Add Support for Game Codes, Regions, Variants, and Language Metadata
š Summary
Introduce new structured fields in the LaunchBox Games Database to support game codes (e.g. SLUS-00551), region-specific entries, language metadata, and edition variants. This would provide more accurate cataloging for multi-region and multi-edition releases across platforms like PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and more.
ā Problem
Currently, the database lacks native fields to track:
Which regions a title was released in
The game codes associated with each release (e.g. SCES, SLUS, SLPS)
Localized titles or language support
Edition variants (e.g. āReprintā, āCollectorās Editionā)
This data is either missing, inconsistently stored in filenames, or only viewable via media hover text. The lack of structure makes it difficult to:
Accurately differentiate releases of the same game
Track and display titles released under different regional branding (e.g. Resident Evil vs Biohazard)
Support collector-grade metadata and ROM management
Organize or search by language support or release variants
š” Proposal
Add new database fields at the release level, so each version of a game can store:
ā Benefits
š® Better support for multi-region and multi-edition releases
š§¾ Game codes allow for precise cataloging, useful for collectors and historians
š Region and language data supports better scraping and filtering
š Improves searching and organizing by variant or localization
šÆ Lays the groundwork for platform-specific enhancements like accurate filtering, automatic media association, and better audit tools
š§© Could extend into a future feature for region/language-aware Playlists or filtering
š¬ Community Support
This request stems from a growing number of LaunchBox users maintaining detailed personal libraries using game codes, regions, and language fields. Contributors noted platforms like PlayStation and Sega benefit heavily from this level of metadata granularity. A few have shared working spreadsheets tracking this info manually and would love for LaunchBox to manage it natively.
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Comments3
May 20, 2025
PinnedHi there!
Thanks so much for submitting this request and for taking the time to explain your use case ā that context is always super helpful.
Iāve gone ahead and fleshed out the main idea using the info you provided, and Iām opening it up to the community for further discussion and feedback. Please let me know if this fleshed-out version doesnāt match your original intended request.
Feel free to let me know if you have any extra thoughts, examples, or edge cases you think might be relevant!
Cheers,
The LaunchBox team
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May 6
Would this help with āGame Code e.g. SLUS-00551, SCES-00842, SLPS-00998ā help with indexing metadata in collections? Sometimes games are not indexed because of their names but would this help to resolve this issue?
Johnny22Clare
May 20, 2025
There is currently no way of seeing for which region a title was released on the database bar hovering over the submitted media which is a hit and miss. Also there is no current way of entering a game code. Submitting as a single request as I think these should be coded together for the reasonās outlined below;
PSX may be a good example to look at. Just thinking out loud, so to speak.
Resident Evil: Directors Cut
Region: USA, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title, Disc: 1 of 2, Variant: English, Code: SLUS-00551
Region: USA, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title, Disc: 2 of 2, Variant: English, Code: SLUS-90009
Region: Japan, Localized Title: Biohazard: Director's Cut, Disc: 1 of 2, Variant: Japanese, Code: SLPS-00998
Region: Japan, Localized Title: Biohazard: Director's Cut, Disc: 2 of 2, Variant: Japanese, Code: SLPS-00999
Region: Europe, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title: Disc: 1 of 1: Variant: English, Code: SLES-00969
To go further I think variant for want of a better word can be filled in as ''Special Edition'' or ''Collectors Edition'' and maybe add a language field specifically for languages they were released in i.e. Language:En for English, De for German, Fr for french I know in PSX it's mostly European titles that have these language variations and each come with a separate code.
Armored Core
Region: USA, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title, Disc: 1 of 1, Variant: Leave blank if same as title, Language: En, Code:SCUS-94182
Region: USA, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title, Disc: 1 of 1, Variant: Reprint, Language: En, Code:SLUS-01323
Region: Europe, Localized Title: Leave blank if same as main title, Disc 1 of 1, Variant: Leave blank if same as title, Language: En,Fr,De,Es,It. Code:SCES-00842.
Of course I'm sure there are other ways of doing this but in order to enter codes a way to have regions and variants is a must as there are multiple codes for each title and there needs to be a way to organize them so that they are all present.
Of course I'm no coder and I don't know how this may be coded into the database but after all it is a database and personally I think it should have all relevant information for the game present I will more than likely display this as an example with my submission.
I myself enter these codes at the end of the name of each ROM some are hard to come by. I'm currently doing Sega Megadrive/Genesis and there is only one database that is a sure hit every time to get the correct codes but the database is a hit and miss it's either down or very slow to respond. My way of doing this is: Rom name (Disc#)(year)(developed by)(Published by){Language}(Region)[Code][Variant] but that's just a personal preference.... A way to enter this valuable information into Launchbox database and have it at hand would be fantastic. Not just for the codes but for the ability to see which regions a title was released for.
I Also attach the original post for this on the forums.
https://forums.launchbox-app.com/topic/89582-ability-to-add-game-code-to-database/
Thank you all for your replies and would like to hear what you think about the way I've presented above