Docs / Installation

Install SE Launcher.

The launcher sits between Steam and Space Engineers. Install it once, then give Steam one launch argument so the game starts through the bootstrap instead of directly.

Before you start

• Space Engineers installed through Steam. The launcher does not replace the game files.
• An x64 Windows 10 (2004 or newer) or Windows 11 system, or an x64 Linux distribution.
• Close Space Engineers before editing launch options so the old process cannot hold game files open.

The Windows installer and the Linux AppImage are not code-signed. Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unknown publisher; that is expected for this project. The binaries come from the official download host linked below.

Windows

1. Download and run the installer

Download CringeLauncher-win-Setup.exe from the official host and run it. The setup is per-user and installs into %LOCALAPPDATA%\CringeLauncher.

When the installer finishes, a console window opens. Keep it open for the next step; it prints the exact launch argument for this machine.

2. Copy the launch argument

The console prints a line shaped like this:

"%LOCALAPPDATA%\CringeLauncher\current\CringeBootstrap.exe" %command%

Copy the whole line. The path in your console may point at a different user directory; use the one the installer printed, not the example above.

3. Add it to Space Engineers on Steam

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click Space Engineers and choose Properties.
3. Open the General tab and find Launch Options.
4. Paste the argument into the field. Steam saves the change automatically.

4. Launch the game

Start Space Engineers through Steam as usual. The bootstrap starts first, checks for updates, prepares the game and then hands control to Space Engineers. The first launch can take longer while crossgen fills its cache. Later launches reuse it.

Linux

The Linux build is distributed as a single AppImage and is currently on the preview line. It runs the client with the native Linux window and renderer; the same file also runs a dedicated server.

1. Download and make it executable

Download CringeLauncher.AppImage, then run:

chmod +x CringeLauncher.AppImage

2. Point Steam at the AppImage

Use the absolute path to the AppImage followed by %command%:

"/home/you/CringeLauncher.AppImage" %command%

Put that string in Space Engineers → Properties → General → Launch Options, replacing /home/you with the directory where the AppImage lives. Keep the quotes: they protect paths with spaces.

3. Launch the game

Start Space Engineers through Steam. A launcher console opens in a terminal window, then the game starts. For a dedicated server, use the same AppImage with --dedicated; see the server guide.

Updates and channels

Velopack checks for updates before the game starts. The stable channel is the default. To follow preview builds, edit launcher.json in the launcher configuration directory and set usePreviewBranch to true.

{
  "disableLauncherUpdates": false,
  "disablePluginUpdates": false,
  "usePreviewBranch": true
}

The file lives under %APPDATA%\CringeLauncher\config on Windows. On Linux it follows the user's XDG configuration directory. The same file can disable launcher updates or plugin updates when you need a frozen install for testing.

Uninstall

On Windows, remove SE Launcher / CringeLauncher from Settings → Apps. The installer's uninstall entry removes the application. To delete configuration and the crossgen cache as well, remove %APPDATA%\CringeLauncher after uninstalling.

On Linux, delete the AppImage and the launcher's user configuration directory. Dedicated server state is in the instance directory you chose; delete that directory only if you also want to remove the server's worlds and configuration.

Troubleshooting

The game starts without the launcher

Check that the launch options contain the full path to CringeBootstrap.exe and end with %command%. If the path contains spaces, keep it quoted. Steam silently ignores an argument if the executable path no longer exists — reinstalling or updating the launcher can move it.

Windows shows an unknown publisher warning

The binaries are unsigned. The warning is expected. If you do not want to trust the installer, verify the project source and build output first, or use the Git repository to inspect the release pipeline.

The first launch is slow

crossgen is compiling the game assemblies. The result is cached and reused for that game build. To skip it for a session, add --skip-crossgen at the end of the launch options. The launcher falls back automatically if crossgen fails.

Linux ignores the launch option

Make sure the AppImage is executable (chmod +x) and the path is absolute. If the path has spaces, quote the whole path but leave %command% outside the quotes, exactly as in the example.

Where to look next

The launcher prints its stages to the console. Crash reports are collected by CrashPad and include the loaded plugin set. For installation issues, the Discord support forum is the fastest route; the wiki installation page is the canonical reference.