A free hub for Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games Launcher is a free games launcher from Rockstar Games that lists and houses all the games created by the developer. It is a digital store and library, similar to the Epic Games Store or Valve’s Steam. Rockstar Games Launcher supports cloud saves on Windows, and is your go-to place for any and all PC games from the company.
Top Recommended Alternative
This PC launcher does not have the breadth of games of its competitors, but in a way that works to its advantage. Rather than competing with Steam, Rockstar Games Launcher integrates with it. Even Rockstar games purchased on Steam will not play without having their launcher installed.
Play Red Dead Redemption or GTA
Launching a Rockstar game from Steam will automatically open up the Rockstar Games Launcher in a separate window. Some people consider this to be an annoying extra step, but on the plus side, it condenses all Rockstar games into one singular folder. For fans playing multiple titles from the same developer, this is beneficial as it cuts down the time on scrolling through long lists of Steam games.
When the Rockstar Games Launcher was first released, it came with a limited-time affiliate link that let players download GTA: San Andreas for free. Unfortunately, this deal is no longer supported, and installing the launcher no longer guarantees a free copy of the game. The most compelling reason now to install the Rockstar Games Launcher is that it’s a necessary requirement to play games from this developer on Windows.
Rockstar Games like the Grand Theft Auto franchise and the Red Dead series are indicative of the type of products Rockstar Games are known for - action-adventure games set in a wide free-roam landscape like San Andreas, Vice City, or the American west. Famed for their mature themes, graphic violence, and open-world environments, Rockstar Games have been pushing the envelope with the scope and realism of their games since the late 1990s.
Games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, L.A. Noire, Max Payne, and Red Dead Redemption 2 are available on the Rockstar Games Launcher for direct purchase, but the launcher offers additional benefits as well. For any titles with online features (such as Red Dead Redemption), the Rockstar Games Launcher can be used to buy in-game purchases. For Red Dead Online this means Gold Bars, which can be used to custom modify weapons, horse kits, and unique camp items.
Rockstar Social Club
Though the company itself has been around for over thirty years, they’ve kept a modern connection with their customers. The launcher has a news feed section featuring the company’s latest information, but moreover, there’s a Rockstar Games Social Club. This is a service that authenticates copies of their single-player games, and it’s also the doorway to their respective multiplayer experiences (i.e., Grand Theft Auto Online or Red Dead Online).
Rockstar Games Launcher fully integrates with the Social Club account, functioning as a central hub for all Rockstar Games titles. It also serves as the online game store for in-game purchases, or as a place to download a different Rockstar game. There are over 100 million Social Club members worldwide, so these online lobbies are usually filled to the brim with new companions and competitors to extend the gaming experience.
Rockstar Games Launcher vs Steam
The most popular platform for Windows gaming is still Steam from Valve Corporation. With over 10,000 games released in 2020 alone, Steam’s game catalog is massive and ever-growing. Compared to the Rockstar Games Launchers’ nine games, it’s not even a contest when it comes to quantity. That’s not to say that all games on Steam were made by Valve. Steam is a compendium that houses products from hundreds of different developers, both Triple-A and Indie.
Steam is also the clear winner when it comes to overall utility within the launcher. It has a wide community of forums, modding pages, reviews, and filters to help narrow down the platform’s massive library. Wisely, Rockstar Games Launcher isn’t trying to compete with Steam, rather Rockstar is piggybacking on it. The Rockstar Games Launcher is a mandatory installation for playing their games, even if those games were initially purchased and installed via Steam.
A must-have for Rockstar games
For fans of Rockstar Games, the Rockstar Games Launcher is a requirement. There’s literally no other way to install and play titles from this developer, so if you want to play Red Dead Redemption 2, L.A. Noire, Bully: Scholarship Edition, or Grand Theft Auto on Windows, you will need this launcher. It’s also an easy way to keep any Rockstar games automatically updated, which is especially convenient for their online games.
