Ludoya gives you powerful tools to find games, people, and marketplace listings exactly the way you want them. Whether you're hunting for a specific title or discovering something new, we've got you covered.

The Search Bar

Ludoya has three dedicated views for finding content:

  • Search — Find games and people
  • Groups — Browse and search gaming groups
  • Events — Browse and search upcoming events

The Search view is your main gateway to finding games and users.

Basic Search

Search bar with results across games and people

  1. Open the Search view
  2. Start typing in the search bar
  3. Results appear instantly across games and users
  4. Click any result to view it

User Search with @-Prefix

To search only for people, use the @ symbol:

  1. Type @ followed by at least 3 characters (e.g., @alice)
  2. Results show only matching user profiles
  3. Click a profile to view their collection, reviews, and activity

The @-prefix requires a minimum of 3 characters to prevent too many results.

Search History

Ludoya automatically saves your last 10 searches locally on your device. Your history:

  • Appears in the search dropdown for quick access
  • Saves only when you navigate to a result
  • Clears if you manually delete it or as part of your browser data
  • Never leaves your device (it's not synced to our servers)

Shareable Search URLs

Every search you perform creates a unique URL that you can share with friends. When they click your link, they'll see the exact same results with all your filters applied. This is great for:

  • Sending friends a curated list of games in a specific genre
  • Sharing "nearby events" filtered by distance
  • Collaborating on marketplace searches

Game Search & Filters

Games are searchable and filterable across the platform. Use these tools to narrow your search:

Player Count

Find games that match your table size:

  • Solo — 1 player games
  • 2 through 8+ — Specific player counts
  • Results show games that officially support your selected count

Play Time

Filter by how long games take:

  • Measured in minutes
  • Filters show games within your selected duration range

Complexity

Choose games that match your group's experience level:

  • Light — Easy to learn, quick to teach
  • Medium Light — Moderate rules, learning curve of 15-30 minutes
  • Medium — Standard complexity, well-balanced
  • Medium Heavy — Deep strategies, 30+ minute teach
  • Heavy — Complex rules, lengthy playthroughs

Publication Year

Find games from specific eras:

  • Filter by year or range (e.g., 2015-2025)
  • Useful for finding classic games or discovering recent releases

Game Autocomplete

As you type in the search bar, Ludoya shows game suggestions with autocomplete. The suggestions:

  • Preload games from your personal collection for instant recognition
  • Display ownership icons next to results (e.g., an icon showing you own it)
  • Help you find games faster without finishing a full search

Can't Find Your Game?

If you search for a game and it doesn't exist in the catalog:

  1. Click the "Can't find this game?" option
  2. Fill out the submission form with game details (title, designer, publisher, year)
  3. Our team will review and add it to the catalog
  4. You'll be notified once it's live

Version Selection

When you add a game to your collection or create a play log entry:

  1. Search for the game
  2. If multiple editions/versions exist, you'll see them listed
  3. Select the version that matches your copy (base game, special edition, etc.)
  4. Confirm and proceed

Collection Filtering

Your collection has its own powerful filtering system, separate from the main search.

Ownership Type Filters

Filter your games by how you own them:

  • In Collection — Games you currently own
  • Preordered — Games you've ordered but haven't received
  • Wishlisted — Games you want to own
  • Previously Owned — Games you've sold or traded away
  • Everything — All of the above combined

Custom Lists

You can create custom lists to organize your collection by theme, occasion, or any category you like:

  • "Best Party Games" — Games for group celebrations
  • "Solo Games" — Games you play alone
  • "Gateway Games" — Good for teaching newcomers
  • Create your own lists in collection settings

Lent Status

Filter games you've lent to friends:

  • In Your Possession — Games currently with you
  • Lent Out — Games currently with other players
  • All — Show both lent and unlent games

Played/Unplayed

Discover games you haven't experienced yet:

  • Played — Games you've logged a play session for
  • Unplayed — Games in your collection you haven't tried
  • All — Show both

Supported Player Count Tiers

Filter by how well games play at specific player counts:

  • Official — Game supports this count per the rules
  • Good — Community feedback shows this count works well
  • Best — This is the sweet spot player count for the game

Name Search Within Collection

Use the text search to find games by name within your filtered results. This narrows down results even further.

Expansions Toggle

Control whether expansions appear in your collection view:

  • Show Expansions — View base games and all expansions together
  • Hide Expansions — View only base games
  • Show Only Expansions — View only expansion content

This is helpful when you want to focus on standalone games or organize by base game + expansions.

Collection Sorting

Sort your collection using 15+ options to see what matters most to you:

Play Statistics

  • Times Played — Most to least played games
  • Win Rate — Highest to lowest win percentage
  • Max Score — Highest scores you've achieved
  • Total Play Time — Most to least cumulative hours

Recency & Dates

  • Last Played — Most recent plays first
  • Oldest First — Haven't played in a while?
  • Recently Added — Newest additions to your collection
  • Acquisition Date — When you got each game

Cost Metrics

  • Acquisition Price — How much you paid
  • Cost Per Play — Average cost for each play (great for value tracking)
  • Resale Value — Current marketplace price

Other Sorts

  • Alphabetical — A to Z or Z to A
  • Designer/Publisher — Organize by creator
  • Play Time — Quick games to long epics
  • Complexity — Light to heavy, or vice versa
  • Player Count — Solo games to large group games

Play Log Filtering

Logs of past game sessions can be filtered to find specific plays:

Time Period

  • All Time — Every play you've ever logged
  • Last 30 Days — Recent sessions
  • Last Year — Plays from the past 12 months
  • Custom Range — Pick your own start and end dates

Game

  • Filter to show only plays of a specific game
  • Useful for tracking how often you've played a particular title

Co-Player

  • Show plays with a specific friend or group member
  • Great for remembering your game history with someone

Location

  • Filter by where you played (home, game café, friend's place, etc.)
  • Helps you remember your favorite venues

Group

  • Show plays that were part of a specific group's event
  • See which games your gaming group plays most

Player Count

  • Filter by how many people were playing
  • Useful for finding games that work well at specific table sizes

Marketplace Filtering & Sorting

The marketplace has its own search and filtering system for buying and selling games.

Listing Type

  • Sell — People offering games for sale
  • Trade — People offering to trade games
  • Both — Show all listings

Condition Tiers

Games are listed in five condition states:

  • New Sealed — Unopened, mint condition
  • Like New — Opened but unplayed, no wear
  • Good — Played but well-maintained, minimal wear
  • Fair — Visible wear, played multiple times
  • Poor — Heavy wear, still playable but shows use

Filter by condition to find deals or ensure you get pristine copies.

Price Range

  • Set minimum and maximum price to match your budget
  • Filter by specific currency if you're in a multi-currency region

Distance in Kilometers

  • Show only listings from sellers near you
  • Reduce shipping costs or arrange local pickup
  • Adjust distance to expand or narrow results

Marketplace Sorting

Sort marketplace listings by what matters to your purchase:

Discovery Order

  • Newest — Latest listings first
  • Most Popular — Most-viewed or highest engagement

Price

  • Price: Low to High — Cheapest deals first
  • Price: High to Low — Premium copies first

Location

  • Distance — Closest sellers first
  • Saves on shipping or enables in-person exchanges

Alphabetical

  • A to Z — Game title sorting

Tips for Effective Searching

  • Use multiple filters — Combine filters to narrow results precisely
  • Try @-prefix for people — Makes finding specific users much faster
  • Save searches — Use shareable URLs to revisit curated lists
  • Check filter chips — Quick way to see and remove active filters
  • Experiment — Try different complexity or player count filters to discover games outside your usual picks

Related Topics

  • Want to learn about your collection? See Collection
  • Looking for events near you? Check Events
  • Interested in buying/selling games? Explore Marketplace
  • Need help with play logging? Visit Play Logging