Launcher and Updates
What the desktop launcher does: installing, automatic updates on Play, add-ons, Repair files, the DirectX 12 and DirectX 9 renderers and crash reports.
Updated 2026-10-31desktoplauncherupdatesdirectxinstall
The launcher is the small Windows program that installs the desktop game, keeps it current and starts it. You download it once from fusionfall.org and never need a new download after that. Web and mobile players do not use it: the browser game loads the current release on every visit.
For a step-by-step first install, see Play on Desktop. This page explains what the launcher does and what each part of it is for.
What happens when you press Play
Every time you press Play, the launcher works through the same steps and shows them as it goes:
- It checks your game files.
- It gets updates from fusionfall.org. Only files that changed are downloaded.
- It signs you in and starts the game.
After Play, the launcher shows the FusionFall Forever logo gently pulsing while the game starts. The game window then opens in the same spot, centred on your screen.
A typical update is small. If your connection drops, the download retries and carries on where it stopped. If fusionfall.org cannot be reached, the launcher says so and starts the version you already have. A failed update never changes your installed game.
The launcher updates itself
When a new launcher is out, the old one replaces itself before it touches the game, then reopens and tells you which version it now is. This works for every older launcher too, including a setup file that has been sitting in your Downloads folder: the first time you press Play in it, it turns into the newest one.
The launcher's own version is shown next to the game's version.
The Home page
Since B132 (October 30, 2026) the Home page has three panels under the Play panel.
| Panel | What is in it |
|---|---|
| Your Game | Your game folder with Change... and Open folder, how much space the game uses, Repair files and the renderer choice |
| Add-ons | The optional downloads with their sizes and whether they are installed |
| Sector V Today | A snapshot of the live game that refreshes every hour |
There is also an Economy tab that lists items and where they come from. It is rebuilt every day, so new items show up there soon after an update. A FusionFall Ultra page explains the membership.
Signing in
Sign in once in the launcher and the game starts already logged in, with no second login screen. This has worked since B105 (October 19, 2026). Log out is in the same corner. You use the same account as on web and mobile.
Add-ons
Two parts of the desktop game are optional. Tick or untick them, then press Play. The launcher downloads or removes the files at that moment.
| Add-on | Download | New install | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pixelmon | about 29 MB | ticked | Pixelmon on desktop. Untick it to get into the game faster |
| Everblock | about 134 MB | not ticked | The files for the Block Zone |
When an add-on is not installed, its menus are hidden in the game, so you do not see empty rows or tabs. Typing /everblock without the add-on tells you how to get it.
Repair files
Repair files checks every game file and downloads any that are missing or damaged. Use it when:
- the game will not start;
- the launcher says something needs fixing;
- your antivirus removed a file.
Repair keeps your settings and the game data you have already downloaded.
DirectX 12 and DirectX 9
Since B110 (October 24, 2026) the desktop game draws with DirectX 12. The older DirectX 9 renderer is still included as a compatibility mode. The Renderer setting in the launcher has three choices:
| Choice | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Automatic | DirectX 12 when your PC supports it, DirectX 9 when it does not. This is the default |
| DirectX 12 | Always the new renderer |
| DirectX 9 | Always the compatibility renderer |
DirectX 12 needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later and a graphics card that supports it.
The launcher also falls back by itself. If the game closes during startup twice in a row on DirectX 12, or your graphics driver stops responding, the launcher tells you that your next Play uses DirectX 9. You can switch back under Renderer at any time.
A few graphics features need DirectX 12, such as the Comic Print style. See Graphics Options.
If the game closes unexpectedly
When the game closes by itself, the launcher opens a small window titled "FusionFall closed unexpectedly." It offers:
- a short list of what may help, for example updating your graphics driver;
- links to Repair game files, Use DirectX 9 or the driver download page, when they apply;
- the choice to Send or Don't send a crash report, with an Always send crash reports box.
A report holds the crash details, game logs and your Windows and graphics versions. It contains no account details. Sending it is your choice.
Desktop extras worth knowing
- Skip the tutorial with ~. During the tutorial, outside cutscenes, press ~ to get the option to skip it.
- The world loads as you go. You never need to log out and in again to see a new area.
- A restart warning comes first. When an update needs the game world to restart, a message appears in the game about five minutes ahead. See Computress Announcements.
Tips
- Keep the desktop shortcut the launcher made. Starting from it always uses the newest launcher.
- If an update seems stuck, close the launcher, open it again and press Play. Finished downloads are kept.
- Only one launcher can install at a time. If you see a message that another launcher is installing or updating, wait for it or close the other window.
- Playing from far away? Since B132 the game files are delivered from a location near you, and the launcher downloads up to 24 small files at once, so the long first-load waits are gone.
