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Working With Games

Once you've added systems to HyperHQ, it's time to manage your game library. This is where you import, organize, and customize your game collection.

Importing Games​

HyperHQ makes importing games automatic. When you add ROM paths to a system, it scans those folders and finds your games.

Automatic Import​

Here's what happens behind the scenes:

  1. You add a system with ROM paths
  2. HyperHQ scans those folders for files matching your extensions
  3. Games are imported into the system automatically
  4. You see the count of games found

That's it! No manual imports or database editing needed.

Manual Rescan​

Added more games after the initial import? Easy:

  1. Go to your system's Games tab
  2. Click Rescan Games
  3. HyperHQ finds new games and adds them
  4. Existing games stay untouched

Rescanning is safe—it only adds new games, it doesn't remove or change existing ones.

What Gets Imported​

HyperHQ looks for files matching the extensions you specified:

  • .zip for MAME and compressed ROMs
  • .bin, .md, .gen for cartridge-based games
  • .iso, .cue, .bin for disc-based games
  • Whatever extensions you configured for the system

Each file becomes a game entry in your library.

Viewing Your Games​

Click on any system in the sidebar to see its games:

List View Shows all games in an organized list with:

  • Game name
  • File name
  • Year (if available)
  • Genre and other metadata

Search and Filter Use the search bar at the top to find specific games quickly. Great for large libraries.

Sorting Click column headers to sort by:

  • Name (alphabetically)
  • Year (chronologically)
  • Genre
  • Play count

Editing Game Information​

Want to fix a game title or add details? Click on any game to edit it.

Basic Information​

Name

  • What shows up in HyperSpin
  • Fix typos or use friendlier names
  • Example: "suprmrio.zip" → "Super Mario Bros."

Description

  • Add a summary of the game
  • Useful for identifying games in large collections

Year

  • Release year
  • Helps with sorting and organization

Manufacturer

  • Who made it (Sega, Capcom, Konami, etc.)
  • Great for filtering and collections

Local File Name

  • The actual ROM filename on disk (read-only)
  • Handy for troubleshooting or matching media

Don't close and reopen for each game—use Previous and Next to move through your library while staying in the edit view.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • ← or ↑ - Previous game
  • → or ↓ - Next game

Makes bulk-editing way faster.

Detailed Metadata​

Genre

  • Action, RPG, Fighting, Puzzle, etc.
  • Helps organize and filter games

Rating

  • ESRB rating (Everyone, Teen, Mature, etc.)
  • Useful if you're building a family-friendly setup

Players

  • How many can play
  • Important for party game collections

Developer and Publisher

  • Who created and released the game
  • Good for tracking favorite studios

Region

  • USA, Japan, Europe, etc.
  • Helps identify different versions

Language

  • English, Japanese, Spanish, etc.
  • Useful for multi-region collections

Multi-File Games​

Some games need multiple files (like PlayStation games):

In the File Name field, separate files with |:

game.cue|game.bin

List the main file first (usually the .cue for disc games). Most emulators want this file as the launch point.

Organizing Your Library​

Mark Favorites​

Love a game? Mark it as a favorite:

  • Click the star icon on any game
  • Favorites can be filtered and highlighted
  • Great for quick access to your go-to games

Disable/Hide Games​

Got ROM sets with lots of duplicates or broken games? Disable them to clean up your library:

Disable Individual Games

  1. Select any game in your library
  2. Click the Disable button or toggle visibility
  3. Confirm in the styled modal dialog
  4. Game appears with grayscale filter (visual indicator)

Disabled Games

  • Shown with grayscale overlay in HyperHQ
  • Don't appear in HyperSpin wheel by default
  • Still in your database—just marked as disabled
  • Easy to re-enable anytime

Show/Hide Disabled Games

  • Toggle Show Hidden filter to include disabled games
  • See all games (enabled and disabled) at once
  • Disabled games clearly marked with grayscale
  • Filter out disabled games to see only active library

Perfect For:

  • Duplicate regions (disable all but your preferred version)
  • Broken or incomplete ROM dumps
  • Games you don't want to see but might want later
  • Cleaning up massive ROM sets
  • Testing different game configurations

Re-enabling Games

  1. Enable Show Hidden filter
  2. Find the disabled game (shown in grayscale)
  3. Select it and click Enable
  4. Game returns to full color and appears in HyperSpin
Managing Large ROM Sets

With MAME's 10,000+ games, use disable liberally. Keep 50-100 favorites enabled, disable the rest. Use search to find specific games when needed—they're still in your database.

Play Time Tracking​

HyperHQ tracks your gaming sessions automatically:

What Gets Tracked:

  • Total play time per game
  • Last played date and time
  • Play count (number of sessions)
  • Session duration

Viewing Your Stats:

  • See play time in the game list columns
  • Sort by play time to find your most-played games
  • Last played timestamp shows when you last launched a game
  • View detailed stats in game details

How It Works:

  • Tracking starts when you launch a game
  • Time accumulates as you play
  • Tracking stops when the emulator closes
  • Sessions persist across HyperHQ restarts

Want to reset stats? Edit the game and clear the play time fields.

Custom Game Entries​

Sometimes you want to add a game manually (like a shortcut or custom launcher):

  1. Click Add Game in the Games tab
  2. Fill in the details:
    • Name (what shows in HyperSpin)
    • File path (the actual executable or ROM)
    • Metadata (optional but helpful)
  3. Save and it appears in your system

This is useful for:

  • PC games that aren't detected automatically
  • Custom launchers or batch files
  • Homebrew games
  • Anything that doesn't fit the normal pattern

Batch Operations​

Got a lot of games to manage? Batch operations save time:

Selecting Multiple Games​

  • Hold Ctrl and click to select individual games
  • Hold Shift and click to select a range
  • Use Ctrl+A to select all

Batch Actions​

With multiple games selected, you can:

  • Mark as favorites in bulk
  • Edit metadata for multiple games (coming soon)
  • Delete games you don't want

Working With ROM Sets​

Many arcade and console collections come as complete ROM sets. Here's how to handle them:

Full Sets vs. Favorites​

You don't need to keep every game visible:

  1. Import the full set (let HyperHQ scan everything)
  2. Hide clones and duplicates (regional variants, alternate versions)
  3. Keep your favorites visible (the games you actually play)
  4. Use search when you need something specific

This gives you access to everything without cluttering your wheel.

MAME Sets​

MAME ROM sets can have thousands of games:

Non-Merged Sets (Recommended)

  • Each game is self-contained
  • Easier to manage individual games
  • HyperHQ works great with these

Split Sets

  • Parent ROMs and clone ROMs are separate
  • You need both to play clones
  • Still works, but less convenient

Merged Sets

  • Multiple games in one ZIP file
  • Can be tricky to manage
  • Consider converting to non-merged
Too Many Games?

With MAME's 10,000+ games, use filters and favorites liberally. Most people play 50-100 games regularly—focus on those.

Viewing Game Manuals​

Got game manuals in your media library? HyperHQ's built-in manual viewer makes reading them a pleasure.

CBZ Manual Viewer​

The viewer handles CBZ (comic book archive) files with a slick interface:

3D Page Flip Animation

  • Pages turn with realistic 3D effects
  • Smooth transitions between pages
  • Feels like reading a real manual

View Modes:

  • Single Page - One page at a time
  • Spread View - Two-page spreads like an open book

Navigation:

  • Click page edges to turn
  • Arrow keys for quick navigation
  • Jump to any page with the page selector
  • Swipe gestures on touch devices

Zoom Controls:

  • Zoom in on detailed diagrams
  • Fit to width or height
  • Reset zoom with one click

Accessing Manuals​

  1. Go to a game's details page
  2. Look for the Manuals section in media
  3. Click any manual to open the viewer
  4. Start reading with page flip animations
Manual Sources

EmuMovies (Tier 3) includes game manuals as PDFs and CBZ files. Download them through the media refresh options.

Save State Management​

For RetroArch users, HyperHQ provides save state management right from the game details page.

Quick Load from Play Button​

The Play button has a dropdown for save states:

  1. Click the arrow next to Play
  2. See your available save states with thumbnails
  3. Click any state to launch directly into it
  4. Or click Play for a fresh start

Save State Thumbnails​

RetroArch can capture thumbnails when you save. Enable this from the emulator settings:

Enable Thumbnails:

  1. Go to your system's Platforms tab
  2. Select the RetroArch emulator
  3. Find Save State Thumbnails toggle
  4. Turn it on
  5. New saves include preview images

What You See:

  • Thumbnail preview of each save
  • Save slot number
  • Timestamp when saved
  • Quick visual identification

The setting writes directly to your retroarch.cfg file—no need to open RetroArch.

Managing Save States​

From the game details:

  • View all save states for a game
  • See thumbnails for visual reference
  • Delete old saves you don't need
  • Load any state directly
RetroArch Only

Save state management requires RetroArch as your emulator. Standalone emulators have their own save systems.

Game-Level Media Overrides​

Need different media behavior for specific games? Override system defaults at the game level.

Marquee Override​

Control whether a specific game displays marquee art:

  1. Go to the game's details page
  2. Find the Marquee section in settings
  3. Choose:
    • Inherit - Use system setting (default)
    • On - Always show marquee for this game
    • Off - Never show marquee for this game

Settings Inheritance: Global → System → Game

The most specific setting wins. If you set "Off" at the game level, that overrides everything else.

When to Use:

  • A game looks bad with marquee art
  • You have custom marquee art for specific games
  • Some games work better without secondary display content

Game Collections​

Want to group games across systems? That's what Collections are for!

For example, create a "Fighting Games" collection with:

  • Street Fighter (Arcade)
  • Mortal Kombat (Arcade)
  • Soul Calibur (Dreamcast)
  • Tekken (PlayStation)

See Creating Collections for the full guide.

Wheel Manager​

Control how games appear in HyperSpin's wheel. Open it from the Wheel Manager tab on any system.

Reordering Games​

Drag and drop to move games around. Changes auto-save.

Hover over a game for Move Up/Down and Indent/Outdent buttons.

Keyboard Shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + ↑/↓ - Move game up/down
  • Ctrl + ←/→ - Outdent/indent (for hierarchy)

Parent-Child Hierarchy​

Group related games by indenting them under a parent:

  • Indent a game to nest it under the one above
  • Tree lines show the structure
  • Kids appear nested in HyperSpin

Good for game series, regional variants, or sub-categories.

Good to Know​

  • Everything auto-saves—just close when you're done
  • Scroll while dragging to reach distant spots
  • Messed up? Reorder manually or restore from backup
Plan Your Order

Alphabetical works for big libraries. For curated collections, try favorites-first or genre grouping.

Metadata Sources​

Where does game information come from?

Automatic Metadata​

When you import games, HyperHQ tries to match them with databases:

  • ROM file names often include metadata
  • CRC matching for arcade games
  • Filename parsing for consoles

Manual Entry​

If automatic matching doesn't work, just edit the game and fill it in yourself. It takes a minute but makes your library much nicer.

Community Databases​

In the future, HyperHQ may connect to community databases for automatic metadata. For now, it's mostly based on filenames and your manual edits.

Searching Your Library​

Click the search icon (or hit the shortcut) to open Spotlight Search. It's fast and forgiving:

  • Fuzzy matching - "str fghtr" finds "Street Fighter II", "snic" finds "Sonic the Hedgehog"
  • Results appear instantly, grouped by system
  • Click any result to jump right to it

Keyboard:

  • ↑/↓ - Navigate results
  • Enter - Open game
  • Escape - Close

The search bar at the top of game lists filters as you type. Case-insensitive, works across systems. Hit the X to clear.

When to Use Which

Spotlight for jumping to a specific game. List search for filtering and browsing multiple matches.

Removing Games​

Need to remove games from your library?

Hide vs. Delete​

Hide (Recommended)

  • Game stays in your library
  • Doesn't show in HyperSpin
  • Can be unhidden later
  • ROM file stays on disk

Delete

  • Removes from HyperHQ's database
  • Can be re-imported by rescanning
  • ROM file stays on disk (HyperHQ never deletes your files)

Removing a Game​

  1. Select the game
  2. Click Delete or press Delete key
  3. Confirm the removal
  4. Game is removed from the database
Important

HyperHQ NEVER deletes your actual ROM files. Removing a game only removes it from the database. Your files are safe on disk.

Handling Game Issues​

Game Won't Launch?​

Check these things:

  1. Verify the ROM file exists at the path shown
  2. Make sure the emulator is configured correctly
  3. Test the emulator directly (run it manually to verify it works)
  4. Check the logs (Settings > View Logs) for error messages

Wrong Game Name?​

Just edit it! Click the game and change the name to whatever you want. The file name doesn't change—only what shows in HyperSpin.

Duplicate Games?​

Hide the ones you don't want:

  • Keep your preferred region/version visible
  • Hide alternates and clones
  • Or delete them entirely if you're sure

Games Missing After Rescan?​

HyperHQ only adds new games—it doesn't remove existing ones. If games are missing:

  • Check if they're hidden (toggle visibility filter)
  • Verify ROM files still exist on disk
  • Check file extensions match your system settings

Performance Tips​

Large Libraries (1000+ Games)​

HyperHQ handles large libraries well, but here are tips:

Use Search Instead of Scrolling

  • Faster to find specific games
  • Reduces UI lag with huge lists

Hide Games You Don't Play

  • Keeps your HyperSpin wheel manageable
  • Games are still available via search

Organize Into Collections

  • Group by genre, era, or preference
  • Easier to navigate than one giant list

Virtual Scrolling​

HyperHQ uses virtual scrolling for game lists:

  • Only renders visible rows
  • Handles thousands of games smoothly
  • You won't notice any lag even with huge libraries

What's Next?​

Now that your games are organized, make them look amazing! Head to Managing Media to download artwork, videos, and themes.

Want to create custom game collections? Check out Creating Collections.