Faugus Launcher has officially released version 2.0.0, marking a significant technical and aesthetic overhaul for the Linux-based game manager. The update, which aims to provide a streamlined alternative to existing tools like Lutris and Heroic, is built entirely on GTK4.

Quick Facts

  • Interface: Completely ported to GTK4 for a modern look and better Wayland and Flatpak compatibility.
  • Assets: New SteamGridDB integration allows for automatic downloading of icons, covers, and banners.
  • Gamepad Support: Switched from pygame to libmanette to improve controller navigation reliability across different Linux distributions.
  • Customization: Added support for light/dark themes, custom accent colors, and multiple background rendering options.

Key Enhancements and Technical Changes

The transition to GTK4 has allowed for a more flexible interface. Users can now customize the launcher's appearance with light and dark modes, adjustable accent colors, and dynamic backgrounds that can pull colors directly from a selected game's cover art. Additionally, the developers have addressed long-standing issues with system tray icons, as the previous ayatana-appindicator implementation was incompatible with the new toolkit.

For users managing large libraries, the integration with SteamGridDB is a major addition. The launcher can now automatically suggest game assets based on titles, and a new picker window allows for manual selection of banners and icons. These assets are applied directly to Steam shortcuts, which the developers note is particularly useful for Steam Deck and Big Picture mode users.

Workflow and Scripting Improvements

Version 2.0 adds the ability to define pre-launch and post-launch commands or scripts for individual games, providing more control over how titles execute. File management behavior has also been refined; the file chooser now remembers the last location used and defaults to the home folder if a previously saved directory is no longer accessible.

Other notable fixes in this release include:

  • Resolved a memory leak identified in previous versions.
  • Fixed an issue where settings would occasionally reset.
  • Corrected a bug where the 'Stop/Kill' buttons failed to properly close games running under Flatpak.
  • Added support for selecting a specific Steam user to manage game lists and shortcuts.

The launcher is now available as an AppImage, though it requires users to have pygobject, gtk4, libadwaita, and libmanette installed on their system to function correctly. While the interface is designed for simplicity, users should note that the current version still requires manual addition of individual Steam games.