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Add Installed Status and Launch Shortcut to Big Box Leaderboards

LaunchBox for Windows

šŸ“‹ Summary

Show whether leaderboard games are installed in the userā€™s local library and allow installed games to be launched directly from the Big Box leaderboard screen.

ā— Problem

When browsing global high score leaderboards in Big Box, users may find a game they want to play immediately.

Currently, they need to leave the leaderboard screen, search for the game in their library, and launch it separately.

šŸ’” Proposal

Add two improvements to Big Box leaderboards:

  • A clear installed/available indicator for games already in the local LaunchBox library

  • A direct Play Game action for installed games

This would let users move from viewing a leaderboard challenge to launching the game with minimal friction.

šŸ§© Use Cases

  • See whether a leaderboard game is already available locally

  • Launch an installed game directly from its leaderboard entry

  • Quickly attempt to beat a high score after viewing rankings

  • Browse leaderboards as a way to discover what to play next

šŸ“¦ Benefits

  • Smoother leaderboard-to-game flow

  • Better use of leaderboards as a play discovery tool

  • Fewer steps for competitive players

  • More engaging Big Box experience

āš ļø Considerations

The launch action should only appear when LaunchBox can confidently match the leaderboard game to an installed local game.

Posted by Mike Nelson Ā·
Status: Open To Community4 comments

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Comments4

  • AstroBob changed status to Open To Community
    Teamā€¢

    Jul 18

    Pinned

    Hi 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.

    Iā€™ve gone ahead and fleshed out the main idea using the info you provided, and Iā€™m opening it up to the community for further discussion and feedback. Please let me know if this fleshed-out version doesnā€™t 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

    • Mike Nelson

      ā€¢

      Jul 20

      Thanks for considering my request.


      I think it will be a really cool feature.


      Your inclusion of ā€œBrowse leaderboards as a way to discover what to play nextā€ is another great selling point.


      I think youā€™ve captured exactly what I was intending, so please go ahead and share it with the community!


      Mike

    • Mike Nelson

      ā€¢

      Jul 25

      Hi again

      Building on the idea of using leaderboards to launch games, I think adding a dedicated Leaderboards / High Scores section directly to the Big Box Main Menu or Discovery Screen would be a major improvement.

      Current Limitations: High score leaderboards are currently deeply buried. Users must navigate to a specific platform, select a game, open the details sub-menu, and then choose "High Scores" to see community standings. This treats leaderboards as a secondary feature for a selected game rather than a primary tool for discovery.

      Proposed Feature:

      1. Top-Level Menu Entry: Add a dedicated "Leaderboards" or "High Scores" item to the main Big Box root menu (alongside Options, Platforms, Playlists, etc.).

      2. Global Leaderboard Hub: This entry would open a unified view showing recent high scores, top-ranked players, or trending score challenges across all supported games (MAME, RetroAchievements, etc.).

      3. Seamless Discovery: Combined with the ability to launch or navigate to a game directly from a score entry, this would turn the main menu into an arcade-style community feed where users can instantly jump into challenging top scores across their entire library.

      Best regards,

      Mike

  • Mike Nelson

    ā€¢

    Jul 18

    Big Box Leaderboards: Add "Game Installed" indicator and a direct "Play Game" shortcut

    When browsing the global high score leaderboards within Big Box, it would be incredibly useful to have a clear visual indicator showing whether the highlighted game is currently installed/available in your local LaunchBox library. Furthermore, if the game is owned and installed, there should be a direct action button (or shortcut) to launch that specific game immediately from the leaderboard screen.


    Right now, when you are navigating the leaderboard interface looking at top scores, you might see a game and think, "I want to have a go at beating that high score right now." However, you currently have to exit out of the leaderboard, manually search for the game in your library, and launch it from there.


    If you are a competitive player or just looking for a new challenge, being able to see instantly if you have the game, and then jumping straight into it from the leaderboard interface, would make the experience much more seamless and engaging.