A powerful Playnite plugin that adds an in-game overlay for quick game switching and management. Open the overlay with a hotkey or Xbox controller button to seamlessly switch between running games, manage your current session, and browse your recent games.
- Open with Ctrl+Alt+O (customizable) or controller button
- Beautiful, non-intrusive overlay UI
- Smooth fade-in/fade-out animations
- Controller and keyboard navigation support
- Shows your currently active game or app
- Displays session duration ("Playing for 2h 15m")
- Shows total playtime for Playnite games
- Quick "Switch to Playnite" button
- "Exit Game" button to close the current app
- Automatically detects all running games and applications
- Three-tier detection system:
- Playnite Games: Games launched through Playnite
- Detected Games: Manually launched games in your library
- Generic Apps: Any other running applications (optional)
- One-click switching between running apps
- Purple "Switch" buttons for quick access
- Shows your 5 most recently played games
- Displays last played time ("2h ago", "yesterday", etc.)
- Click to launch games instantly
- Automatically excludes currently running game
- Automatically detects which app you're focused on
- Auto-updates when you exit a game and switch to another
- No manual tracking needed - just use your apps normally
- Hotkey Customization: Set any keyboard shortcut
- Controller Options:
- Guide button (default)
- Start+Back
- LB+RB
- Running Apps Settings:
- Show/hide generic applications (browsers, editors, etc.)
- Limit maximum number of apps displayed (1-50)
- Controller Always Active: Keep controller input active even when not gaming
- Open Playnite
- Go to Add-ons → Browse
- Search for "Playnite Overlay"
- Click Install
- Restart Playnite
- Download the latest
.pextfile from Releases - Drag and drop the file into Playnite
- Restart Playnite
Keyboard:
- Press Ctrl+Alt+O (or your custom hotkey)
Controller:
- Press the Guide/Home button (or your configured combo)
Keyboard:
- Arrow keys: Navigate between items
- Enter: Select/activate item
- Escape: Close overlay
- Click: Mouse support for all actions
Controller:
- D-Pad/Left Stick: Navigate
- A Button: Select/activate
- B Button: Close overlay
- Open the overlay
- Navigate to the game you want (in RUNNING APPS or RECENT GAMES)
- Press Enter/A or click the item
- Overlay closes and game activates
- Open the overlay
- Click "Exit Game" button in NOW PLAYING section
- Current game closes gracefully
- Automatically switches to next focused app
Access settings through: Playnite Menu → Add-ons → Extension settings → Playnite Overlay
- Enable Custom Hotkey: Toggle keyboard shortcut
- Custom Hotkey: Set your preferred key combination (default: Ctrl+Alt+O)
- Use Controller to Open: Enable/disable controller input
- Controller Combo: Choose trigger combination:
- Guide (default)
- Start+Back
- LB+RB
- Show Generic Apps: Include non-game applications in RUNNING APPS section
- Max Running Apps: Limit number of apps displayed (1-50, default: 10)
Configure custom shortcut buttons in the overlay that can run scripts or simulate keyboard presses:
- Add shortcuts in settings (up to 10)
- Shortcuts appear as buttons in a SHORTCUTS section in the overlay
- Click to execute the configured action
| Type | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| CommandLine | Run a script or executable with arguments | Launch PowerShell scripts, batch files, external tools |
| SendInput | Simulate a keyboard hotkey press | Trigger tools that only respond to hotkeys (Steam, OBS, etc.) |
Run a PowerShell script:
- Label:
Backup Saves - Action:
CommandLine - Command:
powershell.exe - Arguments:
-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File "C:\Scripts\backup-saves.ps1"
Run a batch file:
- Label:
Clean Temp - Action:
CommandLine - Command:
C:\Scripts\clean-temp.bat - Arguments: (leave empty)
Launch external tool:
- Label:
Notepad - Action:
CommandLine - Command:
notepad.exe - Arguments: (leave empty)
For tools that use hotkeys instead of command-line arguments:
Steam Screenshot:
- Label:
Screenshot - Action:
SendInput - Hotkey:
F12
OBS Toggle Recording:
- Label:
Record - Action:
SendInput - Hotkey:
F9(or your OBS hotkey setting)
GeForce Experience Screenshot:
- Label:
Screenshot - Action:
SendInput - Hotkey:
Alt+F1
Xbox Game Bar Recording:
- Label:
Record - Action:
SendInput - Hotkey:
Win+Alt+R
Tip: For SendInput, set the hotkey to match what's configured in the target application. Check Steam/OBS/GeForce Experience settings to find or customize their screenshot/recording hotkeys.
- Playnite: Version 10.52+ (PlayniteSDK 6.16.0+)
- .NET Framework: 4.7.2 or higher
- Operating System: Windows
Controller input requires Playnite's built-in controller support to be enabled:
- Open Playnite Settings → Input
- Enable "Enable controller support in Desktop mode"
- Restart Playnite if prompted
The plugin uses a three-tier detection strategy to identify running applications:
- Playnite-Tracked Games: Games launched through Playnite are automatically tracked
- Library Matching: Running processes are matched against your Playnite library by:
- Install directory
- Process name fuzzy matching
- Window title matching
- Generic Detection: Any running app with a visible window (optional)
The overlay runs as a separate WPF window (topmost, click-through background) and never injects into game processes, ensuring maximum compatibility and safety. Controller input is handled through Playnite's built-in controller API.
See CHANGELOG.md for version history and release notes.
- GitHub: hikaps/playnite-overlay
- Issues: Report a bug
- Releases: Download latest version
If you encounter issues:
- Check the Issues page
- Ensure you meet the requirements (especially .NET Framework 4.7.2)
- Try running Playnite as administrator (for game termination features)
- Create a new issue with:
- Playnite version
- Plugin version
- Steps to reproduce
- Expected vs actual behavior
This project was developed with assistance from AI tools for code generation, documentation, and debugging.
Built with ❤️ for the Playnite community