Wallpaper Engine

Wallpaper Engine is the app for making your desktop more cheerful with animated wallpapers. It supports various video formats and lets you record and play your custom videos. You can download Wallpaper Engine for Windows 8.1 or later and completely revamp your desktop view.

Design 5/5

When it comes to apps like this, their own design doesn’t matter much; the wallpapers it brings, that’s what you see. The app itself is hiding in the tray and requires a left click to enter the menu. It takes some time to get used to the interface, but it’s not as complicated as it seems. 

Usability 5/5

First of all, it brings animated wallpapers to your desktop. All you have to do for it is to select one from your library. As you select the wallpaper, it runs on your desktop and plays sounds (if you opt for that). Some wallpapers feature music, some replay game sounds, and, of course, there are silent ones.

You can adjust the wallpaper behavior, choose whether it will run when an application works in windowed or full-screen mode, whether it will play sounds, and so on. Adjustable are the framerate, the interactive features, the resolution, the ratio, and even the number of displays the wallpapers are displayed at. Remember that the smoother the wallpaper goes, the more it impacts the performance for other applications.

So, the app is first of all recommended for desktops, and if you use a laptop (especially if it’s an Ultrabook), you better keep the settings minimal. It also consumes energy and can drain your battery when unplugged. But if it helps you to be more productive or just happier, it’s what the app is meant for. 

Features 5/5

The content it has to offer is extremely various. Along with thousands of wallpapers in Steam Workshop, you can create your own. Its editor is easy and lets you even turn a simple picture or a video into a wallpaper. Unofficial content packs may contain endless gigabytes of wallpapers.

In-App Purchases 5/5

Though the app itself is paid ($3.99), it’s full of free content. Users gladly share their projects on Steam Workshop, and you can download many of them for free. Though there are pirated versions of this app, they don’t provide this access, so the minor economy is not worth this major access.

The Bottom Line

If your desktop is more than just some space for icons, if you are sensitive to the mood it emanates, this app is more than a toy for you. Wallpaper Engine may inspire you with live scenes on your screen and improve your mood. There are some non-gamers that only enter Steam to install this app; and they are happy with it.

Wallpaper Engine is what you need to animate (in both meanings) your desktop. If you download Wallpaper Engine, your desktop becomes anything but a dull workspace. Frames from your favorite games, movies or anything will always set you right.

• Graphics 5
• Gameplay 5
• Controls 5
• Replay Value 5

Pros

Supports videos and animated pictures;
Built-in wallpaper editor;
Rich settings;
Various ratios supported;
Steam Workshop integrated, with tons of content available.

Cons

Not so intuitive to use;
Consumes noticeable resources;
Not so many wallpapers you will actually like.