2K Launcher: Complete Sunset

With the removal of the 2K Launcher, the launch flow for the Mafia: Definitive Edition Trilogy will be a little different depending on your distribution platform. So, we've put together some information to ensure you're launching using your preferred settings!

For the Mafia: Definitive Edition Trilogy on Steam, the default option to play will directly launch the game, but there is a secondary option to open the game’s original launcher. These launchers were already optional in the past, as there is a "Disable Launcher" option that will prevent the launcher from appearing, but now they’re even MORE optional! 

On that note, if the Disable Launcher option is enabled, the Mafia launchers will not open even if you select the launch option to open them; when the Disable Launcher option is enabled, both launch options will result in the game directly opening. In order for the Mafia launchers to open, the Disable Launcher option must be set to Off. This option can be found in the Game options menu for each game.

On Epic, the games will open their launchers by default unless the “Disable Launcher” option is enabled. Some players are encountering an issue that their save data isn’t saving properly to their Epic account, so to combat this, please be sure to disable the launcher.

To do so, follow these steps:

1. Launch the game on Epic to open the Mafia 3 Launcher.
2. Toggle the "Disable Launcher" option to On and then close the Mafia 3 Launcher.
3. Relaunch the game in Epic to load the game without the Mafia Launcher.

Then, you’ll be all set!

You’ll now be able to select Dx11 and Dx12 directly from the Steam Launch Options menu after you click “Play” for Civilization VI on Steam. Steam also allows you to select “Always use this option”, so you can even reduce this to a single click of the Play button on Steam to launch the game. No more extra steps!

One thing to note, Steam desktop shortcuts always launch using the default (top) option on any Steam Launch Options list. This means the game will always open the DirectX 12 version if you launch using a Desktop Shortcut, even if you set DirectX 11 as your preferred option. If you want to launch the DirectX 11 version, you will need to launch the game directly from the Steam Client.

If you’re not seeing the options while launching from Steam and want to change your preferred version, this can be adjusted in the game’s Properties menu on the general tab. Either right click on the game in Steam or select the gear on the game’s library page in Steam and select “Properties” and you'll be able to make the changes there. From here, you're all set!

Civilization VI on Epic will now always open the DirectX 11 version of the game. If you prefer to run the DirectX 12 version of the game, you will need to add a specific command to the game’s launch options. To do this, please follow the instructions below:

1. Right Click on the game in the Epic Library
   • Alternatively, click the three dots that appear next to the game's name in the Epic Library.
2. Select "Manage" 
3. Toggle the "Launch Options" to On
4. Enter the text "-dx12" without quotations
5. Close the Manage window and then launch the game.

Now the game will launch with the DirectX 12 version!

The Steam Launch options are exactly the same as the options that were present in the game’s original launcher, with the default (top) option being “Play Sid Meier’s Civilization V (DirectX 9)”, followed by “Play Sid Meier’s Civilization V (DirectX 10/11)”, and “Play Sid Meier’s Civilization V (Touch)”.

If you’re not seeing the options while launching from Steam and want to change your preferred version, this can be adjusted in the game’s Properties menu on the general tab. Either right click on the game in Steam or select the gear on the game’s library page in Steam and select “Properties” and you will be able to make the changes right there. Now you should be all set!

As with all Steam games that have launch options, the desktop shortcut will always open the default option, in this case the DirectX 9 version. If you want to launch the DirectX 10/11 version through your desktop shortcut, you can do the following, but it will require some understanding of your PC and how to navigate it.

1. On the Steam page, go to Civilization V and right click. Select “Manage” then go to “Browse Local Files”
2. In the CIV V folder, if you are on Windows 10, Alt+Shift+Right-Click on the desired exe. If you are on Windows 11, just Right Click.
3. Select “Copy As Path”
4. Back in Steam, Right Click on game and select “Properties”
5. Paste the copied path in the “Launch Options" text box. This path must be in quotes.
6. After pasting the path, press spacebar and then type %command%. There must be a space between the end quote and the first %.

If you've installed Steam and the game to the default location, it should look like this:

Note: This is how it appears in English, but the text you enter will remain the same regardless of language.

After that, you should be able to use the desktop shortcut to launch in your desired DirectX version!

With the removal of the 2K Launcher, you will have 4 different launch options to choose from:

• Play XCOM 2
• Play War of the Chosen
• Open New Mod Launcher
• Open Original Mod Launcher

If War of the Chosen is not installed, you will only see two launch options: “Open New Mod Launcher” and “Play XCOM 2”. The “Open Original Mod Launcher” and the “Play War of the Chosen” options both require War of the Chosen to be installed to appear on the Steam Launch options list.

Both top options “Play XCOM2” and “Play War of the Chosen” are for those who do not wish to use mods.

If XCOM 2 is launched from a Desktop Shortcut it will default to the “Play XCOM 2” selection. To select another launcher type, you will need to launch the game directly from the Steam Client. If you’re not seeing the options while launching from Steam and want to change your preferred version, this can be adjusted in the game’s Properties menu on the general tab. Either right click on the game in Steam or select the gear on the game’s library page in Steam and select “Properties” and you'll be able to make the changes there. 

Please note: When viewing mods in either Mod Launcher, you may see a warning appear. The warning messages will display as "This mod is not compatible, but only contains content changes. Use at your own risk." in the Original Mod Launcher and "Mods are available only for XCOM 2" or "Mods are available only for War of The Chosen" in the New Mod Launcher.

• If you’re using the Original Mod Launcher: This warning will not prevent you from using these mods, and instead is meant to let players know that the mods installed may not be compatible and to use at their own discretion. This is based on the specific version of the game the mod maker flagged the mod for. Most mods that are compatible with both versions have a note in the mod description calling this out. Be sure to read the details of the mod if you are unsure on compatibility.
• If you’re using the New Mod Launcher: This warning will prevent you from using the mods that have been enabled. If you’re facing compatibility issues when launching, please use the Original Mod Launcher.
   

For players using Epic, the mod launcher will open at launch every time, with functionality to do the following:

• Select between XCOM 2 and War of the Chosen
• Enable and Disable mods
• Launch the game

The Mod Launcher will appear in the same language used in the Epic Launcher, as long as that language is listed as supported on the XCOM 2 store page. Additionally, War of the Chosen will only be selectable on the Mod Launcher if it is installed.

If you intend to mod XCOM 2 on Epic, please keep the following in mind:

• You will need to manually place your mods in a “Mods” folder in the game’s install directory. Mods folders are not present by default, so you will need to create them in the correct place, titling the folder "Mods."
• The Mod launcher only displays mods that are placed in the Mods folder for the selected game.
  • Base game mods must be placed in "[Game Root]\XComGame\Mods" folder to appear in the Launcher when XCOM 2 is selected.
  • War of the Chosen mods must be placed in "[Game Root]\XCom2-WarOfTheChosen\XComGame\Mods" folder to appear in the Launcher when War of the Chosen is selected.
• When enabling mods, a warning label will appear noting, “This mod is not compatible. Use at your own risk.”. This warning does not prevent you from using mods, and instead is meant to let players know that the mods installed may not be compatible and to use at their own discretion.

With the 2K Launcher discontinued, there are now two launch options in its place: “Play Chimera Squad” and “Open Mod Launcher”. The Mod Launcher is the same one Chimera Squad launched with.

If you don’t use mods, use the “Play Chimera Squad” option to directly open the game. If you do use mods or used them before, be advised that any mods enabled in your previous launch of the game will continue to be enabled if you use the direct launch option. You will need to open the mod launcher, disable the mods, and finish opening the game through that mod launcher for mods to be disabled in future direct game launches.

The Mod Launcher has been confirmed to be functional on Steam Deck which means mods can now be enabled on Steam Deck. However, it does not respond to input from all the buttons on the Steam Deck, so you may need to use Touch controls to navigate it. 

Additionally, there is a known issue with the Chimera Squad Mod Launcher on Steam Deck where the “Play” and “Manage Mods” buttons may appear with some graphical corruption. This is just a visual issue with the Launcher itself, but launching with mods will function properly even when this graphical issue occurs.