Is it possible to install a new windows without downloading GTA 5 again?

Question

I use the Epic Games Launcher to run GTA 5. The Rock Star Launcher is used too. The two accounts are linked.
I contacted Rock Star support and they informed me that it's okay to install a new windows as they have a "Scan" feature which will detect the previously downloaded files of GTA. And, I'll not have to re-download it.
I contacted Epic Games support but they said I'll have to download the whole game again when I install a fresh new windows which doesn't make sense for me because the game has a big size (about 100 GB) and it'll finish my internet quota and it'll take time to download it again.
Is there a way to get around this?
Some ideas that may help: Can I separate or unlink the two accounts so that I can run GTA using rock star launcher only? Is it possible to backup or save some data of the Epic games launcher so that I can restore it after downloading the new windows?

Der_Darm · Accepted Answer

You should be able to start the game without Epic Launcher detecting it. I haven't tried it with GTA but other games from Epic can be started from .exe files directly from the install folder. I have Metro and Witcher 3 games installed a long time ago and they do not appear in EGL because I moved game files to another drive, but I can play those games.

If #1 does not work for you and you need Epic to detect the game try this:

Move GTA V files to a backup folder (c:/Bak)
Open Epic launcher and start downloading GTA to a new empty folder;
Let it create folders and some files, pause the download, and close the launcher;
Copy GTA files to the folder where EGL is supposed to download the game. C:gamesGameName.egstorebpsInstall . Do not copy the old ".egstore" folder from your backup of GTA files! Overwrite the files in the "install" folder with the files you backed up.
It is best to copy and retain the original backup of the game files in case the next step does not succeed, considering you have enough disk space.
Start EGL and resume the download. It will detect existing files, verify it and the game will appear in EGL without a need to download.

Valbrand · Answer

Depends where you have it installed.
Let's say you have 2 drives/partitions C: and D:
Windows is installed on C: and GTA on D:
If you format C: and reinstall Windows you won't loose any files on D: and GTA should work fine.
If you only have one drive and one partition then you could make a backup of the files on an external drive.

Is it possible to install a new windows without downloading GTA 5 again?

2 Answers

Add your own answers!

Ask a Question