About GameShelve

From shared libraries to a game you agree on

GameShelve combines public Steam libraries, your group’s votes and previous rounds so you can decide what to play together. A shared library is only the starting point: the group still chooses the game.

Example: four friends, no new purchase

These are the sample players and libraries on the home page, not real users’ records.

1. Compare ownership. All four sample players own Terraria and Don’t Starve Together. Stardew Valley is owned by three, and Valheim by two. If avoiding a purchase matters, begin with the two games everyone owns.
2. Ask what people want to play. In the Together preview, Terraria receives three “Want to play” votes and one “I’m in”; Don’t Starve Together receives two of each. Both are possible, with more explicit enthusiasm for Terraria in this sample.
3. Check the practical details before deciding. Ownership is not a guarantee of support for your group size, online co-op or cross-play. Check the game’s store page and your friends’ available time, then choose together.

For your own group, the host signs in with Steam and chooses friends; invited friends can vote through their private links. Finished rounds remain in vote history, so the next decision can refer to what everyone chose last time.

What the analysis can tell you

Genre shares describe recorded playtime

The analysis uses owned games with known playtime, excluding games you have marked to leave out. Genre shares use played games with available genre information. Time is split across a game’s genres and capped at 1,000 hours per game for this calculation, so a single long-played game does not dominate without limit. This cap does not change the displayed total playtime.

Similarity is an overlap, not a success rate

For each genre, take the smaller of the two players’ shares and add them. For example, action/strategy shares of 60%/40% and 30%/70% overlap by 30% + 40% = 70%. This describes similar time allocation, not a 70% chance of liking the same game or a measure of skill. When genre information is insufficient, a comparison may be unavailable.

Missing information is not zero playtime

Private Steam game details, hidden playtime or a temporary Steam error can leave records incomplete. Check your privacy settings and sync again before interpreting a result. Steam, SteamSpy and IGDB classifications can differ; unclassified games and excluded records affect the scope of the analysis. Use the result to discuss preferences, then ask your friends what they want to play today.

Recent improvements

• 2026-10-24 — Added a worked game-selection example and explanations of genre shares, similarity and missing records.
• 2026-10-23 — Stabilized the friend-selection layout while checking public library availability and improved privacy-setting feedback.

If a result or guide seems incorrect, include the page address and what you expected when contacting Studio Lee through the feedback form below. Do not send passwords or private invitation links.

Operator & contact

GameShelve is operated by Studio Lee.

Report a bug or send feedback through Tally

Using your library

1. Agree to the combined account, library, friends and personal game record terms before signing in on the official Steam page. GameShelve never asks for your Steam password.
2. Your available games and playtime sync automatically after login. Steam game details must be public. Existing records can be retained when Steam is unavailable.
3. Search and filter games in Library. When personal game records are enabled, you can save status, notes and exclusions.
4. Play insights estimates patterns from recorded time and game metadata. It does not assess your skill. Missing records are shown separately. Game structure uses reviewed game information and IGDB world-structure metadata. Missing structure stays unclassified.
5. In Together, choose up to eight people including yourself from your Steam friends. Compare everyone’s public libraries, include new candidates, and invite friends to vote. With only you selected, use the personal picker; completed, abandoned and excluded games are omitted.

Prices and analysis

Library prices are pre-discount US Steam list prices, converted with the displayed exchange rate where applicable. They are not your purchase history or actual spending. Classification and completion information can differ between Steam, SteamSpy and IGDB.

Independent service

GameShelve uses Steam data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve. Games remain on your Steam account; GameShelve does not grant purchasing or trading permissions.

Data & privacy

Account and library data

We store your Steam identifier, available games, play records, login session information and consent time for authentication, library display and record analysis. A publicly available Steam nickname and avatar can be displayed. Your Steam password is not collected.

Personal game records and friends

The required combined consent before login includes game status, notes, existing purchase amounts, completed-sync observations, picks, Steam-friend comparisons, votes and feedback, as well as existing accepted friend connections and private group comparisons. Records are stored until you withdraw permission or remove your account records in Settings.

Steam friends and accountless voting

With personal game records enabled, we cache your public Steam friend list and selected friends' public game libraries. Only the host needs a GameShelve account. Each invited friend gets a one-time voting seat, a temporary HttpOnly browser session, and access to that round's games, participant names, votes and optional feedback. A seat does not verify Steam identity: send each private link only to its intended friend. Invitations expire when voting ends or after 24 hours. The host can revisit results and memories until record consent is withdrawn or their account is deleted. Previous votes and reactions help rank later games for the same selected group. Selected members and filters are saved automatically on this device for your next visit. Remove a member individually, or use Clear all next to Today’s members. A paused participant remains in the round and unanswered games receive an automatic I’m in vote until they rejoin. Results distinguish unanswered seats from actual responses.

Existing group sharing

Group invitations expire after 7 days. In the older group feature, friends connect only through shared groups. Connections end when there is no shared group, consent is withdrawn or an account is deleted. Save up to 50 friends and compare up to eight people including yourself. Groups hold up to 50 people. Accepting a group invitation connects you with current and future members. Comparisons are limited to members of the same group. Group results are visible only to the person requesting the comparison. Existing duo public summaries still require approval from both participants. Downloaded images cannot be recalled.

Group game rooms share availability, preferred or avoided genres, nominations, votes and session feedback with current group members. These records are removed when you leave that group or withdraw personal-record consent. New-game prices are cached regional store prices, not your personal purchases.

Deleting records

You can withdraw personal-record consent in Settings. Use “Remove account records” below “Log out” to remove your GameShelve account and its records and sign out on every device. This does not delete your Steam account or games.

Connected services

Steam authenticates your account and provides available records. Game metadata can come from Steam, SteamSpy and IGDB. Vercel hosts the service and measures usage; Neon stores the database. Scheduled server recovery backups expire within seven days and may contain records from before account deletion until they expire; deleting an account does not create a separate backup. Analytics strips URL query strings and shared-link identifiers.

Advertising and cookies

If GameShelve enables Google AdSense, Google and third-party advertising providers may use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this site and other websites. Ad delivery and measurement may also use web beacons, IP addresses, or similar identifiers. Required regional consent and preference controls will be implemented before ads are enabled.

You can manage personalized advertising in Google Ads Settings, or opt out of participating providers through third-party advertising choices.

Organizer meetings & Discord reminders

Organizer meetings save their invited participants, game candidates, schedules, attendance, votes and reminder choices. These records are visible to invited participants and the organizer. Invitation links grant access to their assigned participant; share them only with that person.

Connecting reminders verifies your Discord identity and membership in the meeting server. We store your Discord identifier, server identifier and reminder consent. Authenticated Steam and Discord accounts are matched to prevent duplicate applications and preserve invited friends’ seats. Connecting a channel in Settings also connects your Discord identity; new meetings reuse that channel. Channel notices are enabled by the organizer. Personal game-start reminders mention only opted-in, confirmed attendees who agreed to the selected game, in the channel chosen by the organizer. Other members who can view that channel can see the message.

You can turn off reminders or disconnect your reminder identity from the meeting page. Disconnecting while signed in removes your reusable Discord identity and personal reminder links across meetings. Channel notices remain under the organizer’s control. Organizer account deletion or personal-record consent withdrawal removes the organizer's saved meetings. Discord messages already delivered remain in Discord. Neon Functions schedules automatic checks for test meetings.