Ubisoft Is Finally Making Its Steam Games Less Annoying to Launch

For years, buying a Ubisoft game on Steam still meant downloading and logging into a completely separate application before you could actually press play. That’s starting to change. The studio is piloting a new tool called Ubisoft Connect Services, letting Steam players access features like cross-progression and cross-play without ever installing the standalone launcher.

The rollout begins with Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, and while it’s currently limited to that one title, it points toward a much smoother PC experience for players from now on.

What Ubisoft Connect Services Actually Changes

Steam users soon might just get rid of the annoying feature | Credit: Ubisoft

Traditionally, even after purchasing a Ubisoft title through Steam, players had to install the Ubisoft Connect client separately, sign into a Ubisoft account through that client, and leave it open in the background just so the game would boot up. It was an extra layer that users had long been complaining about.

Ubisoft Connect Services changes that setup by merging the essential features directly into the storefront platform instead of routing them through a separate application. According to details players discovered in a hidden patch note, the new tool preserves things like cross-progression, cross-play, player safety systems, in-game challenges, and Connect rewards. But most importantly, it no longer requires the Connect launcher itself to be downloaded or opened.

Most importantly, this isn’t a complete removal of Ubisoft Connect as a whole. An account is still needed to access these features, and Connect continues to exist as a platform for players who use it outside of Steam. What’s disappearing, at least for this test, is the requirement to install and run the separate desktop client just to boot up a Steam purchase.

Why This Shift Matters

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown | Credits: Ubisoft

To understand why this feels significant, it helps to look at the history. Ubisoft’s launcher has gone through different versions ever since it was introduced as Uplay in 2012, and through every version, the requirement has stayed the same: install it, log into it separately, and keep dealing with it alongside Steam. These extra few steps have always been the center of many complaints around buying the studio’s games on PC.

Ubisoft has been gradually rebuilding trust with the Steam community since its return to the platform in 2022, adding Steam achievements to a growing list of games. Removing the standalone launcher seems to be the natural next step in that effort.

For now, Connect Services remains a test limited to The Lost Crown, and the studio hasn’t announced a timeline for expanding it further. But if the trial goes well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see future releases skip the separate launcher requirement from day one.

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