In a recent move that seems to have many gamers cheering, 2K Games has decided to scrap its 2K Launcher for all PC games. Although the company hasn’t spelled out the exact reasons behind this decision, it’s clear that the launchers haven’t been every player’s favorite companion during gaming sessions.
Many players have voiced concerns about the launcher, pointing out how it drags down performance and doesn’t support mods effectively. These issues have caused enough frustration, especially for those using devices like the Steam Deck who faced compatibility hurdles that required workarounds like Proton. Thankfully, players can now enjoy a smoother experience as these problems are supposedly sorted with the new way of accessing games.
Back in October 2024, 2K mentioned their plan to discontinue the 2K Launcher across all PC titles, and by November 25th, 2024, they confirmed this had been completed. Civilization 6 was one of the first to drop the launcher earlier in the year. Now, even Sid Meier’s Civilization 5, previously running on the 2K Launcher Beta, gets to join the party. This means players can freely access 2K games directly via Steam and Epic Games Store, enjoying all versions and mod functionalities without any extra hurdles.
What happens to the launcher on your system? Well, expect to find a little text file named 2kLauncherRemoved.txt, which is safe to delete. 2K advises fans to reboot their systems, relaunch any affected software, and make sure they have the latest updates from Epic and Steam. They also provide guidance for clearing out any lingering files, as detailed in their blog post.
Interestingly, the deactivation of the launcher doesn’t affect all games in the same way. Games such as XCOM 2, XCOM: Chimera Squad, all Bioshock titles, Civilization 6, and the Mafia Trilogy Definitive Edition will each adjust differently without the launcher. Notably, XCOM 2, which is available on mobile, might see increased engagement on PC thanks to this smoother access.
The buzz on platforms like Reddit from players happy to see the 2K Launcher gone could signal to other publishers that gamers prefer not to deal with extra, resource-consuming software. Given the PC gaming community’s strong preference for top performance, removing unnecessary bloatware is likely to be seen as a smart move by gamers everywhere.
