2K Games has pulled its launcher from all its PC games as part of a “complete sunset” of the software, which means PC gamers can now launch all 2K games directly in Steam.
The 2K Launcher was forced upon players of the company’s PC games, including Firaxis’ Civilization 5, Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition, and XCOM 2. Following an update this month, the 2K Launcher is removed from every game that used it on Epic and Steam. 2K also removed the 2K Launcher Beta, a completely separate launcher, from Civilization 5.
This means Bioshock Remastered, Bioshock 2 Remastered, Bioshock Infinite, The Quarry, and Marvel’s Midnight Suns will now all launch directly into the game as soon as you click Play. The Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition games on Steam and the Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition games on Epic each have slightly different paths to getting into the games.
Civilization 6 on Steam had the launcher removed earlier this year, so no additional steps are needed. But for Civilization 6 for Epic, it now directly opens into the game when launched from Epic. Civilization 5, meanwhile, now uses the Steam Launch options to open the game.
XCOM 2 for Steam is a special case, 2K said, as the launcher included Mod support functionality. Of note, these changes will let you enable mods on the Steam Deck. XCOM 2 on Epic will now open the Original XCOM 2 Mod Launcher. XCOM: Chimera Squad also has the Mod launcher as optional, with a secondary option available to directly launch the game. Mods are also available on Steam Deck for Chimera Squad.
In a blog post, 2K said it had replaced the 2KLauncher folder with a text file called 2kLauncherRemoved.txt, which can be safely deleted. But there may be more for you to do — 2K said to be sure the launcher is gone for good, close and reopen Steam then reboot your PC.
“We’ve done the heavy lifting, but to take it all the way home there might be one step left for you,” 2K explained. “First thing is to try closing and reopening Steam – that means completely closing and not just using the X to minimize the platform. Rebooting your PC is a good way to be sure it happened. For Epic, just make sure you’ve downloaded the most recent update for the game.”
Saved games shouldn’t be impacted, and you won’t lose access to any of your games, as long as you bought them on Steam or Epic. And, for those (probably very few!) PC gamers who miss the 2K Launcher for some reason and want to continue using it, unfortunately it’s not coming back. “We currently have no plans to allow an optional 2K Launcher setting, but we appreciate your interest,” 2K said.
The end of the 2K Launcher comes ahead of the release of Civilization 7 in February 2025. Civilization is usually one of the most popular PC games around, so fans can rest assured they’ll be able to launch it directly in Steam.
PC gamers have long criticized publisher launchers, including Ubisoft and EA’s, that force themselves upon players before they can get into the game. It seems unlikely the end of the 2K Launcher will spark a mass removal of PC launchers, however, given they’re often used for cloud saves or storefronts.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].
