Starting 2K games from Steam is now much easier.
On November 18, 2K took away its launcher from all its games on Steam and the Epic Games Store, making it simpler to play titles like Bioshock Remastered, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, and The Quarry directly from Steam. Before, some games needed the launcher for extra features, but now they just show a little menu before starting.
Games like XCOM 2 and XCOM: Chimera Squad, which used the launcher for managing mods, now offer a menu that lets you choose between launching the mod manager or the game itself. This update makes it possible to add and use mods on the Steam Deck, though Chimera Squad might show some weird graphics or interface issues on that device.
We think it’s cool when things get easier to use!
Even after the launcher is gone, some files might still hang around. The 2K launcher folder has been swapped with a text file named 2kLauncherRemoved.txt, and you can get rid of it if you want. To clean up any leftover bits, you can search using “%localappdata%\T2GP Launcher” and “%appdata%\T2GP Launcher” in your Windows search bar. For more help on deleting these files, you can visit the 2K support site.
Interestingly, Civilization 7 won’t need the 2K launcher, and rumors suggest a new remake might be in the works, possibly of Bioshock or Spec Ops: The Line.
