Advanced Search

Learn how to use LaunchBox Advanced Search switches, including Progress-based searches and practical examples.

Written By Brian Faeran

Last updated 5 days ago

Advanced Search helps you narrow your game list directly from the search box in LaunchBox, Big Box, and LaunchBox for Android. A normal search looks at game titles and alternate titles first, which keeps everyday searching fast. When you want to search by other game details, add one or more search switches.

Basic Syntax

Type a normal word or phrase to search by Title and Alternate Title.
Use a switch followed by a colon to search a specific field, like platform:Sega Genesis.
Combine switches to narrow results. For example, platform:PlayStation genre:Racing.
Use all: when you want a broader search across multiple fields instead of only titles.
Switches are not case-sensitive, so platform:, Platform:, and PLATFORM: work the same way.
For yes/no fields, use yes or no, such as favorite:yes or broken:no.
To exclude a switch, put a minus sign before it, such as -platform:Arcade or -progress:Dropped.

Useful Examples

marioFind games with Mario in the title or alternate title.
all:adventureSearch more broadly for Adventure across supported fields.
platform:Sega Genesis genre:Role-PlayingFind role-playing games on Sega Genesis.
dev:Capcom title:megaFind games developed by Capcom with Mega in the title.
store:Steam installed:yesFind installed Steam games.
progress:Done / CompletedFind games whose Progress value contains Done / Completed.
progress:Beaten -progress:DroppedFind beaten games while excluding dropped games.
broken:no favorite:yes platform:PlayStationFind favorite PlayStation games that are not marked broken.

Available Search Switches

Switch	What it searches	Example
`all:`	A broader search across common game fields	`all:adventure`
`broken:`	Broken flag	`broken:no`
`dev:` or `developer:`	Developer	`dev:Square`
`fav:` or `favorite:`	Favorite flag	`favorite:yes`
`genre:`	Genre	`genre:Action`
`hide:`	Hidden flag	`hide:no`
`installed:`	Installed status	`installed:yes`
`notes:`	Notes	`notes:time travel`
`plat:` or `platform:`	Platform	`platform:Sega Genesis`
`play:` or `playmode:`	Play mode	`play:multiplayer`
`portable:`	Portable flag	`portable:yes`
`progress:`	Game Progress value	`progress:Done / Completed`
`pub:` or `publisher:`	Publisher	`pub:Square Enix`
`rating:`	Rating	`rating:M - Mature`
`region:`	Region	`region:Japan`
`series:`	Series	`series:Final Fantasy`
`source:`	Source	`source:GOG`
`status:`	Status	`status:Imported`
`store:` or `storefront:`	Storefront	`store:Steam`
`title:`	Title and alternate titles	`title:Final Fantasy`

Searching by Progress

Game Progress replaces the older Completed-only workflow. Instead of searching for complete:yes, search the game's Progress value with progress:.

Common examples:

progress:Done finds games in any Done progress value, such as Done / Beaten, Done / Completed, or Done / Mastered.
progress:Completed finds games whose Progress value contains Completed.
progress:Done / Completed targets the default Done / Completed value more specifically.
-progress:Dropped excludes games marked Dropped.

Note: Older articles or playlists may refer to Complete or complete:yes. In current versions, Game Progress is the preferred search field. Use progress: for completed, beaten, mastered, dropped, in-progress, paused, and custom progress values.

Want the Old Search Back?

If you prefer the previous search behavior, go to Tools > Options > Data > Search and uncheck Use Advanced Search Syntax.