How to use PlayShare Swap
Swap physical games with local players and grow your collection.
- Find games nearby or in our database
- Spot mutual matches and request an exchange
- Or set a price and sell a game instead
- Approve incoming requests, then chat in app
- Confirm when it's done to track your successful exchanges
- Track shared, wishlisted, and owned games
Shared games
Add games you're willing to exchange via search — they'll appear under For Share in your Library so others can request them.
Want to sell instead of (or as well as) exchanging? Long-press the game and choose Share or Sell or Sell Only, then set a price.
To see who wants a game: open the Library tab → For Share → tap the game.
Wishlisted games
Wishlist games you want — they'll appear under Wishlist in your Library.
To find someone sharing a wishlisted game: open the Library tab → Wishlist → tap the game.
Games in your collection
Games you own but don't want to exchange. They're hidden from other users' search results.
Searching for games
Search the PlayShare Swap database first. Can't find your game? No one's added it yet — use Import Game Data to pull it in from IGDB.
Exchanging games
Pick a game you want from someone else, and one of yours to offer in return. The match icon on Nearby means you both have something the other wants.
The other user must tap APPROVE before anything happens — you can DENY a request you don't want, too.
Once accepted, use Open PlayShare Swap chat to arrange the handoff. Afterward, confirm what happened: Successful exchange if it went through, or Exchange did not happen if it didn't. Once you both confirm success, it's archived and counted toward your successful exchanges.
Some For Share games carry a price instead of (or as well as) being open to exchange — look for Share or Sell or Sell Only. Tap one to open Buy Game and send a purchase request instead of proposing an exchange. Purchases follow the same approve/chat/confirm flow, tracked separately as Successful purchase or Purchase did not happen.
You can offer up to 5 of your games at once — the other user picks the one they want. They can also tap See other games and ask for a different game of yours instead; you then approve or decline their counter-offer.
When both games in a one-for-one exchange have a price, you can add a cash top-up to even out the difference: tap the banknote button on the proposal screen, choose who pays and set the amount. You settle it in person at the handoff — the app only records it. Offers of several games can't carry a top-up.
No exact console match? PlayShare Swap also suggests games via backward compatibility — e.g. a PS5 owner sees PS4 games too.
Using the website
No iPhone? Everything you need for a swap also works at playsw.app in any browser — on Android or a computer. Sign in the same way as in the app — with your email and password, Apple or Google: it's the same account, the same games and the same chats.
Library holds your games: add them one by one with Add a game, or paste a whole list with Add a list. Nearby Games shows what people in your city have for share, matches first. Open a game and tap Propose Exchange to offer one of yours for it.
Exchanges lists offers waiting for your answer, accepted deals and finished ones. Messages is the exchange chat — new messages appear by themselves while the page is open. The numbers on the tabs show what's new since your last visit; the website sends no email or push notifications.
On the website you offer one game for one game. Offers of several games, counter-offers and cash top-ups are made in the app — but one sent to you can be read and answered on the website.