Skip-Game-Launcher

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Skip-Game-Launcher

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Launch games by double clicking

// repository documentation

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What this does? Launches the respective Battle.net or Steam game its named after directly, without needing to click "Play".

*Note: Your games can be elsewhere, they will be launched from the launcher.*

Side note: If you use <a href="https://forum.xda-developers.com/windows-10/development/win10tile-native-custom-windows-10-t3248677">Win10Tile</a>, you can make game tile shortcuts with these files easily.

**If using a steam game, Steam can be installed anywhere.

## Where the files are

Launchers are grouped by the store they launch through:

```
Steam/       BattleNet/      Epic/       Ubisoft/
```

A game sold on more than one store gets one executable per store, so grab the
one matching where you actually own it — `Steam/Metro2033Redux.exe` and
`Epic/Metro2033Redux.exe` are different files.

See the generated **[game and storefront index](GAMES.md)** for every available
launcher and direct download links.

## Requesting a game

Open a [game request](../../issues/new?template=game-request.yml). Once a
maintainer applies the **approved** label, CI uses the selected store as a seed,
searches every supported storefront, builds every exact match, then opens and
immediately merges one PR. The workflow explicitly closes the request after
the merge.

The selected store does not limit the build. Steam, Epic, Battle.net and
Ubisoft are all searched automatically. If the game already exists, approving
another request fills every missing exact store match rather than creating a
duplicate entry.

An ID supplied on the request is treated as an assertion, not an override. CI
independently resolves the store title and rejects the request if the IDs differ.

## Source Information

Every launcher is generated from [`games.json`](games.json) by
[`scripts/build.ps1`](scripts/build.ps1), which drives the stock Windows
IExpress tool on a GitHub Actions Windows runner. The source redo intentionally
starts without any inherited executables, so the first build generates every
launcher fresh from the manifest. After that, pushing a new entry is enough —
CI builds anything in the manifest that isn't on disk yet and commits it.

```jsonc
{
  "name": "Metro 2033 Redux",
  "out": "Metro2033Redux.exe",
  "stores": { "epic": "Petunia", "steam": "286690" }
}
```

The executables carry an unused dummy batch file because IExpress requires a
payload to package:
```
echo 1
```

The hidden install-program step runs the command that starts the game, thanks to
<a href="https://github.com/dafzor/bnetlauncher/issues/22#issuecomment-399788430">Ethan-BB's post</a>, implementation like so:

For Battle.Net: 
**Requirement: Battle.net Launcher Install path must be the default location (below):** 
```C:\Program Files (x86)\Battle.net```
```
// launch overwatch
cmd /s /c ""C:\Program Files (x86)\Battle.net\Battle.net.exe" --exec="launch Pro""
```

For Steam, it's suffice to do something like
```launch x
explorer steam://rungameid/2760
```

For EpicGames, here's how you can launch a desktop shortcut from cmd (quotes are neccessary)
```
explorer "com.epicgames.launcher://apps/Albacore?action=launch&silent=true"
```

For Ubisoft Connect, it's similar to steam:
```
explorer uplay://launch/3539/0
```

The executable does not need to be run as administrator, however, windows may flag it as a potential threat due to unknown source. To prevent windows blocking it, simply right click properties, and there's an unblock button at the bottom right of that dialog prompt.

## Building locally

Needs Windows — IExpress is a Windows component.

```powershell
./scripts/build.ps1                          # build whatever's missing
./scripts/build.ps1 -Force                   # rebuild everything
./scripts/build.ps1 -Only Portal2.exe        # one game, every store it's on
./scripts/build.ps1 -Only Portal2.exe -Store steam
```

## Tests

```
python -m pytest                          # resolver, verifier, manifest, workflows
Invoke-Pester tests/Launcher.Tests.ps1    # launch commands, .sed generation (Windows)
```

The Python suite needs `pytest` and `pyyaml` and runs anywhere. The Pester
suite covers everything up to the IExpress call; the call itself is exercised
end to end by the `Verify` workflow, which rebuilds every launcher and reads
the commands back out of the results.

`scripts/verify.py` reads the launch command back out of each executable and
checks it against the manifest — IExpress will happily produce a package
containing the wrong thing, so this is what catches it:

```
python scripts/verify.py            # check any committed executables
python scripts/verify.py --dir out --strict
```

During the migration, `verify.py` identified issues in thirteen of the original
hand-built executables. Ten called `steam.exe -gameidlaunch`, one launched the
game binary by absolute path, and all thirteen hardcoded
`C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam`, including two that otherwise use the modern
URI. Those inherited binaries are not carried into this redo: the fresh build
normalises every Steam launcher to `explorer steam://rungameid/<id>`, which is
what makes the "Steam can be installed anywhere" note above actually true.

Skip-Game-Launcher

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