Understanding the interface

The Launcher

The main ScummVM window is called the Launcher. The Launcher opens whenever you start ScummVM, unless you launch a game directly from the command line. Use the buttons on the bottom left of the screen to toggle between list and grid view.

The Launcher in list view.

The Launcher in grid view.

The games list

The pane on the left, when the Launcher is in list view, shows the games list, which shows all the games that have been added to ScummVM. The games list usually offers some additional information about each game, such as original platform and language. To highlight any game on the list, type the first letter(s) of its title, or click on it.

In grid view, all game icons are in the pane below the buttons, and show the game artwork. See Update Icons for information on how to update these. Use the Icons per row slider at the bottom of the page to change the size of the icons. Click on a game to select it. Click on the play icon in the pop-up menu to start the game, the gear icon to open the Game Options menu, or the export icon to load a saved game.

Game pop-up menu in grid view

The search box

The search box lets you filter the games list. It is located at the top of the page next to the magnifying glass icon. The filter is applied as you type, and is not case sensitive. To clear the filter, click X.

There are many ways to filter games. For example, you can type “Monkey Island” to locate all “Monkey Island” games on the list, or you can type “lang:de” to find German games. For a comprehensive look at how to use the search box, check out our Understanding the search box guide.

The grouping menu

To the right of the search box is the grouping menu. Use this menu to group games in alphabetical order, or by engine, series, publisher, language or platform. Hide or show groups of games by clicking on the black arrow to the left of each group heading.

The grouping menu, with the Launcher in list view

The buttons

To the right of the games list in list view, or above the games list in grid view, there are a number of buttons. Their functions are as follows:

Start (list view only)

Launches the highlighted game.

Load (list view only)

Opens the load game window, from which you can go to a saved game without having to start the game first.

See the Saving and loading a game page.

Add Game

Opens a file browser. To add a game, select a folder containing game files.

See the Adding and playing a game page.

Game Options (list view only)

Opens the game settings window. This window also opens whenever a game is added to the games list in the Launcher.

Use this window to configure settings specific to a game. These settings override the global settings. For more information, see the Changing settings page.

Remove Game

Removes the highlighted game from the list. This does not remove any saved games, so if you add a game to the games list again, you are able to resume where you left off.

Global Options

Opens the global settings window. Use this window to define global game settings, as well as change a number of the ScummVM Launcher settings. For more information, see the Changing settings page.

About

Shows credits and miscellaneous information about ScummVM.

Quit

Closes the Launcher and quits the ScummVM application.

The Global Main Menu

You can access the ScummVM Global Main Menu, also known as the GMM, while you are playing a game. To open the GMM, press Ctrl+F5 (Ctrl+fn+F5 on a Mac).

The Global Main Menu, or GMM.

The buttons

In the Global Main Menu there are a number of buttons. Their functions are as follows:

Resume

Closes the GMM and resumes the game.

Load

Opens the load game window. From here, you can load a saved game.

Save

Opens the save game window. From here, you can save a game.

Options

Opens a dialog which provides some gameplay options, such as sound volume, subtitle and keymap settings.

About

Displays the ScummVM About dialog. This is also available from the Launcher.

Help

Displays a list of keyboard shortcuts for the game. Note that this is not available for all games; refer to the Keymaps tab for keyboard shortcuts.

Return to Launcher

Quits the game and returns to the Launcher.

Note

This is not available for all games.

Quit

Quits the game and ScummVM, and returns to the operating system. Any unsaved game progress is lost.