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    Game Backlog Tracker

    Every gamer has a pile of games they own but haven’t finished. Log your library, track what you’re playing, and watch your completion rate climb.

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    Note: Your library is saved locally in this browser, so it’ll stay here next time you visit on the same device — but it won’t follow you to a different device or browser. Clearing your browser data will also clear this list. Back to all tools.

    Gaming Backlog Management: Trello Board vs a Dedicated Video Game Tracker

    If you’ve searched for ways to manage a gaming backlog, chances are you’ve landed on a guide about doing it in Trello. It’s a genuinely popular method — flexible, visual, and free to start. But repurposing a general task-tracking app for something as specific as video games means building the whole system yourself. Here’s how the Trello approach works, where it starts to strain, and a simpler way to get the same result.

    The Trello Method for a Gaming Backlog

    The idea traces back to a well-known corner of the internet: a Trello blog-style post on jeffinitely.com called “Planning Media with Trello” inspired a wave of gamers to adapt the same system specifically for tracking video games instead of general content planning. The setup usually looks something like this — you create a Trello board, then break it into lists representing each stage a game moves through:

    Start Here → Backlog → Next Up → Currently Playing → Story Completed → Platinum / 100%

    Every game becomes its own card, and you drag it across lists as you make progress. Once you’ve got a card layout you like, it basically becomes your card template going forward — a cover image for the box art, labels for platform or genre, due dates for a release date or a personal deadline, checklists for side quests or trophies, and attachments for walkthroughs or guides you want on hand. Trello’s free version covers all of this comfortably; the paid version mainly adds extra views and automation that most people tracking a personal backlog never actually need.

    It’s a genuinely solid system — organizing, tracking, and managing your backlog visually, one card at a time. The catch is that you’re the one building every part of it.

    Where the Trello Method Starts to Strain

    Trello wasn’t built for video games — it was built for general task tracking and content planning, and video games are just one more thing people have bent it to fit. That works fine at first, but a few things start to show:

    • No native fields for gaming data. Hours played, completion percentage, platform — none of that exists by default. You’re adding it yourself through custom fields, checklists, or just typing it into the card description.
    • Multi-pack games cause confusion. Say you pick up something like The Handsome Collection — that’s Borderlands 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel bundled into one purchase. Is that one card or two? Every board answers this differently because Trello has no built-in convention for it.
    • Story mode vs full completion. Some players are done the moment they finish story mode; others won’t rest until they’ve got the platinum trophy or hit 100% completion. Trello can’t tell the difference unless you build a label system for it.
    • Upkeep tax. Keeping labels, checklists, and card layout consistent across dozens of games takes real, ongoing effort — the exact opposite of what a backlog tool should feel like.

    A Dedicated Video Game Tracker

    This is exactly the gap our Game Backlog Tracker is built to close. Instead of assembling boards, lists, and card templates from scratch, you get the fields a gaming backlog actually needs, ready to go: game name, platform (covering consoles, PC, and mobile), completion status (Backlog, Playing, Completed, Dropped — the same stages people build by hand in Trello), and hours logged.

    Your completion rate, total hours, and how many games are currently in progress are calculated automatically — no checklist math, no manually updating a percentage in a card description. It’s the same core idea behind managing, tracking, and organizing your library — the same visual organization Trello gives you — just purpose-built instead of repurposed. Playing games is the fun part; completing them and knowing exactly where you stand shouldn’t be the hard part.

    Pair it with the resources most backlog-clearers already use: HowLongToBeat.com for a realistic time to complete estimate before you commit to a game, and PSN Profiles or your platform’s own trophies/achievement tracker if you’re chasing that platinum trophy. Keep walkthroughs and guides bookmarked separately for whatever you’re currently playing.

    Which One Should You Use?

    You want to…Better fit
    Get a visual, board-style overview and don’t mind building the system yourselfTrello
    Log a game and its status in seconds, with stats calculated for youDedicated tracker
    Attach guides, screenshots, or due dates directly to each gameTrello
    Track hours played and completion rate without extra setupDedicated tracker

    Plenty of people end up using both — Trello for big-picture content planning across a huge backlog, and a dedicated tracker for the fast, day-to-day logging.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Is Trello actually free for tracking a gaming backlog?

    Yes. The free version includes unlimited boards, lists, cards, labels, checklists, and attachments — more than enough for a personal backlog. The paid tiers add things like extra automation and views, which aren’t necessary just for this use case.

    What’s the real difference between Trello and a dedicated video game tracker?

    Trello is a general-purpose task tracking and content planning tool you customize for games. A dedicated tracker already has gaming-specific fields — platform, status, hours — built in, so there’s no setup required and your stats update automatically.

    Can I add a star rating to games I’ve completed?

    Trello doesn’t have a native star rating field, so most people simulate one with a label or a number in the card title. A purpose-built game rating system is one of the few things a dedicated tracker doesn’t yet offer either — for now, both methods handle it manually.

    Quick recap:

    • Trello can absolutely manage a gaming backlog — boards, lists, and cards give you a fully customizable, visual system, for free.
    • The trade-off is setup and upkeep: you’re building card templates, labels, and workflow stages yourself, with no fields built for games specifically.
    • A dedicated video game tracker skips the setup — platform, status, and hours are ready from the start, with completion rate calculated for you.
    • Many backlog-clearers use both: Trello for visual planning, a dedicated tracker for fast day-to-day logging.

    Ready to stop building spreadsheets and card templates and just start playing? Add your first game to the tracker above. And if you’re tuning up more than your backlog, check out our Pokémon IV/EV Calculator and Mouse Sensitivity Converter too.