One launcher
for every game you own.

Steam, Epic and Heroic side by side, games installed from their setup files, and a Theatre mode for the couch. Free and open source, on Linux and Windows.

Download for Windows Install on Linux

No account, no telemetry v0.5.4 · 7 November 2026 · What's new

Nexus Home: the Stage with the game you're playing, recent games and Home widgets Theatre mode: the Home page at TV size A game's page: art, play time, progress and launch options

Everything you play, in one calm place.

One library

Steam, Epic and Heroic games side by side, as shelves, a grid or a list, and every game gets its own page.

Setup-file installs

Point Nexus at a setup.exe and it installs the game, finds its launcher and adds it with artwork.

Theatre mode

A full-screen mode for the TV, with big tiles and a quick menu, driven by an Xbox, PlayStation or Switch pad.

Stay informed

News and patch notes for the games you own, and quiet tray alerts. Deals and Upcoming need Game-db.

Make it yours

Dark and light themes, accent colours, glow and corner styles, and a 90 to 150 % size for big screens.

Get Nexus 0.5.4

Free, MIT licensed, no account. Your settings stay on your computer.

All releases · SHA256SUMS

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. Installs just for you, with no admin prompt.

Download for Windows

Or the portable zip, no install needed.

Windows may warn you the first time. The build isn't code-signed, so SmartScreen can stop it: click More info, then Run anyway.

Python 3.11+ and PyQt6. Arch, CachyOS and Manjaro shown; Fedora uses dnf.

git clone https://github.com/cyberpunk89/nexus-launcher.git ~/nexus-launcher
cd ~/nexus-launcher
sudo pacman -S --needed python-pyqt6 python-vdf umu-launcher
ln -sfn "$PWD/bin/nexus" "$PWD/bin/nexus-cli" ~/.local/bin/
nexus --install-desktop && nexus

Debian, Ubuntu and the Steam Deck: see Install in the README. A git pull updates Nexus.

Put the keyboard away.

Plug in a controller and Theatre takes over the TV: big tiles you read from the sofa, a quick menu for everything, and the PC behind it stays out of sight.

Theatre mode: the Home page at TV size with the Play button focused
Now playing
1 h 12 min this session
Resume A
Quit game
Controllers · 2 connected
Sleep
Exit Theatre
  1. 1

    Pick up a pad

    Xbox, PlayStation or Switch. Nexus can open Theatre by itself when one connects, or press ≡.

  2. 2

    Browse from the sofa

    Home, Library, Downloads and Discover, an on-screen keyboard for search, and a background that takes the colour of your game.

  3. 3

    Press A to play

    Guide opens the quick menu over any game: Resume, Quit, battery, Sleep. A short summary shows when you stop.

Private by default.
Not by setting.

Nexus has no account, no telemetry and no ads. Your library, play time and settings live in files on your computer, and nothing leaves it unless you ask.

  • Stays on your machine

    Library, play history, saves and settings are local files you can read and delete.

  • Your keys, your services

    Steam friends, artwork and Game-db run only with keys or invites you add yourself.

  • Friends, read-only

    Nexus only reads what Steam already shows you. Nothing about you is sent anywhere.

  • Open to check

    Every line is on GitHub under the MIT licence. This site has no cookies or analytics either.

Report a problem

After a crash. Try it: tick what you'd share.

Paths removed
KeyError in library.refresh
at ~/…/nexus/library.py:412
15 lines will be shared. Your name and home folder are not in them.
Nothing is sent until you press one.

Linux gaming, minus the homework.

Windows games on Linux usually come with a to-do list of tools and wiki pages. Nexus crosses it off for you.

0 chores left. Just play. 
nexus-cli --doctor
Proton ready
ProtonDB ratings on
umu-launcher found
Presets ready
Heroic linked
Cleanup list ready
Sunshine found

  1. Download Proton builds and check them by hand

    Proton manager. The newest GE-Proton in one click, checksum-verified.

  2. Look up every game on ProtonDB, then pick a Proton

    Per-game Proton. ProtonDB ratings sit right on the game page.

  3. Make a Wine prefix just to run a setup.exe

    Setup-file installs. Runs under Proton through umu and lands in your library.

  4. Copy gamescope and MangoHud options between games

    Performance presets. gamescope, MangoHud and lsfg-vk, chosen per game.

  5. Keep Heroic open in a second window

    Heroic in the library. Your Heroic games next to Steam, with the same pages.

  6. Hunt for stray prefixes eating the disk

    Storage cleanup. One bar per drive, and everything goes to the Trash first.

  7. Set up streaming to the living room yourself

    Sunshine streaming. Stream your games to another screen from Nexus.

Invite only for now

Some features need Game-db.

Game-db is Nexus's companion server. It keeps the price, release and backlog data that a desktop app can't gather on its own. Access is by invite while it's small.

Everything else on this page works without it. Nexus never needs an account to run.

Needs a Game-db connection

  • Deals: wishlist sales, sorted by how close they are to an all-time low.
  • Upcoming: a countdown for games you're waiting on, and the Upcoming widget on Home.
  • Backlog: tonight's three picks for the time you have.
  • Sale alerts: the tray's deal notifications.

Coming soon: requests will go to a mail agent that answers them. Nothing is sent from this form yet.

What's new

Latest · v0.5.4

A new Home, starting with the Stage

The game you're on fills the top in Cinematic, Wide or Banner style, over its art, a gradient or a plain card. Pin any game to it.

  • New

    For you now

    Beside Play, Nexus suggests what to do next: a finished download, a game a friend is playing, a deal or a game to pick up again.

  • New

    Presets and saved layouts

    Start Home from a preset, save your own layouts and let Nexus switch between them by time of day. Big charts moved to Play history.

  • New

    Steam friends

    With your Steam Web API key: who owns a game, who is playing now, a Friends own filter, and Play together to find games you all own.

  • New

    Report a problem

    After a crash Nexus keeps a crash file and drafts a report without your personal paths. Open it on GitHub or send it without an account.

  • Fixed

    Round corners stay round

    Small buttons, controller hints and the For you now pill keep their shape under every Corners and Size setting.

Earlier releases on GitHub

Questions,
answered.

Is it free?
Yes. Nexus is open source under the MIT licence, with no account, ads or paid tier.
Does Nexus download games?
No. It never downloads games by itself. It installs a game from a setup file you already have, and it can show the downloads in your own torrent client. Only install software you are allowed to use.
Do I need Steam?
No. Nexus finds Steam, Epic (and Heroic on Linux) when they are there, and games you install from a setup file work without any store.
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. There is no telemetry and no account. Optional services (artwork, Steam friends, Game-db) only run with keys or invites you add yourself, and a crash report is only sent when you press Send, after you have seen and trimmed it. This site has no cookies or analytics. More on privacy.
What needs Game-db, and how do I get in?
Deals, Upcoming, Backlog and sale alerts. Game-db is invite only for now; invite requests open soon.
Why does Windows warn me?
The installer isn't code-signed, so SmartScreen doesn't know it yet. Click More info, then Run anyway, and check the file against SHA256SUMS if you want to be sure.
Does it run on the Steam Deck?
The Linux build runs there, and Theatre mode suits the controller. The Install section in the README has the Steam Deck notes.