No ratings required
Like a game if you enjoyed it. Save a note if something mattered. There is no score you need to defend.
Why Manual Save exists
Games are more than a score.
Manual Save is a personal video game journal for remembering what you played, what you want to play next, and what stayed with you — without turning every experience into a rating or a social-media performance.
It started with a spreadsheet
I just wanted somewhere to remember my games.
I had a growing list of games I owned or had access to — especially narrative games that could actually be finished. I wanted to work through them over time and keep a simple record of that journey.
I looked for a Letterboxd-like place for games, but I did not want to reduce the games I loved to numbers, ratings and scores. I also did not want another feed competing for attention with followers, likes, ragebait or ads.
So the first Manual Save was a Google Sheet. Then it became a small Google Apps Script and Sites prototype. A day later, the idea had already outgrown the spreadsheet.
Product principles
A journal first. Everything else second.
No engagement treadmill
Friends are optional. There are no follower counts, streaks, public Like totals, leaderboards or algorithmic feed designed to keep you scrolling.
Private by default
Your journal can simply be yours. Make your profile public or connect with friends only when that adds something for you.
The core stays free
Playing, Up next, Completed, notes, Likes, Favorites, Friends, privacy and export are part of the free journal. Optional Supporter helps keep Manual Save independent and ad-free.
Your history, on your terms
Keep the games. Keep the memories. Skip the scoreboard.
Manual Save is still evolving, but its purpose is deliberately simple: give your gaming history a place worth coming back to.