especially when the game needs an account check, subscription state, cloud save, update, DLC install, anti-cheat service, or platform overlay.

Think of the original store as the system of record for the game, and Kolektor as the library surface you use when you want to see what is playable on this Windows PC.

Store or platform job	Keep using the original store for it	How Kolektor fits
Buying, claiming, or redeeming games	Yes	Kolektor focuses on games that are already installed or manually added
Downloading and installing games	Yes	Kolektor can detect supported installed games after they are present on your PC
Updating game files	Yes	Store clients still manage patches and platform-specific updates
Account sign-in and ownership checks	Yes	Kolektor launches the game path or platform route, but the platform may still verify access
Cloud saves, achievements, DLC, and overlays	Yes	Keep the original client available when a game relies on those services
Browsing installed games from one view	No	This is where Kolektor becomes the daily front door

That boundary is deliberate. We are not trying to pretend every PC store feature belongs inside one launcher. We are solving the practical daily problem: your installed games are spread across several places, and you want one clean way to browse and start them.

What Kolektor Adds On Top

Kolektor supports eight major PC platforms today: Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, EA App, Xbox/Game Pass, Battle.net, and Amazon Games. It also supports manual add for games that live outside normal store detection, such as older installers, standalone builds, modded copies, DRM-free folders, and local executables.

That means Kolektor can become the place you start from, even when the original stores stay installed.

Kolektor layer	What it does for your existing stores
Automatic detection	Finds supported installed games so the first library is not a blank setup project
Unified library grid	Shows games from several platforms together instead of splitting browsing by store
Cover art and metadata	Gives the library a visual view with richer game details where metadata is available
Platform badges and context	Helps you see where a game came from before you launch or troubleshoot it
Search and filtering	Lets you find the game first, then worry about the store only when needed
One-click launch	Starts games from Kolektor while still respecting platform requirements
Manual add	Keeps non-store games from being left on the desktop or hidden in folders

We built Kolektor so the useful part happens quickly. Install the Windows app, let it scan, and review the installed games it finds. From there, the original clients remain available for the jobs they still own.

A Practical Daily Workflow

The simplest way to use Kolektor with existing game stores is to keep your current setup and add Kolektor as the top layer.

1. Keep Steam, Epic Games Store, GOG, Xbox/Game Pass, EA App, Ubisoft Connect, Battle.net, and Amazon Games installed where you need them.
2. Install Kolektor on Windows from gamekolektor.com.
3. Let Kolektor scan the supported platforms and build the first installed-game library.
4. Use Kolektor to search, filter, browse covers, check platform context, and launch games.
5. Return to the original store when you need to buy, install, update, verify, repair, or manage account features.
6. Use manual add for games that do not belong to a supported platform or were installed from a standalone folder.

This keeps the setup honest. Kolektor handles the library and launch layer. Your stores keep doing the account and installation work that PC games already depend on.

When A Store Launcher Still Opens

Some games can start directly from the executable or a platform route. Others need the original client to wake up first. That is normal on Windows, especially for games with DRM, anti-cheat, cloud sync, subscription checks, launcher-specific arguments, or a required update waiting in the store.

Kolektor is still useful in both cases. If a direct launch works, you get to the game with less friction. If the original client needs to open, Kolektor still answered the harder question first: where is the game, which platform owns it, and what should I open right now?

This is also why we do not recommend uninstalling store clients just because you installed Kolektor. Removing the original store can break updates, ownership checks, save sync, DLC handling, or the launch route for games that expect it.

How Supported Platforms Fit Together

Each store tends to create a different kind of library mess:

Platform	Common library issue	How Kolektor helps
Steam	The largest library becomes the default place you look, even when the game is elsewhere	Steam games sit beside the rest of your installed library
Epic Games Store	Free claims and exclusives are easy to forget after installation	Epic games appear in the same browsing habit as the rest of your PC games
GOG	DRM-free installs, older games, and standalone paths can live outside a daily launcher routine	Detected GOG games and manual entries can stay visible together
Xbox/Game Pass	Subscription installs can be easy to separate from owned store libraries	Installed Xbox/Game Pass titles can sit in the same Windows library view
Ubisoft, EA, and Battle.net	Publisher launchers often appear only when a specific game needs them	Kolektor keeps those games visible before the publisher client becomes relevant
Amazon Games	Smaller store libraries are easy to forget when they are not part of the daily habit	Amazon Games support helps keep those installed titles in the same grid

The point is not to make every platform identical. The point is to stop platform boundaries from deciding what you remember to play.

Where Manual Add Fits

Automatic detection covers major PC platforms, but not every game enters your library through a store. You may have a DRM-free installer, a fan patch, a modded build, a game jam executable, an older disc install, or a local folder that only makes sense on your machine.

Manual add is the safety net for those games. In Kolektor, manual entries let you give a game a title, executable path, install folder, platform context, and cover treatment without pretending it came from Steam or another store. That keeps custom games visible without polluting automatic store scans.

Use manual add for real games you want to browse and launch. Avoid adding installers, uninstallers, crash reporters, config tools, benchmark helpers, and random utilities. A unified library is only useful if the entries stay focused on playable games.

What This Does Not Solve Yet

Kolektor’s current free launcher is strongest for installed games. It does not yet replace full account-level sync for every game you own, including games that are not installed. We are working on Full Library Sync and broader collection tools for later Kolektor workflows, but the available Windows launcher starts with the practical installed-game problem.

That distinction matters. If you want to decide what to play tonight, installed-game detection is enough to make Kolektor useful. If you want a complete ownership catalog across every account, wait for the broader collection layer we are building.

Who Should Use This Setup

This setup is a good fit if your PC library already works, but browsing it feels scattered. You might have Steam for most games, Epic for weekly claims, GOG for DRM-free titles, Xbox/Game Pass for subscription installs, and a few publisher launcher games that only appear when you remember them.

Kolektor is also useful if you do not want to rebuild your entire library by hand. Start with automatic detection, add only the edge cases that matter, and keep the original stores available in the background.

It is not a good fit if you want one app to replace every store feature, uninstall every launcher, and manage every account task. PC games are not built that way. Kolektor works best when it simplifies the daily library surface without hiding the platform responsibilities that still exist.

FAQ

Can I uninstall Steam after installing Kolektor?

No. Keep Steam installed for Steam games that need ownership checks, updates, Workshop content, cloud saves, or Steam-specific services. Kolektor gives installed Steam games one place in your broader PC library.

Does Kolektor replace Epic Games Store, GOG, Xbox, EA, Ubisoft, Battle.net, or Amazon Games?

No. Kolektor works alongside those platforms. Use the original stores for account, install, update, purchase, and platform features. Use Kolektor to browse and launch installed games from one Windows library.

Will a game still open its original launcher?

Sometimes. If the game requires the original client for DRM, updates, cloud saves, subscription checks, or platform services, that client may open. Kolektor still helps you find and start the game from one place.

Can Kolektor show games that are not from a store?

Yes. Use manual add for standalone games, older installs, modded builds, DRM-free folders, or local executables that do not come from a supported platform scan.

Does Kolektor show every game I own?

Not yet. The current launcher focuses on installed games. Full Library Sync is in progress for broader account-library coverage later.

Related Guides

• Organize Steam, Epic, and GOG games
• Automatic game detection on Windows
• Launch PC games from one Windows library
• Add non-Steam games to one PC library
• Bypass game launchers on Windows when possible