Introduction
One of the biggest questions for any cloud gaming platform is game availability. People want to know what they can play, what is coming next, and whether the games they care about will actually make it into the catalog.
At Spacerun, we wanted to make that part visible early instead of treating it like something users only discover after launch. That is why the catalog matters so much. It gives people a way to see what is already on the radar, what is still coming, and what the community is paying attention to most.
Before launch, this also gives players a way to take part. They are not just waiting for a final library to appear one day. They can browse the catalog, follow the campaign, and request the games they would love to see added.
A catalog that starts the conversation
The catalog is not only there to list games. It helps start the conversation around what the platform should become.
When someone opens it, they can quickly understand which titles are already being tracked, which ones are still marked as coming soon, and which ones are getting the strongest support from users. That makes the whole experience feel more open. Instead of silently building a library in the background, we can show the direction early and let people react to it.
That matters because game availability is never just about numbers. It is also about relevance. A smaller catalog that reflects what people actually want is much more useful than a bigger one that ignores player interest.
Why requests matter before launch
Before a platform fully launches, there is always a gap between what is already available and what people are hoping to play. We think that gap should be visible.
That is why requesting games is part of the experience. If someone cannot find a title they want, they should be able to ask for it. That request tells us something simple but important: there is real interest there. Over time, that helps shape priorities in a way that feels grounded in actual demand instead of assumptions.
It also makes the early phase more interesting for users. They are not just looking at a static list. They are helping influence what the catalog could become.
Reading the catalog beyond the game names
What makes the catalog more useful is that it helps people read more than just the title of a game. It gives context.
You can look at the table and start to get a sense of which games are popular, which ones are attracting the most attention, and which ones may deserve to move faster. You can also see the difference between games that are simply listed and games that are closer to being fully available.
That is an important distinction for us. Some games may appear in the catalog early, but that does not always mean they are instantly playable yet. Others can eventually move into a ready-to-play state, where the experience is much smoother and does not require installation first. That kind of visibility helps set better expectations.
From listed to ready to play
A game being in the catalog is one step. A game being ready to play is another.
That transition matters because it changes the user experience completely. Once a title becomes ready to play, the process becomes much more immediate. You are no longer looking at something that is planned or being prepared. You are looking at something that is ready for people to jump into without extra setup.
For cloud gaming, that difference is important. Instant access is one of the main reasons people are interested in the category in the first place. So it makes sense to show that status clearly and let users understand where each game currently stands.
Learning from popularity
The table is also useful because it helps us understand momentum. Some games naturally rise because more users care about them. Some keep getting attention over time. Others may lose traction.
That kind of signal is valuable. It helps show which games the community keeps coming back to, which titles could become priority additions, and which ones may not need immediate focus. It can also help inform decisions around what stays important in the catalog and what may matter less over time.
In that sense, the catalog is not only a content list. It is also a way to learn from player behavior.
Conclusion
For us, game availability should not feel hidden or distant, especially before launch. It should feel like something users can explore, follow, and help shape.
That is really the role of the catalog at this stage. It gives people a view into what is coming together, lets them discover games already on the radar, and gives them a simple way to request the titles they care about most. Just as importantly, it helps everyone understand which games are gaining attention, which ones are becoming ready to play, and how the library is evolving over time.
That makes the platform feel more open from the start, and it gives the community a real place in shaping what comes next.