The show where you pick the games!
Monthly on Stephen's Twitch channel.
Shelf Control is a monthly streaming series where the audience decides on the games played. Viewers can choose from our large physical library and add titles to the leaderboard. Every 30 minutes a vote is held to see what's played next.
Look through the Shelf Control Game List to decide on a game.
ie: "Cheer300 Donkey Kong Country (SNES)" or "Cheer1000 Jeopardy (N64)"
This will add your game to the leaderboard.
Every 30 minutes we hold a poll to decide on the next game played. Five games are chosen from the leaderboard to appear in the poll.
We've been collecting video games for over 30 years.
There's thousands of games to choose from, including many full libraries.
From the NES to the Nintendo Switch 2, and everything in between! Multiple generations of consoles are ready to play and we're working on making even more available. Use the Search Filters to quickly sort by console, or Sort Mode to adjust how the games are displayed.
Games higher up the leaderboard are more likely to be chosen for the poll.
Each poll will consist of a game from:
After a game has been played, its bit total is set to 0 and then removed from the leaderboard. It can be added back to the leaderboard by cheering for it again. The leaderboard carries over from month to month, so if a title doesn't get played, it will remain on the list until it's voted for and played in a future stream.
No, games can only be added to the leaderboard during Shelf Control streams. In addition, normal alerts are only available during Shelf Control streams if you do not cheer the name of a game.
Shelf Control streams happen once a month and are typically announced on social media like Stephen's Bluesky account, or posted directly onto the Twitch schedule page. They usually happen on Saturday afternoons.
Everything you see on our dedicated Shelf Control Game List is eligible! While I've done my best to curate this, I may have missed some titles that shouldn't be there. Please avoid games that are focused on copyrighted music (such as Guitar Hero), games that require standing or moving around (like Wii Fit or Kinect games), and lightgun/CRT games (Time Crisis, Gyromite). If you notice a game on the page that would cause broadcast problems, please inform a mod in chat so we can get it removed for the future. Note: you can only choose games from the Shelf Control Game List.
Some systems (PS4, PS5, Xbox One) require a game to be installed from disc before it can be played. In those instances we’ll start the install process and then immediately run a new poll to choose another game. Once our 30 minutes with the new game is finished, we’ll return to the installed game.
Games go missing, and sometimes software (or hardware) breaks. If a game can’t be played for whatever reason, we’ll move on with the stream but give the game a rain check to be played at a later date. Generally a new copy will be purchased and it will be the first game played at the next Shelf Control stream. You can check if there’s any rain checks for a future Shelf Control by using !raincheck in chat.
Generally yes, barring a dead save battery, lost memory card, or some other problem. If it’s a game that’s been completed in the past then we’ll start a new game.
Yes, you can send in games via mail. Be aware that we’re opening mail on a quarterly basis, so it could take a little bit to get to. You can check our personal collection page (different from the Shelf Control list) to avoid duplicates.
In addition to the FAQ above, be aware that some games may not be able to be played for various reasons, but we will always do our best. We reserve the right to delay a game to a future stream, change the system a game is played on (NES on Switch, etc), or alter any other aspect of the stream if necessary.
Live on Twitch
VODs on YouTube