Right-click, crack, play. Now powered by GBE Fork.
Welcome! This is ARMGDDN Autocracker — the "drag a file on it and go" Steam emulator tool you know, rebuilt on top of Detanup01's GBE Fork, the actively-maintained successor to Mr. Goldberg's original emulator. Same chaos, better emulation.
Heads up if you're coming from an older build: there is no longer a separate "OG GSE" edition and a separate "GBE Fork" edition. There's just ARMGDDN Autocracker, and it runs on the GBE Fork engine. The installer will happily clean up the old dual-version menus for you (see Context Menu).
If you used the ancient Goldberg-based version, the generated files changed. For the better. Glad you asked. (Even if you didn't, I'm telling you anyway.)
| Thing | Old Goldberg | GBE Fork (now) |
|---|---|---|
| Stats format | stats.txt |
stats.json |
| Achievement icons | achievement_images/ |
images/ |
| DLC config | DLC.txt |
configs.app.ini |
| User settings | Scattered text files | configs.user.ini |
| Overlay support | Yes! (ExOL builds, optional) | Yes! (ExOL builds, optional) |
| Cold Client Loader | steamclient_loader.exe |
ExeNameCCLx86.exe / ExeNameCCLx64.exe |
| Active development | Archived | Actively maintained |
TL;DR: GBE Fork is the spiritual successor to Goldberg's emulator, with more features, better compatibility, and someone actually fixing bugs. Revolutionary concept, I know.
- 🔄 One-Click DLL Replacement - Right-click any
steam_api.dllorsteam_api64.dll, select Autocracker, and it's replaced with the GBE Fork emulator. Done. - 🧊 Cold Client Loader Setup - For games that need DLL injection instead of replacement. Auto-detects 32/64-bit architecture, renames the loader with the exe name, and applies the game's icon!
- 🔓 Steam Stub Removal - Integrated Steamless removes Steam's DRM protection from executables with one click.
- 🎮 Steam Settings Generator - Automatically fetches achievements, stats, DLC info, and images from Steam's servers and creates properly formatted config files.
- 🔍 Fuzzy Game Search - Don't know the exact game name? Type "cyberpnuk" and it'll find "Cyberpunk 2077". Or just enter the AppID directly if you know it.
- 🏗️ Auto Architecture Detection - Cold Client Loader reads the EXE header and picks the correct 32-bit or 64-bit loader automatically.
- 🎨 Game Icon Extraction - Cold Client Loader extracts your game's icon and applies it to the renamed loader. Pretty AND functional.
- 💾 Persistent User Settings - Set your username and save location once, use it forever. Set
ask=0to skip prompts entirely. - 📁 Smart AppID Detection - Searches game folders for existing
steam_appid.txtbefore asking you to find it. - 🔔 Daily Update Check -
ARMGDDN.Mainquietly checks GitHub for a newer release once a day and tells you if one's out. No nagging, no phoning home more than once every 24 hours.
- 🖱️ Nested Context Menu - Clean, 7-Zip style menu. All options under one parent, not scattered everywhere. EXEs and DLLs get their own relevant options.
- 🧹 Self-Repairing Installer - Re-running the installer wipes any old/broken menu entries first (including the retired OG-GSE / GBE-Fork nested menus) and rebuilds fresh. Uninstaller erases everything.
- 🛡️ Windows Defender Integration - Right-click any folder → "AAC Folder Exclude" to add it to Defender exclusions. No more false positives.
- 📦 Silent .NET Install - Required runtime installs automatically and silently during context menu setup.
- 🎨 Overlay Support (ExOL) - Optional builds with working SHIFT+TAB overlay and achievement popups. Prompts you to enable after DLL replacement.
- 📝 Full Config Templates - Generates
configs.app.ini,configs.user.ini, andconfigs.overlay.ini.disabledwith all GBE Fork options and documentation included. - 🖼️ Achievement Images - Downloads achievement icons to the correct
images/folder (notachievement_images/like OG). - 📊 Proper JSON Formats - Stats as
stats.json, achievements asachievements.json- the way GBE Fork expects them.
- 🥽 VD Batmaker - Creates batch files to launch cracked games through Virtual Desktop Streamer for VR headset users.
Gone are the days of cluttering your context menu with 47 different options. Now it's all neatly tucked away under one parent, and EXEs and DLLs each show only what makes sense for them:
Right-click any EXE →
ARMGDDN Autocracker →
├── Autocracker
├── Cold Client
├── Steam Stub Remover
└── VD Batmaker (VR)
Right-click any DLL (steam_api / steam_api64) →
ARMGDDN Autocracker →
├── Autocracker
└── Steam Interfaces
Right-click any Folder →
AAC Folder Exclude
It's like a filing cabinet, but for cracking games. Marie Kondo would be proud. Or horrified. Probably both.
Upgrading from an old build? Just run the installer again. Before it adds the current menu it erases the old dual-version (GBE Fork / OG GSE) submenus and every legacy flat entry from previous versions — so a re-install repairs a stale or broken menu instead of stacking on top of it. Want it all gone? Run the uninstaller.
When cracking a DLL, you now get to choose your poison:
- Regular - Standard GBE emulation. Reliable. Boring. Works.
- Experimental with Overlay (ExOL) - The spicy option!
- In-game overlay (SHIFT+TAB, just like the real thing!)
- Achievement notifications that pop up and make you feel special
- FPS counter, playtime tracking
- Blocks non-LAN connections (for the paranoid among us)
Choose wisely. Or don't. We're not your mom.
If you choose ExOL, after generating steam settings you'll be asked:
- "Enable the overlay?" → Yes/No
- If Yes: Warning about potential crashes → OK/Cancel
- If OK:
configs.overlay.ini.disabledgets renamed toconfigs.overlay.iniand the overlay is active!
Overlay not working? Game crashing? Just rename or delete configs.overlay.ini in the steam_settings folder. The overlay will be disabled and you can still play with all other GBE features.
Tired of being called "gse orca" in every game? Now you can set your own identity!
The first time you generate steam settings, you'll be asked:
- Username - Be whoever you want! (In games. Not in real life. That's identity theft.)
- Save Location - Portable (saves with game) or AppData (the civilized choice)
Your preferences are saved to Resources/Tools/options.txt and remembered forever. Or until you delete it. Whichever comes first.
Don't want to be asked every time? Navigate to Resources/Tools/options.txt and change ask=1 to ask=0and save it. From then on, it just uses your saved settings silently. Change your mind? Edit options.txt and re-set to ask=1 to re-enable prompts.
# Example options.txt, you can add these but it starts only with `ask=1`
account_name=YourCoolName
portable=0
local_save_path=saves
saves_folder_name=GSE Saves
# ask=1 prompts every time, ask=0 uses settings silently
ask=0The Steam Settings generator connects to Steam anonymously (no account, no password) and pulls each game's achievement/stat schema by asking one of ~250 bundled "top owner" accounts that own huge libraries (Resources/Tools/top_owners_ids.txt). That big owner pool is what lets even niche games return their achievements instead of coming back empty — the old build only checked a tiny 20-account list, so anything those accounts didn't own generated nothing.
No login is required. (Real-account login isn't used on purpose: Steam's newer auth system rejects the library's old password login with a false "invalid password" error and then loops asking for the password. Anonymous sidesteps all of that, and the top-owner list means you don't lose achievement coverage.)
Best option — use a Steam Web API key. Drop a free key into Resources/Tools/steam_webapi_key.txt and the generator pulls each game's schema directly by AppID from Steam's Web API (GetSchemaForGame) instead of hunting for an owner. This is owner-independent and reliable — it fixes niche games the top-owner scan can't find, and it's fast. Like 1000% faster than without. Grab a key (30 seconds) at steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey. If a key is present it's used first, with the owner scan as fallback.
First run: the very first time you generate a
steam_settingsfolder, the tool walks you through adding the Web API key (and, optionally, your SteamID64) with instructions. Skip either and it tells you exactly which file to drop it in later — and it won't nag you again.
Faster owner scan (no key): drop your own SteamID64 into Resources/Tools/my_steam_ids.txt (one per line). Those IDs are tried first, so if you own and have played the game it can be an instant hit. Note the owner scan can still miss a game if no queryable account has generated stats for it — which is exactly what the Web API key avoids.
ARMGDDN.Steam.Settings generates proper GBE-Fork format configs:
steam_settings/
├── steam_appid.txt
├── achievements.json
├── stats.json
├── images/
│ ├── achievement_icon1.jpg
│ └── achievement_icon2.jpg
├── configs.app.ini (DLC, app settings)
├── configs.user.ini (username, save location)
└── configs.overlay.ini.disabled (overlay settings - rename to enable)
All the comments. All the options. All the documentation you'll never read but will be grateful exists when something breaks.
The overlay config is generated as configs.overlay.ini.disabled by default. This is intentional - the overlay can cause crashes in some games, so we don't enable it automatically.
To enable the overlay:
- Rename
configs.overlay.ini.disabled→configs.overlay.ini - Or just say "Yes" when prompted after using ExOL DLLs
What's in the overlay config?
[overlay::general]
enable_experimental_overlay=1 # Master switch
disable_achievement_notification=0 # Show achievement popups
disable_friend_notification=0 # Show friend notifications
overlay_always_show_fps=0 # FPS counter (set to 1 to enable)
overlay_always_show_playtime=0 # Playtime display
[overlay::appearance]
Font_Size=20.0 # UI font size
Icon_Size=64.0 # Achievement icon size
PosAchievement=bot_right # Where achievements appear
Notification_Duration_Achievement=7.0 # How long popups stay
# ... and many more customization optionsOverlay controls:
- SHIFT+TAB - Open/close the overlay
- Achievement popups appear automatically when you unlock them
- FPS/playtime can be set to always show
For those stubborn games that refuse to play nice:
- Auto-detects 32-bit vs 64-bit - Reads the EXE header and picks the right loader automatically
- Smart Loader Renaming - Renames the loader to
ExeNameCCLx64.exeorExeNameCCLx86.exeso you know what it's for - Game Icon Extraction - Extracts the icon from your game EXE and applies it to the loader. Your game library stays pretty!
- Includes
steamclient.dll,steamclient64.dll - GameOverlayRenderer DLLs for that authentic fake-Steam experience
- Auto-generates
ColdClientLoader.iniwith your settings
Detected architecture: 64
Game is 64 bit. Using steamclient_loader_x64.exe
Loader renamed to: Cyberpunk 2077CCLx64.exe
Icon applied successfully!
The loader shows up in your game folder with the game's own icon, named after the exe its pointing to. No more guessing which .exe to use. Just run it and play.
Same bloodhound-level hunting as before, but now with a brain upgrade:
- Searches the game folder for
steam_appid.txt - If not found, launches
ARMGDDN.App.ID.exewith two input modes:
Text Input = Fuzzy Search
Enter: elden rign
Finds: ELDEN RING (AppID: 1245620)
Typos? No problem. Missing words? We'll figure it out. It's like Google, but for Steam games.
Number Input = Direct AppID
Enter: 1245620
Result: Found in database: ELDEN RING
Use AppID 1245620? (Y/N)
Already know the AppID? Just type it. We'll verify it exists (locally first, then online) and let you confirm. No searching, no waiting, no nonsense.
The fuzzy search uses three-tier matching:
- Exact match - Your search is in the game name
- Token match - All your words appear somewhere in the name
- Fuzzy match - Close enough (handles typos like "cyberpnuk" → "Cyberpunk 2077")
We believe in you. Mostly.
For the Virtual Desktop users out there living in the future with headsets strapped to their faces. Creates a batch file to launch your game through Virtual Desktop Streamer. VR gaming, cracked style.
Steamless integration, same as always. If a game has a Steam stub protecting it, we'll yank it out like a bad tooth. Uses Steamless by atom0s, because why reinvent the wheel when someone already made a really good wheel?
- Extract the whole
ARMGDDN.Autocrackerfolder somewhere permanent - Run
AIOContextMenuSetupforAAC.exeas administrator - Accept the warnings about the script talking (yes, it talks, deal with it)
- Wait for .NET Desktop Runtime to install (silent, automatic, required for Exclusion Helper)
- Right-click any EXE or DLL → ARMGDDN Autocracker → Pick your poison. Or right-click any folder and choose AAC Folder Exclude to auto-add it to Defender. It even checks and makes sure you haven't already excluded it.
- Follow the prompts
- Profit???
Note: The installer automatically installs .NET Desktop Runtime 10.x if needed. If you already have it, it skips in about 1-2 seconds. No user interaction required - it's completely silent.
- Grab your EXE or
steam_api.dll/steam_api64.dll - Yeet it onto
ARMGDDN.Main.exe - Answer the questions
- Done
ARMGDDN.Main.exe "C:\Path\To\Game.exe"
ARMGDDN.Main.exe "C:\Path\To\steam_api64.dll"
- Windows OS - Linux users, you're on your own (but also, why do you need this?)
- .NET Framework 4.5+ - For Steamless
- .NET Desktop Runtime 10.x - For Exclusion Helper (auto-installed by context menu setup)
- Basic knowledge of Steam game structure - Know your EXEs from your DLLs
- Reading comprehension - The prompts have words. Read them. Answer them. Use the force, Luke.
ARMGDDN.Autocracker/
├── ARMGDDN.Main.exe # Main entry point
├── AIOContextMenuSetupforAAC.exe # Installs context menus (self-repairing)
├── AIOContextMenuUninstallerforAAC.exe # Removes context menus (current + legacy)
├── README.md # You are here
│
└── Resources/
├── ARMGDDN.Autocracker.exe # DLL cracker
├── ARMGDDN.Cold.Client.exe # Cold Client setup
├── ARMGDDN.Steam.Settings.exe # Config generator
├── ARMGDDN.Stub.Remover.exe # Steam stub remover
├── ARMGDDN.VD.Batmaker.exe # VR batch maker
│
├── Api/
│ ├── steam_api.dll # 32-bit regular
│ ├── steam_api64.dll # 64-bit regular
│ ├── steam_apiExOL.dll # 32-bit with overlay
│ └── steam_api64ExOL.dll # 64-bit with overlay
│
├── AppID/
│ └── ARMGDDN.App.ID.exe # App ID finder
│
├── Client/
│ ├── ColdClientLoader.ini # Template config
│ ├── GameOverlayRenderer.dll # Helps with the Overlay
│ ├── GameOverlayRenderer64.dll # Helps with the Overlay
│ ├── steamclient.dll # Required for cold client loader
│ ├── steamclient64.dll # Required for cold client loader
│ ├── steamclient_loader_x86.exe # 32 bit cold client loader
│ └── steamclient_loader_x64.exe # 64 bit cold client loader
│
├── SteamlessCLI/
│ ├── Steamless.CLI.exe # Steam stub remover
│ ├── Steamless.CLI.exe.config # Steamless settings
│ │
│ └── Plugins/ # DLLs that help Steamless run
│ ├── ExamplePlugin.dll
│ ├── SharpDisasm.dll
│ ├── Steamless.API.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant10.x86.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant20.x86.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant21.x86.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant30.x64.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant30.x86.dll
│ ├── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant31.x64.dll
│ └── Steamless.Unpacker.Variant31.x86.dll
│
└── Tools/
├── AAC_Autocracker.ico # Icon for context menu
├── AAC_Icon.png # PNG source for icon
├── ExclusionHelper.exe # Does the excluding
├── ExclusionHelper.dll # Helper for ExclusionHelper
├── ExclusionHelper.pdb # Helper for ExclusionHelper
├── ExclusionHelper.deps.json # Helper for ExclusionHelper
├── ExclusionHelper.runtimeconfig.json # Helper for ExclusionHelper
├── ffmpeg.exe # For icon conversion (PNG→ICO)
├── generate_interfaces_file.exe # Steam Interfaces (DLL menu)
├── nircmd.exe # For talking and cool stuff
├── options.txt # Your saved user preferences
├── top_owners_ids.txt # ~250 owner IDs for schema lookups
├── my_steam_ids.txt # your own IDs (tried first) - optional speed-up
├── steam_webapi_key.txt # optional Steam Web API key - most reliable schema fetch
├── rcedit-x64.exe # For applying icons to EXEs
└── windowsdesktop-runtime-10.0.1-win-x64.exe # .NET runtime (auto-installed)
Symptoms — a menu option that worked fine yesterday now throws a Windows error the moment you click it:
- "This file does not have an app associated with it for performing this action."
- "The parameter is incorrect."
- "Windows cannot find
ARMGDDN.Main.exe…"
What it means: these errors come from Windows Explorer, not from the Autocracker. Every EXE and DLL menu option runs the same thing under the hood — ARMGDDN.Main.exe "<the file you right-clicked>". So if multiple different options (e.g. Steam Stub Remover on an EXE and Autocracker on a DLL) all break at once, it's because Windows can no longer launch ARMGDDN.Main.exe itself. The registry menu entries still point at it, but the file is missing or blocked, so Windows shows a generic "no app associated / parameter is incorrect" error.
The cause is almost always your antivirus. Windows Defender (and others) routinely false-flag the ARMGDDN executables and the GBE-Fork steam_api*.dll emulator files as HackTool and quarantine them — and a reboot, a Defender definition update, or a fresh scan is exactly when that happens. That's why it "worked before I restarted my PC." Nothing in the tool changed; the files got yanked out from under it.
Fix it:
- Restore the files. Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history. Look for
ARMGDDN.Main.exe,steam_api64.dll,steam_api.dll, etc. listed as removed/quarantined, and Restore / Allow them. - Exclude the folders before using the tool again — otherwise real-time protection just quarantines them right back:
- Use the tool's own AAC Folder Exclude: right-click the
ARMGDDN.Autocrackerfolder → AAC Folder Exclude. - Exclude your games / repacks folder too (the folder holding the EXEs and DLLs you're cracking).
- Or manually: Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings → Exclusions → Add an exclusion → Folder.
- Use the tool's own AAC Folder Exclude: right-click the
- If the files are actually gone (not just quarantined), re-extract the release zip into a folder you've already excluded, then re-run the context-menu installer.
Tip: Do the folder exclusion first, then extract/use the tool. If you extract into a non-excluded folder, Defender can grab the emulator DLLs before you ever get to use them.
If dragging a file onto ARMGDDN.Main.exe works fine, but clicking an item inside the ARMGDDN Autocracker right-click submenu throws "This file does not have an app associated with it…" or "The parameter is incorrect," and this started after a Windows update/reboot — this was a real bug in older builds. The cascading submenu was built with an undocumented registry trick that newer Windows versions stopped honoring, so the submenu drew but its clicks no longer resolved to a command.
Fixed in the current installer (it now builds the submenu with Windows' documented CommandStore cascade method — the same one Windows itself uses — instead of an undocumented trick). Re-run the context-menu installer to rebuild the menu correctly. In the meantime you can keep working via drag-and-drop onto ARMGDDN.Main.exe, which is unaffected.
If generating Steam Settings dies with PermissionError: [WinError 5] Access is denied: 'steam_settings', the tool couldn't create the steam_settings folder. Fixed in the current build — it now switches into the game folder before generating (previously, when launched from the context menu, it ran from C:\Windows\System32 and tried to create the folder there, which isn't writable). Re-run the context-menu installer to get the fix.
If you still hit it on an up-to-date build, the game's own folder genuinely isn't writable: it's marked Read-only (right-click the folder → Properties → uncheck Read-only), or it lives somewhere protected like Program Files. Clear read-only or move the game to a normal writable location and try again.
If only one option errors out (and it's not the Windows-launch error above), it's more likely a missing bundled file. Confirm the matching helper still exists under Resources\ (e.g. Steam Stub Remover needs Resources\SteamlessCLI\Steamless.CLI.exe; Steam Interfaces needs Resources\Tools\generate_interfaces_file.exe). If a helper is missing, it was probably quarantined too — see the antivirus steps above, or re-extract from the release zip.
This tool is for educational purposes and for games you legally own. We're not responsible for:
- Your Steam account getting banned (don't be stupid.)
- Games not working (sometimes it just be like that.)
- Your PC gaining sentience (unrelated but still not our fault.)
- Any Terms of Service violations (read them yourself, coward.)
Use responsibly. Or don't. But if you don't, we don't know you.
Standing on the shoulders of giants (and some regular-sized people too):
- Detanup01 - For keeping the dream alive with GBE Fork along with some contributors
- Mr. Goldberg - The OG. The legend. The reason we're all here.
- Rat431 - Cold Client Loaders humble beginnings, making impossible games possible
- atom0s - Steamless, because Steam stubs are annoying
- Sak32009 - Steam module fixes that made everything faster
- SteamLadder - Where the top-owner data lineage comes from
- NirSoft/NirCmd - For helping make the context menu install less boring
- electron/rcedit - For making icon embedding possible
- ffmpeg - For making .png to .ico easily! Who knew it could do that?! I sure didn't.
- George Jefferson - For telling me when I'm wrong (frequently)
- You - For reading this far. Gold star. ⭐
- ARMGDDN Autocracker (this repo): github.com/DeliciousMeatPop/AAC
- GBE Fork (the engine): github.com/Detanup01/gbe_fork
- cs.rin.ru Thread: cs.rin.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=153779
Got questions? Found a bug? Just want to complain? Find me:
- ARMGDDN Games Telegram: ARMGDDN Games — Miss Tulip says hi
- Personal Telegram: DeliciousMeatPop
- Reddit: u/DeliciousMeatPop
- Discord: DeliciousMeatPop — I never use discord though, so might as well just write down your comment and flush it as try to contact me there.
Remember: If it works, you're welcome. If it doesn't, you probably did something wrong. But we'll help anyway because we're nice like that.
Happy cracking! 🎮🔓
You’re already here. You’ve already scrolled.
Just hit the ⭐ and we both win.
⭐ Star this repo please
