A game server browser, or game scanner, is an application

Application software

Application software, also known as an application or an "app", is computer software designed to help the user to perform specific tasks. Examples include enterprise software, accounting software, office suites, graphics software and media players. Many application programs deal principally with...

 enabling users to locate online

ONLINE

ONLINE is a magazine for information systems first published in 1977. The publisher Online, Inc. was founded the year before. In May 2002, Information Today, Inc. acquired the assets of Online Inc....

 multiplayer servers

Game server

A game server is a remotely or locally run server used by game clients to play multiplayer video games. Most video games played over the Internet operate via a connection to a game server...

 for various compatible PC games

Personal computer game

A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...

. Some applications also offer the functionality to locate internet radio

Internet radio

Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...

, VoIP, chat room

Chat room

The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...

s or downloads.

Typically, game server browsers retrieve a list of game servers from a master server, measure lag and packet loss between the browser and the game servers, and retrieve server details, such as current players and gameplay rules. This information can be filtered, sorted and displayed and is used to launch and connect a game from the list.

Optionally many game server browsers also support tracking and searching of players, both in- and out-of-game forums, chat and voice communication, advertising for events and management of game servers.

See also

• GameRanger
  GameRanger
  GameRanger is an Internet gaming service for the Macintosh and Windows computing platforms. The service includes custom software and unlike other gaming services is not strictly web-based. GameRanger was created by Scott Kevill and was first released in July 1999 for Macintosh with support for 11...
  
  
• GameSpy Arcade
  GameSpy Arcade
  GameSpy Arcade is a shareware multiplayer game server browsing utility. GameSpy Arcade allows players to view and connect to available multiplayer games, and chat with other users of the service. It was initially released by GameSpy Industries, a division of IGN Entertainment, in early 2000, to...
  
  
• Garena
  Garena
  Garena is an online gaming platform that supports various games from different game developers. Based in Singapore, the company has expanded its operations in the South East Asia region, including Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines...
  
  
• HLSW
  HLSW
  Half-Life Server Watch is a game server browser and administration tool written by Timo Stripf. HLSW was originally designed with a focus on administrating and joining Half-Life servers thus the name, Half-Life Server Watch...
  
  
• Kali
• Steam
• The All-Seeing Eye
  The All-Seeing Eye
  The All-Seeing Eye, known to its community of users as ASE, was a game server browser designed by Finnish company UDP Soft. It helped online gamers find game servers. ASE took two years to develop and was introduced as shareware on June 15, 2001....
  
   (ASE)
• Xfire
  Xfire
  Xfire is a proprietary freeware instant messaging service for gamers, that also serves as a game server browser and has various other features. It is currently available for Microsoft Windows. Xfire was originally developed by Ultimate Arena based in Menlo Park, California...
  
  
• XQF
  XQF
  XQF is a game server browser designed by Roman Pozlevich and works as a GUI for Qstat. It helps online gamers find game servers. XQF is under active development since 1998, making it one of the oldest products of its category...
  
  (for UNIX/Linux)