The 2K Launcher is Gone

The sun has officially set on the 2K Games access platform, 2K Launcher, with the company formally killing the additional software across all of its games. 2K Games did not give a specific motivation behind the move, but proprietary launchers have been the ire of some players.

Segments of the gaming community have cited performance drain and a lack of mod support as core reasons why they’re excited to see 2K’s launcher go the way of the dinosaur. Certain issues with Steam Deck compatibility, previously requiring Proton to work around, are another commonly cited issue that the company claims is resolved with the new access protocol.

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In an October 2024 blog post, 2K had initially announced the impending removal of the 2K Launcher from all of its PC titles. Updated on November 25, 2024, the post now confirms that all PC games have been relieved of the intermediary platform. Civilization 6 removed the launcher earlier this year, but the latest update also removes the feature for Sid Meier’s Civilization 5, which utilized the 2K Launcher Beta. With the launcher gone, players can now run 2K games directly from Steam and Epic, with full access to all versions and mods for each particular title.

2K Launcher Shut Down

According to the company, the 2K Launcher folder on users’ computers will have been replaced with a text file named 2kLauncherRemoved.txt, which can be safely deleted. To ensure the proper functioning of the new setup, 2K urges players to relaunch any relevant software, reboot their PCs, and ensure the current software version is installed for Epic and Steam. There may still be some files remaining which can be removed via the steps outlined in a document linked to in the blog post.

2K also noted that different games will experience varying changes with the Launcher disabled, with a range of options for getting into each of the titles. Among these are XCOM 2, XCOM: Chimera Squad, all the titles in the Bioshock franchise, Civilization 6, Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition, and more. With XCOM 2 now available on mobile, the streamlined access for PC users may drive more of the game’s traffic to the platform.

With players expressing excitement on Reddit and other platforms over the removal of the 2K Launcher, more publishers may take the hint and consider eliminating their proprietary launchers as well. And, considering the PC gaming community’s hyper-focus on performance, eliminating memory-hungry bloatware would be a welcome maneuver for many gamers.

2K

Date Founded

January 25, 2005

Headquarters

Novato, California, United States