Photon

A next-generation PC game launcher built for speed, clarity, and control.

No bloat. No friction. Just your entire library, unified and instantly playable.

Photon brings all your games into one sleek, modern hub — with lightning-fast launching, beautiful visuals, and powerful per-game customization. Whether you're jumping in for five minutes or settling in for a long session, Photon gets out of your way and lets you play.

Lightweight. Fast. Yours.

✨ Features

🎮 Multi-Platform Support

• Steam Integration - Automatically scans and displays your Steam library with official thumbnails
• GOG Galaxy - Detects GOG games from registry
• Xbox Game Pass - Lists Windows Store games
• Custom Games - Add any executable with custom cover art and tags

🎨 AAA-Quality Interface

• Dynamic Hero Section - Featured game with cinematic background
• Glassmorphism Design - Frosted glass effects with purple accent theme
• Smooth Animations - 300ms eased transitions and perspective tilt cards
• Real-Time Updates - Instant profile changes without restart

📊 Smart Library Management

• Playtime Tracking - Automatic playtime recording for all games
• Favorites System - Star your favorite games for quick access
• Recently Played - Auto-sorted collection of recent games
• Fuzzy Search - Instant filtering by title, platform, or tags

⚙️ Advanced Features

• Performance Overlay - Live CPU and RAM monitoring during gameplay
• Profile Customization - Upload custom avatar and display name
• Collapsible Sidebar - Icon-only mode for more screen space
• Single Instance - Prevents multiple launchers from running

🔧 Settings & Customization

• Accent Colors - Choose from 6 theme colors
• Library Paths - Configure custom scan directories
• Performance Toggles - Enable/disable overlay and tray mode

📸 Screenshots

Library View

Clean grid layout with game cards featuring hover animations and quick-play buttons.

Game Details

Sliding panel with achievements, playtime stats, and favorite toggle.

Settings

Comprehensive settings with profile editor, theme selector, and library management.

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

• Java 21+ - Download OpenJDK
• Maven 3.9+ - Download Maven
• Windows 10/11 - Currently Windows-only

Option 1: Run from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ghostfishh/photon.git
cd photon

# Run with Maven
mvnw.cmd javafx:run

Option 2: Build Executable

# Build the project
mvnw.cmd clean package

# Create Windows installer (requires JDK 17+)
mvnw.cmd jpackage:jpackage

# Find the .exe in target/dist/

Option 3: Download Release

Download the latest .exe from the Releases page and run the installer.

🎯 Usage

First Launch

1. The launcher will automatically scan for Steam, GOG, and Xbox games
2. Games appear in the main library grid
3. Click any game card for more details

Adding Custom Games

1. Click Add Game in the top bar
2. Upload a cover image (optional)
3. Select the game executable
4. Add tags for organization
5. Click Save Profile

Managing Your Library

• Search - Type in the search bar to filter games
• Favorite - Click the ★ button on any game
• Sort - Use sidebar to view All Games, Recent, or Favorites
• Delete - Open game details and click Delete (custom games only)

Customizing Your Profile

1. Navigate to Settings (⚙ icon)
2. Click Change Avatar to upload a profile picture
3. Edit your display name
4. Click Save Profile to apply changes

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Java 21 - Core application runtime
• JavaFX 21 - UI framework
• Gson - JSON serialization
• Maven - Build system
• CSS3 - Advanced styling (glassmorphism, gradients)

📁 Project Structure

src/main/
├── java/com/launcher/
│   ├── LauncherApp.java          # Main application
│   ├── GameManager.java           # Game library management
│   ├── SteamScanner.java          # Steam integration
│   ├── GOGScanner.java            # GOG integration
│   ├── XboxScanner.java           # Xbox Game Pass integration
│   ├── SettingsView.java          # Settings page
│   ├── NotificationsView.java     # Activity feed
│   ├── DownloadsView.java         # Downloads page
│   ├── CustomGameDialog.java      # Add game dialog
│   ├── TrayManager.java           # System tray integration
│   ├── PerformanceOverlay.java    # Performance monitoring
│   └── PlaytimeManager.java       # Playtime tracking
└── resources/
    ├── style.css                  # Application styles
    ├── avatar.png                 # Default avatar
    └── hero.png                   # Placeholder hero image

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Steam CDN for official game thumbnails
• JavaFX community for excellent UI toolkit
• All contributors who help improve this project

📧 Contact

Project Link: https://github.com/ghostfishh/photon

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Photon — Lightning-fast game launching. Zero friction.