Documentation

Setup guides and reference material for GameSync WP Importer, PixelWire, Deals, Presswire, Ludexa, Arcade, Nocturne, GameSync Game Ratings, GameSync Related Games and GameSync Review Breakdown.

Getting started: GameSync WP Importer

1. Install and activate the plugin (it is free, with no licence key or account needed; bulk import, Resync All and the Trailers/Videos and Screenshots editor are all included).
2. Click Start the setup guide in the welcome notice (or Run the setup guide under Game Data Importer > Settings). It walks you through creating a free Twitch developer application — IGDB’s API runs on Twitch credentials — pasting in your Client ID and Client Secret, testing the connection and importing your first game.
3. Prefer to do it by hand? Go to Game Data Importer > Settings, paste in your Client ID and Client Secret, then click Test connection to confirm it’s working.
4. Go to Game Data Importer > Search & Import, search IGDB by title, and click Import on any result to create a Game post with cover art, platforms, genres and rating already filled in.

Blocks and lists. In the block editor, add the Game card, Game grid or Release calendar block. Select a Game grid block and open the block settings to change Layout to List, turn on Number the games and order by rating for a “Top rated” list. The same options work as a shortcode: [ggdi_games layout="list" rank="yes" orderby="rating" count="10"]. Game pages also work with block (Site Editor) themes such as Twenty Twenty-Five.

WP-CLI. On a server with WP-CLI you can run wp ggdi import (IGDB IDs, igdb.com links, Steam store links or game names), wp ggdi bulk (filter by platform, genre, rating and year; add --dry-run to preview), wp ggdi resync --all and wp ggdi scheduled run. Run wp help ggdi to see every option.

Store links. Add the Store links block to a game page (or use [ggdi_store_links]) to show “Get on Steam”, “Get on GOG” and similar buttons. They are built from the game’s saved links, so a game needs a Steam, GOG, Epic Games Store, itch.io, App Store or Google Play link first. You can add one under Related Links on the game’s edit screen. The game’s download link is shown as a Download button.

Patterns. In the block editor inserter, open Patterns and choose the Games category for ready-made sections: Top 10 games, Recently added, Game library, Upcoming releases and Game of the month.

Search engines and Site Health. Game pages include structured data (schema.org VideoGame) so search engines can understand them. Tools > Site Health shows whether the connection to IGDB is working.

Game library. Add the Game library block to a page for a browsable catalogue with a search box and platform and genre filters. It updates without reloading the page, works without JavaScript too, and every search has an address you can share. Search matches game titles. The Searchable game library pattern sets one up for you, and the Browse block can list platforms, genres or franchises with a count that opens the library already filtered.

Games IGDB does not have. Open Game Data Importer > All Games and click Add New to add a game by hand. Everything you type is yours: a game without an IGDB ID is never touched by a re-sync.

Keeping games up to date. Each game’s edit screen shows Recent changes on IGDB, and Re-sync from IGDB refreshes it. Choose fields to re-sync compares what you have now with what IGDB has, so you can tick only the fields you want. Fields you edited by hand are kept. To do it automatically, open Game Data Importer > Settings and turn on Keep games up to date (weekly or monthly, a few games at a time in the background). The All Games list shows when each game was last synced, and a Game changes this week widget on the Dashboard lists what changed.

My collection. On each game you can set a status (Playing, Completed, Backlog, Wishlist or Dropped) and your own score out of 10. The Game grid block and shortcode can filter by status and order by your score, and the Collection stats block shows your totals. A re-sync never changes your status or score.

Link posts to games. In a post’s sidebar, open the Games panel and pick the games it is about. The editor also suggests games it finds named in your text. Show them with the Games in this post block, and list the reviews and articles written about a game with the Posts about this game block.

PixelWire

Download PixelWire from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated PixelWire menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer. From there you can set:

• Light / dark / auto color scheme
• Homepage hero carousel (hand-picked or random games)
• Featured games section
• Header, footer and social links
• Optional news ticker under the header, a slim strip with the five latest blog posts, on the home page or on every page
• Most Viewed can rank by views in the last 7 days (Trending This Week), next to an automatic view counter and reading time
• Newsletter box with confirmed subscribers, a CSV or XLSX export and a Send Newsletter screen, plus a My Account page for visitors

Deals

Download GameSync Deals from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated GameSync Deals menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer. From there you can set:

• Currency symbol, its position and the currency code
• The colour scheme (Display Options): Light, Dark or Auto, and whether visitors get a sun/moon button to choose for themselves
• Which deal features show: the Deal box, “Ends in …” countdowns, store badges, “Lowest price yet” tags, the price chart, share links, Good deal votes, “This deal has ended” reports and the best-price bar
• Deal of the Day (automatic or hand-picked) and the optional strip under the header
• The weekly deals email: on or off, day, hour and subject
• Homepage sections, including Hot Deals, Ending Soon and Recently Ended
• Optional clean-up of old deals: remove the deal fields a number of days after a deal ended (games are never deleted or drafted), and the e-mail address that receives “deal ended” reports

Add a deal to any game or post in the Deal box on its edit screen: sale price, regular price, store, deal link, coupon code, last day of the deal and up to four other stores. To edit many at once, use GameSync Deals > Bulk Deals, a table editor with CSV import and export. The deals RSS feed is at /feed/gsdl-deals/ and there are “Deals grid” and “Deal of the day” blocks for the block editor.

Visitors also get:

• A Deals page with sorting (biggest discount, ending soon, price, newest), filters for minimum discount, store, genre, platform and price band (long genre and platform lists show the most common options first, with a “Show all” button), and a Cards / List switch, also available as a shortcode
• Price history, with a Lowest price yet tag and a small price chart in the Deal box with the first and latest price labelled, built from the prices you save
• A Price at each store table, so the same game can be compared across the stores you added
• A Recently ended view with a Notify me if it returns button that e-mails the visitor when a new deal appears. An ended deal’s page shows when it ended, the last and lowest prices, the other stores’ last prices and live deals in the same genre
• A Deals RSS feed and Share this deal links
• Good deal / Not great votes and a “This deal has ended” link under the Deal box. You get an e-mail on the first report and at three; from three reports the Deal box warns other visitors that the deal may have ended
• Price-target alerts: a logged-in visitor types “Tell me when it is under …” on a game and gets one e-mail when a deal reaches that price; their alerts are listed under My Account
• A best-price bar at the bottom of the screen once the Deal box has scrolled out of view, and an optional Free games shelf on the homepage
• On a game with a live deal, the Buy The Game section becomes Other places to buy and leaves out the stores the Deal box already offers

Presswire

Download Presswire from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated Presswire menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer. From there you can set:

• Accent color (used for links, the verdict badges and pull quotes)
• Front page section sizes — Latest Reviews, From the Blog, and Editor’s Picks
• Games per page on the genre/platform archives
• Which facts and sections show on the Game Page
• Footer About blurb and copyright line, and an optional Powered by IGDB link

Since version 1.10.0 two more pages, Magazine and Newsletter, turn Presswire into a magazine. Everything is optional and stays out of sight until you use it:

• Issues — under Posts > Issues (also on Games). Create an issue with a date, cover image and editor’s note, then tick it on the reviews and articles that belong to it. Choose the Current issue (or leave it on the newest) under Magazine; it appears as a movable “Current issue” band on the front page, and every issue has its own page. Optionally let the front-page lead story follow the current issue. The page /issue/ (for example yoursite.com/issue/) lists every issue as a cover card, newest first. It is built in, so you do not create a page for it, and “All issues” links appear next to the front page band and at the bottom of every issue page. Add /issue/ to your menu or footer yourself (Appearance > Menus > Custom Links); if it gives a 404, save Settings > Permalinks once. [gsprw_issues] shows the same cover grid inside any page of your own.
• Critics — add a Title and Photo URL on each user’s profile (the bio is the usual Biographical Info). Bylines then link to the critic’s page, and the author box shows photo, title, bio and counts.
• Review scorecard — fill in the “Review scorecard” box on a review: a one-line verdict, played on, hours, version and Buy if / Skip if. It shows after the text (or before it, under Magazine) and adds a Skip to verdict link.
• Reading extras — the progress line, “Keep reading” lists, [gsprw_pullquote cite=""] and [gsprw_keyfact title=""] (also Quote and Group block styles), and a print stylesheet.
• Article helpers – reading time next to the date and author, an automatic In this article Contents box on articles with four or more headings, and a Pros and cons panel on the edit screen (one point per line) that shows a short The good / The bad box under the verdict. Each can be switched off under Display.
• Editor’s Picks – tick the Editor’s Pick box on any review or article to put it on the front page and in the sidebar rail.
• The Canon — add ranked best-of lists under The Canon: search for reviews and articles, add them, reorder and give each a one-line reason. Show a list with [gsprw_canon id="123"] or the Canon list block; /canon/ lists them all. The theme does not add it to your menu, so add it under Appearance > Menus > Custom Links.
• Reviews timeline — create a page and choose the template “Reviews timeline”, or use [gsprw_timeline]. The theme does not link the page for you, so add it to your menu or footer.
• Evening edition — Magazine > Evening edition: off, follow the visitor’s device setting, or a moon switch in the header.
• Newsletter — switch on under Newsletter to show a sign-up box in the footer (or [gsprw_newsletter]). Visitors confirm by email; addresses are kept under GameSync Presswire > Subscribers, where you can export the confirmed ones as a CSV for your mailing service. Presswire collects addresses; it does not send newsletters.

Ludexa

Download Ludexa from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated Ludexa menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer, and no color pickers (the looks are fixed and tested by design). From there you can set:

• The Look (Display): Classic (white and blue), Paper (warm sepia), Night (dark) or Auto (Classic by day, Night when the visitor’s device is set to dark)
• Front page section counts, the order of the front page sections, and the “All Articles” one-page index cutoff
• Which quick-facts infobox rows and article sections appear
• Whether the stats bar and the Random Article nav link show
• Footer about-text and copyright-line overrides

Things Ludexa adds to your site, all switchable in the Ludexa menu:

• Compare games — a page at /compare/ where visitors pick two games (with typing suggestions) and see them side by side, with what they share marked. Each game’s facts box links to it with that game already chosen. To put it in your menu, tick “Add a Compare link to the main menu” under Display, or add a custom link to /compare/ under Appearance > Menus.
• Article tabs — Article / Discussion / History above each article title. History opens a small box with when the article was created, last edited and last refreshed from IGDB.
• Suggest a correction — off by default. Tick “Let visitors suggest a correction” under Article to add a short form that e-mails the editors (the admin e-mail address unless you enter another). Nothing is stored or published; there is a hidden spam trap and a limit of five messages an hour per visitor.
• Series and Developer boxes at the end of each article, listing the rest of the series with the current article highlighted.
• Search suggestions — matching articles drop down under the header search box as visitors type.
• Today on the front page — an Article of the day and the games released on this day (or in the next seven days).
• Browse by Decade & Platform on the front page, and a Decade filter next to the Platform and Genre filters on All Articles.
• Recent changes – a page at /recent-changes/ listing the most recently edited articles, newest first and grouped by day, each marked New or Edited. Automatic refreshes from IGDB are left out by default (untick Hide automatic refreshes from IGDB to list them as Refreshed from IGDB). Tick Add a Recent changes link to the main menu, or add a custom link to /recent-changes/. Untick Show a Recent changes page to switch it off.

Arcade

Download GameSync Arcade from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated GameSync Arcade menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer. From there you can set:

• Neon accent color: pick a one-click colour preset (hot pink, electric cyan, green phosphor, amber terminal, ultraviolet or laser red) or choose your own colour with the picker. Pick a bright one, it sits on a near-black background
• Homepage sections, the news ticker and the hero slider
• Which facts and sections show on the Game Page
• Sidebar sections, newsletter, social links and advertising slots
• CRT screen effect (off by default): scanlines, or scanlines with glow, a vignette and a slow light band. Visitors can switch it off with a small switch in the footer
• The “Insert Coin” button in the header, which spins a slot-machine style reel and lands on a random game. You can switch it off, or place it anywhere with the [gsar_insert_coin] shortcode

Nocturne

Download GameSync Nocturne from its page on this site, install it under Appearance > Themes > Add New > Upload Theme and activate it, then visit the dedicated GameSync Nocturne menu in wp-admin to configure it — no digging through the Customizer. From there you can set:

• Teal accent color, the header search icon and the archive view modes (thumbnails, list or both)
• Homepage hero carousel and Featured Games (hand-picked or random) and which sections show
• Which sections show on the Game Page and in what order
• Sidebar sections, footer text, social links and the newsletter
• A filter toolbar on All Games with platform, genre, minimum rating and sort order, using plain links so a filtered view can be shared or bookmarked
• A Submit Game page where visitors suggest a game by e-mail to you, with a hidden spam trap and a limit per visitor
• Visitor favorites, Want to Play / Playing / Completed lists and a My Account page, and uploaded video files that play in a native player next to YouTube trailers

Blocks

GameSync Blocks is a block theme. Download it from its page on this site, or install it from Game Data Importer > Themes & Add-ons, then activate it. It needs WordPress 6.6 or newer and the free GameSync Game Data Importer, which provides the game blocks. Open Appearance > Editor to change anything:

• Templates – edit the front page, game page, All Games page, archives, search, posts and 404 as normal block layouts
• Styles – choose the Dark, Blue, Green or Retro style, or change the colors, fonts and spacing for the whole site
• Patterns – insert a home hero, latest games with top rated, latest news, a sidebar, a game page layout, a Top 10 page, a release calendar, a platform page, a My games page, a Reviews page, latest or top rated reviews, or a game review layout from Patterns > GameSync Blocks. Use the page ones with the Wide page (no title) template
• Header and footer – edit the menu, site title and footer as template parts
• Game page – every section is a game block: reorder it, remove it or add another from the inserter

Game pages also show a favorite button and Want to play / Playing / Completed buttons for visitors who are logged in (Game Data Importer 2.4.0 or newer). To give visitors their own lists, create a page, choose the Wide page (no title) template and insert the My games page pattern; turn on Settings > General > Anyone can register if visitors should be able to sign up. The header search and the Game search block suggest matching games as visitors type.

To run a review site, open a post and fill in Review score (0 to 10) in the sidebar. The post gets a score badge and appears in the Latest reviews and Top rated reviews patterns; posts without a score are left out.

GameSync Blocks has no newsletter or settings pages; use PixelWire, Arcade, Nocturne or Deals if you need those.

GameSync Game Ratings

Download it from its page on this site and install it under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. It is free. Once active, a 1–5 star rating widget appears automatically on single posts (configurable per post type). Each visitor can cast one vote, and can change it later. No shortcode needed for the default placement; see the plugin’s own settings screen for display options.

GameSync Related Games

Download it from its page on this site and install it under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. It is free. In the post editor, use the Related Posts panel to search and pick related items for any post, page, or Game.

On Game pages, PixelWire’s own “Related Games” section already shows your picks automatically (falling back to same-genre games if you haven’t picked any) — you don’t need to add the [manual_related_posts] shortcode there too. Use the shortcode when you want hand-picked related content on a regular post or page, where PixelWire doesn’t show it automatically.

Turn on two-way relationships in the plugin settings so picking one side automatically links the other — including a one-click backfill for relationships you already set up before turning it on.

GameSync Review Breakdown

Install and activate GameSync Review Breakdown (also available on WordPress.org). It is free and works on any WordPress site. It adds a scored review box with a score for each criterion, an overall result and schema.org Review markup for search results.

1. Go to GameSync Review Breakdown > Templates and add one template for each kind of thing you review (Game, Movie, Restaurant). Give it as many criteria as you like, and optionally a weight for each one so that, say, Gameplay counts for more than Sound. There is no limit on the number of templates; you can export and import them as JSON files. Only administrators can edit templates. A template can also have its own heading (for example “Our Rating”) that is shown instead of the template name.
2. Go to GameSync Review Breakdown > Settings and choose which post types get a review box (Games by default when the Game Data Importer is active), the display style – stars out of 5, points out of 10 or a percentage – and whether the box comes before or after the content. A Color preset (Light, Dark, High contrast or one per GameSync theme) fills in the four colors at once with a live preview, and you can set each color yourself, pick a layout (bars, compact, horizontal, gauge or radar) and score labels.
3. Open any enabled game, post or page, find the GameSync Review Breakdown box, pick a template and enter a score from 0 to 10 for each criterion. The optional text below the criteria takes a short summary sentence. You can also fill in The Good and The Bad (one point per line, shown above or below the criteria; a list left empty is not shown). The style and position can also be overridden for one post.
4. Publish. The box appears automatically, or place it anywhere with [gsrb_review_breakdown] (add id="123" to show another post’s review) or the GameSync Review Breakdown block.

The GameSync themes recognise the plugin and show the review on the game page in their own style (Nocturne in its Our Review section, Presswire with its verdict, Ludexa in the infobox Score row), and show the overall score on cards where the theme has room for it. You do not need to place the shortcode on those pages.

Still stuck?

Check the changelog for recent fixes, post a question in the support forum on the plugin’s page at wordpress.org, or reach out through the contact page — I aim to reply as soon as possible.