How to find Epic Game Store (EGS) games' launch name for their launch command?
This was an interesting challenge.
First, I created a couple of shortcuts for a number of different games, and had a look at the .url
file it created on my desktop. All the links are of the form:
com.epicgames.launcher://apps/[codename]?action=launch&silent=true
Where [codename]
is different for each game. For example:
- Metro Exodus: "Snapdragon"
- Batman Arkham Knight: "Cowbird"
- Hello Neighbor: "Ursus"
Since the EGS Launcher must know each of the games' codenames to create these shortcuts, I figured there must be some kind of config file somewhere on my computer, which lists the different codenames and where the games are installed.
So I used Visual Studio Code to perform a search in all files in my C:\
directory to find one of the codenames, and I found a nice list in:
C:\ProgramData\Epic\UnrealEngineLauncher\LauncherInstalled.dat
Despite being a .dat
, it's not a binary file, so it can be opened in any text editor app.
The list is a JSON, and contains only the games that have been installed on your PC. It may contain DLCs as well. Here's what mine looks like:
{
"InstallationList": [
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\MetroExodus",
"AppName": "SnapdragonDLC1",
"AppVersion": "0.1.0.17"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\YookaLaylee",
"AppName": "Duckbill",
"AppVersion": "1.0.27910"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\HelloNeighbor",
"AppName": "Ursus",
"AppVersion": "1.4.1"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\WorldOfGoo",
"AppName": "Anemone",
"AppVersion": "1.53"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\BatmanArkhamKnight",
"AppName": "Cowbird",
"AppVersion": "1.98"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\BatmanArkhamAsylum",
"AppName": "Godwit",
"AppVersion": "1.93"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\TheTalosPrinciple",
"AppName": "Bustard",
"AppVersion": "461288"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\QUBE2",
"AppName": "Auk",
"AppVersion": "1.2"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\MetroExodus",
"AppName": "Snapdragon",
"AppVersion": "0.1.0.24"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\TheOuterWorlds",
"AppName": "Rosemallow",
"AppVersion": "Rel1.2.0.418"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\TABS",
"AppName": "Driftfish",
"AppVersion": "0.8.7_02"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\AxiomVerge",
"AppName": "Puffin",
"AppVersion": "1.47"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\Metro2033Redux",
"AppName": "Petunia",
"AppVersion": "0.1.0.0"
},
{
"InstallLocation": "C:\\Program Files\\Epic Games\\BatmanArkhamCity",
"AppName": "Egret",
"AppVersion": "1.7"
}
]
}
Interestingly, a copy of the list can also be found in another location:
C:\Users\All Users\Epic\UnrealEngineLauncher\LauncherInstalled.dat
I'm not sure which file is used in which context, but they both have exactly the same content. If your purpose is to simply create a launcher, either file should work.