Here's how to disable the Baldur's Gate 3 launcher on Steam

baldur's gate 3 how to disable launcher - a Tiefling bard plays for the group
(Image credit: Larian Studios)

If you're looking for a way to disable the launcher for Baldur's Gate 3, you're in the right place. You can launch Baldur's Gate 3 directly through Steam without the extra window, simply by adding a console command under the game's properties menu.  

Steam is great because it does away with the need to have 67,000 different launchers installed for all the different games you want to play on a regular basis. That said, the occasional game will come along that insists on opening a separate launcher too, so in this guide, I'll explain the steps you need to follow to disable the launcher for Baldur's Gate 3.

How to disable the Baldur's Gate 3 launcher 

If you've been looking forward to the release of Baldur's Gate 3—and who hasn't?—you might be in for a bit of a surprise when you come to start the game for the first time and you're greeted with another step. It's not that big of a deal, but it can be a pain to deal with everything time you want to load up the game. So here's what you need to do to disable the Baldur's Gate 3 launcher:

  • Right-click the game in your library and select Properties.
  • Look for the Launch Options field at the bottom of the General tab.
  • Add "--skip-launcher" and close the properties window.
  • Launch the game as normal.

If you change your mind at any point and want Larian's launcher back, simply follow the steps above and remove the command from the Launch Options field.

Either way, whichever way you choose to launch the game won't have any impact on your experience so it's down to personal preference whether you want to stick with the launcher, or would prefer to skip the extra mouse click to get into the game.

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Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.