Bethesda Is Retiring Its PC Game Launcher and Moving Games to Steam

Bethesda.net Launcher, a PC gaming launcher home to games by Bethesda Softworks, is shutting down this year, the company announced today.

Beginning in early April, players that regularly use the game launcher will have the option to migrate their game library and virtual currency onto Steam. Bethesda notes that players will not be able to access or play games on the launcher starting in May, suggesting that players impacted by the news start the migration process as soon as it begins in April.

The studio notes that many titles in the launcher will have their saves migrated, though “a few” will require manual transfers to ensure you do not lose your progress. Games that still require a Bethesda.net login, such as Fallout 76, will continue to require it after the move.

The move comes at an interesting time for the company, which has several titles slated to launch this year, including Tango Gameworks’ Ghostwire: Tokyo, Arkane Studios’ Redfall, and Bethesda Game Studios’ highly anticipated ARPG Starfield, which is set to launch on November 11.

Taylor is the Associate Tech Editor at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.