2K Games removes its launcher from all of its PC games on Steam and Epic

2K Games is one of the biggest game publishers out there and it has decided that it no longer needs to have its own launcher to play its games on PC.

2K Games removes its launcher from all of its PC games on Steam and Epic
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Senior Editor
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TL;DR: 2K Games has removed its launcher from all games on Epic and Steam, allowing direct play without additional software. This change affects titles like Bioshock and Civilization, with no impact on save files. The move eliminates unnecessary login steps, and 2K has no plans to reinstate the launcher.

There was a time when every major publisher decided that its PC releases would require signing into and using a custom launcher, which would still be required even if you purchased and wanted to play a game on Steam or the Epic Games Store.

2K Games removes its launcher from all of its PC games on Steam and Epic 02

Outside of having more things minimized to your system tray, additional launchers are often buggy and bloated - case in point: the 2K Games launcher.

Well, there's good news: 2K Games has announced that its launcher "has been removed from every game that used it on Epic and Steam," meaning you can play games like Bioshock Remastered, Bioshock 2 Remastered, Bioshock Infinite, The Quarry, the Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition games, and Marvel's Midnight Suns without having to go through the 2K Launcher.

Other affected titles include Civilization VI, Civilization V, XCOM 2, and XCOM: Chimera Squad. Some XCOM games are special cases as they now include a Mod launcher as an optional feature for Mods and add-on content.

2K notes that your save files won't be affected by the change and that the publisher has no plans to bring back the 2K Launcher - so we can all breathe a sigh of relief. This is an excellent move on behalf of 2K, as there was no real need for a separate launcher for its games other than to add an additional service you needed to log into and authenticate before being able to play a game.

Those looking forward to Civilization VII's February 2025 launch will be pleased to know that you can jump right into the action regardless of whether you purchase the game.

And now, we wait for Ubisoft Connect and EA App to follow suit.

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NEWS SOURCE:support.2k.com

Senior Editor

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Kosta is a veteran gaming journalist that cut his teeth on well-respected Aussie publications like PC PowerPlay and HYPER back when articles were printed on paper. A lifelong gamer since the 8-bit Nintendo era, it was the CD-ROM-powered 90s that cemented his love for all things games and technology. From point-and-click adventure games to RTS games with full-motion video cut-scenes and FPS titles referred to as Doom clones. Genres he still loves to this day. Kosta is also a musician, releasing dreamy electronic jams under the name Kbit.

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