How to play on Darkwinter servers with Haoplay publisher on Steam workaround

You play on Darkwinter servers, but your Steam store region is set to a Haoplay server region and you can't login using your Sunborn account. This is a quick workaround for this issues

Read Me First

This guide is slightlyyy outdated but it should still work. The reason is they reduced the download size on Steam from 32 GB to around 650 MB (which isn't a lot). So if you can spare the space, you can install the game on Steam then skip all the steps and just pay attention to the "Launch options in Game Properties" Section.

Updating the game on Steam shouldn't be a problem

If you get a black screen using the "Path to .exe file" %command% method but your game still launches normally from the standalone client, then it might not be a Steam issue.
What you want to do is go to where the Sunborn .exe file is located, right click on it and Select Properties. Then check the "Run this program as Administrator" checkbox

Credits to SuperHero for finding the fix!

Assumptions

If you are following this guide, my assumptions are that:

• You have the game Uninstalled on Steam
  
• You play on Darkwinter server, BUT your Steam store region shows you the Haoplay version of the game.
  
• You have the standalone Darkwinter client already installed
  You can get it over here: https://gf2exilium.sunborngame.com/

This has worked for me, I am just showing you how I've done it and give you ideas for workarounds.
Obviously you are not launching the version from Darkwinter publisher, I just made this guide cuz i wanted to rack up them Steam gametime

Setting up the appmanifest file

With those assumptions out of the way, Ill get on the with guide.

Fully Exit Steam

Make sure it's not running in the background

Open notepad and copy paste the content of the pastebin

https://pastebin.com/BjxXUzf3

Save the file with this name "appmanifest_3308670.acf" and select the type as "All files"

Save it in your "steamapps" folder

The folder might be located in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps" or whatever drive you are using.

As a safety precaution, right click the manifest file and open its properties and set it to "Read-Only"

.

You can open Steam once again, and the game will appear as "Installed".
Something like this:
What this does is that it tricks Steam into thinking you have installed the game, when in reality you haven't. (Like I am not installing 30GB of files again with my sh*tty internet connection)

Setting up the EXILIUM folder

Open the "common" folder and create an EXILIUM folder

Copy your Darkwinter game executable from your standalone client into the newly created EXILIUM folder

or it could be any .exe file as long as its named "GF2_Exilium.exe"

Launch options in Game Properties

Open the game properties

Type out "M:\GF2Exilium\GF2 Game\GF2_Exilium.exe" %command%

Replace what's between the quotation marks with the full path of your Darkwinter game executable

You can close the window now and launch the game

You should be able to play on Darkwinter server now

Take note that in eyes of Steam, you are launching the "Haoplay" version, but by changing the game properties to launching the Darkwinter game executable you can continue playing on DW servers.

What if there is a Steam update?

I don't know if it will happen but just in case, I made this section if there is a Steam update that comes up

Fully Close Steam once again and open up the appmanifest file and find "InstalledDepots"

Head to https://steamdb.info/app/3308670/history/ and press CTRL + F and type in "gid" or "manifest" and find the latest one you can find.

What you need to make sure is that the underlined parts are the same as the ones in circle on the website

from manifest file
from steamdb website

Video Guide

You can check the video guide here if you want:

[dakuraii]

your game launches normally from standalone client right?

[SuperHero]

is this guide still working in May 2025?
i followed the steps, and whenever i open the game from steam, i get a black screen

[PogU]

GOOOOOOAT

[azz123(RU)]

один хрен я не смогу донатить через steam в игру, это руководство ниочем

[dakuraii]

ig that works too, just need to make sure that Steam detects the game as installed

[Aisen]

(steam file integrity check)

[Aisen]

the dirty way is to just copy all the files over to the steam install location, but file verification will break (not important imo)

[叫我fancio]

holy shit bro, i thought all was lost and i'd never be able to play GFL2 on steam, THANK YOU!

[dakuraii]

It seems like they reduced the download size from 32GB to around 650 MB, if you can spare the space, you can skip the appmanifest and exilium folder part, install the game on Steam, and go straight to "Launch Options in Game Properties"

[dakuraii]

I don't think so, I tried and I don't get any options to use Steam as payment