BioShock 2 - PCGamingWiki PCGW - bugs, fixes, crashes, mods, guides and improvements for every PC game

This page is for the original version. For the remastered version, see BioShock 2 Remastered.

BioShock 2
Developers

	2K Marin
	2K China
	2K Australia
DLC (PC porting)	Iron Galaxy Studios
Multiplayer	Digital Extremes
macOS (OS X)	Feral Interactive
macOS (OS X)	Open Planet Software^[1]
Publishers
	2K Games
OS X	Feral Interactive
Engines
	Unreal Engine 2.5
Release dates
Windows	February 9, 2010
macOS (OS X)	March 29, 2012
Reception
Metacritic	88
IGDB	87
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, DLC
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	First-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Immersive sim, RPG, Shooter
Art styles	Realistic, Stylized
Themes	Sci-fi, Steampunk
Series	BioShock

BioShock
BioShock	2007
BioShock 2	2010
BioShock Infinite	2013
BioShock Remastered	2016
BioShock 2 Remastered	2016

Contents 1 Availability 1.1 DLC and expansion packs 2 Essential improvements 2.1 Patches 2.2 Fix audio balance issues 2.3 Skip intro videos 2.4 BioShock Tweaker 3 Game data 3.1 Configuration file(s) location 3.2 Save game data location 3.3 Save game cloud syncing 4 Video 4.1 Field of view (FOV) 4.2 Anisotropic filtering (AF) 4.3 Anti-aliasing (AA) 4.4 Ambient Occlusion (AO) 5 Input 5.1 Hold to duck/aim down sights 5.2 Disable auto-aim 5.3 Disable Xbox 360 Controller vibration 5.4 Inject EVE Hypo 5.5 Pick individual items from containers 6 Audio 6.1 Localizations 7 Network 7.1 Multiplayer types 8 VR support 9 Issues unresolved 9.1 Mouse sensitivity not correctly adjusting 10 Issues fixed 10.1 Crash on startup 10.2 Game crashes randomly 10.3 Menu flickering 10.4 Game brightness is extremely high in DirectX 9 mode 10.5 Audio Cutting Out in Combat Sequences 10.6 Left Plasmid hand disappears 10.7 Game cannot load or save 10.8 Game crashes in DirectX 10 mode 10.9 No Little Sister voice acting 11 Other information 11.1 API 11.2 Middleware 11.3 Mods 11.4 Performance tweak (Havok) 11.5 Bypass Games for Windows - LIVE 12 System requirements 13 Notes 14 References

Warnings

For Games for Windows - LIVE on Windows 8 or later, install the latest Games for Windows - LIVE software.

BioShock 2 is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person immersive sim, RPG and shooter game in the BioShock series.

Steam version DRM switched from Games for Windows - LIVE and SecuROM to Steam.^[2] The Steamworks patch introduced some audio level balance issues.^[3]

Ragdoll physics and animations are locked at 30 FPS.

General information

2K Games Forum

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SecuROM 7 and SecuROM PA DRM. Optional Steam unlock.^[2] Russian retail has separate achievements.
GamersGate

GOG.com		Bundled with BioShock 2 Remastered
Green Man Gaming
Humble Store
Steam		Bundled with BioShock 2 Remastered
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)		^[4]

All non-Steam/GOG Windows versions require Games for Windows - LIVE DRM.^{[Note 1]}

All Windows retail and digital versions of BioShock 2 activate on Steam.^[2] Activation unlocks all DLC, including Minerva's Den, and BioShock 2 Remastered.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
The Protector Trials	Included in the Steam version.
Minerva's Den
Sinclair Solutions Tester Pack	Included in the Steam version.
Zigo & Blanche	Included in the Steam version.
Rapture Metro Pack	Included in the Steam version.
Kill 'em Kindly	Released for free.

Essential improvements

Patches

A Title Update is available for the Games for Windows - LIVE version. The game should automatically prompt for the update when using a LIVE profile; the updates can also be downloaded manually (update 1, update 2).

Fix audio balance issues

The latest patch (1.5.0.019) introduced some audio balance issues, most notably gun fire is much quieter as well as other sound effects. The sound effects can be restored by downloading a modified .ini file:

Restore correct audio settings^{[citation needed]}
Download `SoundMixStates.ini` from Fix Quiet Guns and Unbalanced Audio - Restoring the Retail Audio Mix. Go to `<path-to-game>\SP\Content\System` and place `SoundMixStates.ini` inside.

Skip intro videos

Use -nointro parameter^{[citation needed]}
Use `-nointro` command line argument.

BioShock Tweaker

Allows you to change settings that are not normally adjustable from the options menu (i.e. custom resolution). Point the program at the game's configuration file location.

Game data

In-game general settings.

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/8850/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioshock2\SaveGames\ %APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam\<user-id>.profile
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/8850/pfx/^{[Note 2]}

Achievements and saves for the Steam and Games for Windows - LIVE versions are separate (a new game is required when switching versions).

SP saves: %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioshock2\SaveGames

MP saves: %APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam\<user-id>.profile

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents* folder in OneDrive on all computers.*
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor		Use Flawless Widescreen or Widescreen Fixer with this plugin to fix HUD scaling.
Ultra-widescreen		Use Flawless Widescreen to fix the HUD.^[5]
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)	See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Borderless fullscreen windowed	See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)	See Anisotropic filtering (AF).
Anti-aliasing (AA)	See Anti-aliasing (AA).
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS and 120+ FPS	No frame rate or refresh rate cap.^[6] Physics simulation and many animations are locked to 30 FPS.
High dynamic range display (HDR)	See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Color blind mode	Base game had color blind support issues with the hacking ui, a fix was bundled with the DLC, requiring owning the Protector Trials or Minerva's Den.^[7] Meaning the Steam and GOG versions come with them fixed.

Field of view (FOV)

Custom FOV settings will not work in multiplayer.

3rd party fixes^{[citation needed]}
Use Flawless Widescreen or Widescreen Fixer with this plugin.

Bind FOV to key press^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Scroll down to the `[Default]` section and bind `SetFOV #` to any unused key (# being the desired FOV). During the game, press the key you defined in `User.ini` to set the custom FOV. Notes Any custom FOV settings will be reset automatically at various times during gameplay when control is taken away from the player; i.e. for cutscenes. Zooming down iron sights will also yield this effect.

Bind FOV to key press^{[citation needed]}

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open User.ini.
Scroll down to the [Default] section and bind SetFOV # to any unused key (# being the desired FOV).
During the game, press the key you defined in User.ini to set the custom FOV.

Notes

Any custom FOV settings will be reset automatically at various times during gameplay when control is taken away from the player; i.e. for cutscenes. Zooming down iron sights will also yield this effect.

Anisotropic filtering (AF)

Raise AF Above Default Value of 4X^{[citation needed]}
Go to `<path-to-game>\SP\Builds\Binaries\`. Open `Bioshock2SP.ini`. Edit the line `LevelOfAnisotropy=4` to `LevelOfAnisotropy=#` where # denotes the max level of AF supported by your graphics card(s). For example, change the line to read `LevelOfAnisotropy=16`.

Anti-aliasing (AA)

MSAA can be forced through your graphics driver's control panel.

SGSSAA can be forced in DX9 mode via Nvidia Profile Inspector with the compatibility flag 0x000010C1^[8]

Ambient Occlusion (AO)

AO can be forced through your graphics driver's control panel.

HDAO+ (denominated High quality) can be forced in DX9 mode via Nvidia Profile Inspector with the compatibility flag 0x0002002D^[9]

Input

In-game control settings.

In-game key map settings.

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Mouse buttons 4 and 5 are not recognized by the multiplayer key binding menu, but can be manually bound in `UserMP.ini`.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Full controller support
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

DualShock 4 controllers
DualShock button prompts
Light bar support
Connection modes	unknown

Generic/other controllers

Additional information
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Hold to duck/aim down sights

Hold to duck^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Replace `Aliases[13]=(Command="Toggle bDuck\|Axis aUp Speed=-1200.0",Alias=Duck)` with `Aliases[13]=(Command="Button bDuck",Alias=Duck)`.

Hold to aim down sights^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Find the keybind that has the word "ZoomCycle" attached to it (T by default) Replace `T=ZoomCycle` with `T=ZoomCycle \| onRelease ZoomCycle`

Disable auto-aim

Set AutoAim in Bioshock2SP.ini^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `Bioshock2SP.ini`. Edit the line `AutoAim=True` to `AutoAim=False`.

Disable Xbox 360 Controller vibration

Set Vibration in Bioshock2SP.ini^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `Bioshock2SP.ini`. Edit the line `Vibration=True` to `Vibration=False`.

Inject EVE Hypo

Inject EVE Hypo^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Scroll down to the `[Default]` section and bind `InjectBioAmmo` to any unused key.

Pick individual items from containers

Pick individual items from containers^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Scroll down to the `[ContainerUIActive]` section and bind `CollectContainerItemInSlot 0`, `CollectContainerItemInSlot 1` and `CollectContainerItemInSlot 2` to any unused keys.

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls
Surround sound		Up to 7.1 output
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Hungarian				Fan translation, download.
Italian
Polish				Official localization by Cenega – retail only. Fan patch which corrects some issues of the original translation here.^[10]
Brazilian Portuguese				Fan translation, download.
Russian				Retail only. Patch for digital release here.
Spanish

Network

Online features in non-Steam versions require a Microsoft account (optional for offline play).

Multiplayer types

Type	Players	Notes
Local play	10	Use Nucleus Co-op.
LAN play
Online play	10

VR support

3D modes	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision		Use Helix Mod: Bioshock 2 (DirectX 9 only)
TriDef 3D
vorpX	G3D, DirectVR Officially supported game, see official vorpx game list.

Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues unresolved

Mouse sensitivity not correctly adjusting

On some computers, the game's mouse sensitivity will be extremely low, and raising the values makes mouse movements imprecise.

Possible mouse acceleration fix (doesn't work for everybody)^[11]
Set in-game sensitivity to "1" Disable mouse acceleration in-game. Quit the game. Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `User.ini`. Bulk replace every `Speed=2000.0` with whatever your desired sensitivity value is (300 is a good starting point)

Issues fixed

Crash on startup

Delete damaged save files^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioshock2\SaveGames\`. Copy the save files somewhere as a backup. Sort the folder by "Date modified". Delete the damaged save file causing the game to crash on startup (this will probably be the newest save and/or quicksave).

Game crashes randomly

Set "Graphics Quality" to low^[12]
Go to Graphics settings in-game. Set Graphics Quality to Low preset.

Menu flickering

Disable or force vsync^{[citation needed]}
Disable Vsync from the in-game settings menu. Force Vsync through graphics adaptor.

Game brightness is extremely high in DirectX 9 mode

This behavior is triggered by notification popups from the Steam overlay

Disable Steam Overlay^{[citation needed]}
Right click on Bioshock 2 in your Steam library and select Properties Uncheck "Enable Steam Community In-Game"

Editing launch options^{[citation needed]}
Use the `-nogamma` command line argument.

Audio Cutting Out in Combat Sequences

On some computers, user audio will cut out during combat sequences.

Issue can be lessened slightly by not using constant-fire weapons such as lasers / hacked sentry bots, or increasing max sound channels in BioShock2SP.ini and Default.ini

Edit the maximum number of channels^[13]
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `bioshock2SP.ini`. Find the following line, under [FMODAudio.FMODAudioSubsystem], and increase the number of channels. MaxChannels=128

Edit the maximum number of channels^[13]

Go to the configuration file(s) location.
Open bioshock2SP.ini.
Find the following line, under [FMODAudio.FMODAudioSubsystem], and increase the number of channels.

MaxChannels=128

Left Plasmid hand disappears

This glitch is especially likely when using the Scout-Plasmid.^[14] Therefore, it is advisable to quick save before using it.

Respawn^{[citation needed]}
Make sure Vita-Chambers are enabled. Being killed and respawning should fix the left hand.

Game cannot load or save

There are damaged save files bugging up the game's ability to load or save

Delete damaged save files^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Bioshock2\SaveGames\`. Copy the save files somewhere as a backup. Sort the folder by "Date modified". Delete the damaged save file causing the game to crash on startup (this will probably be the newest save and/or quicksave).

Game crashes in DirectX 10 mode

Increase Texture Streaming Memory Size^[15]
This increases the size of the texture cache. Open `Bioshock2SP.ini`. Steam users will find this in `%APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam`. Find "TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=512.000000" and increase the amount to something inline with the video card (e.g. 2048).

Increase Texture Streaming Memory Size^[15]

This increases the size of the texture cache.

Open Bioshock2SP.ini. Steam users will find this in %APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam.
Find "TextureStreamingMemoryLimit=512.000000" and increase the amount to something inline with the video card (e.g. 2048).

Force the game to run in DirectX 9 mode^{[citation needed]}
This switches the game to DirectX 9 instead of the default DirectX 10. Create a shortcut to `Bioshock2Launcher.exe` somewhere convenient. Right click this shortcut, select Properties, in the Target box add `-dx9` in the text field after inserting space after the quotation mark. Now launching the game from this shortcut will force the game to run in DirectX 9. Notes Running the game in DirectX 9 mode can mess with the brightness levels of the system, even after exiting the game. To fix this, simply remove the `-dx9` switch, then run and exit the game again.

Force the game to run in DirectX 9 mode^{[citation needed]}

This switches the game to DirectX 9 instead of the default DirectX 10.

Create a shortcut to Bioshock2Launcher.exe somewhere convenient.
Right click this shortcut, select Properties, in the Target box add -dx9 in the text field after inserting space after the quotation mark.
Now launching the game from this shortcut will force the game to run in DirectX 9.

Notes

Running the game in DirectX 9 mode can mess with the brightness levels of the system, even after exiting the game. To fix this, simply remove the -dx9 switch, then run and exit the game again.

Uninstall update KB2670838^[16]^{[citation needed]}
This will uninstall Internet Explorer! Tested on Windows 7 Open the start menu Go to control panel Under "Programs" click "Uninstall a program" On the top left "View installed updates" After all the updates are displayed, simply search for KB2670838. Uninstall it

Uninstall update KB2670838^[16]^{[citation needed]}

This will uninstall Internet Explorer!

Tested on Windows 7

Open the start menu
Go to control panel
Under "Programs" click "Uninstall a program"
On the top left "View installed updates"
After all the updates are displayed, simply search for KB2670838.
Uninstall it

No Little Sister voice acting

Bug causes Little Sisters to become mute.

Set sound quality of standard sound device^{[citation needed]}
Start > type "sound" > open the soundpanel. Right-click on your common sound device > go to the tab "advanced" > set sound quality to lowest (CD quality). After you made your changes, click OK.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	9.0c, 10
OpenGL	2.0	OS X only.
Shader Model support	3, 4

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			^{[citation needed]}

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Physics	Havok
Audio	FMOD
Cutscenes	Bink Video, Flash
Multiplayer	Games for Windows - LIVE, Steamworks

Mods

A collection of mods are available at this thread.

Performance tweak (Havok)

Improving Havok physics engine performance^{[citation needed]}
Go to `<path-to-game>\SP\Builds\Binaries\`. Open `Default.ini`. Edit the line `HavokNumThreads=2` to represent the number of cores in your machine's CPU. For example, using a quad-core CPU, change the line to `HavokNumThreads=4`. Some systems may require doing the same with `Bioshock2SP.ini`, located in `%APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam\`. Using all cores may result in crashing to desktop on some systems. In this case, use only half of your core count.

Improving Havok physics engine performance^{[citation needed]}

Go to <path-to-game>\SP\Builds\Binaries\.
Open Default.ini.
Edit the line HavokNumThreads=2 to represent the number of cores in your machine's CPU. For example, using a quad-core CPU, change the line to HavokNumThreads=4.
Some systems may require doing the same with Bioshock2SP.ini, located in %APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam\.

Using all cores may result in crashing to desktop on some systems. In this case, use only half of your core count.

Improving Engine Memory usage^{[citation needed]}
Go to `%APPDATA%\Bioshock2Steam\`. Open `Bioshock2SP.ini`. Search for `[Engine.GameEngine]` and increase the `CacheSizeMegs` value under it (maxes out at 512). Search for the line `TextureStreamingMemoryLimit`, change this to match your graphics card's VRAM e.g. 2048 for 2 GB Also change `TextureStreamingDistanceLimit` to 10000

Bypass Games for Windows - LIVE

A fake version of xlive.dll can allow you to play the single-player without having GFWL installed.

Pre-existing saved games are not compatible with this fix.

Use BioShock 2 fake xlive^[17]
Download BioShock 2 fake xlive. Extract `xlive.dll` to `<path-to-game>\SP\Builds\Binaries\`.

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP SP2	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 4 530 3.0 GHz AMD Athlon 64 3800+ 2.4 GHz	Intel Core 2 Duo E6420 2.13 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.6 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	3 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	11 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 7800 GT ATI Radeon X1900 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT ATI Radeon HD 4830 512 MB of VRAM DirectX 10 compatible
Sound (audio device)	DirectX 9.0c compatible

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	10.9.5 (Mavericks)	10.10.5 (Yosemite)
Processor (CPU)	2 GHz	2.4 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	18 GB
Video card (GPU)	256 MB of VRAM	512 MB of VRAM

Notes

↑ Games for Windows - LIVE DRM features: Legacy activation, supports local profiles.
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/8850/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (8850) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References

↑ Feral Support | BioShock 2
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 News - BioShock 2 Updated
↑ Fix Quiet Guns and Unbalanced Audio - Restoring the Retail Audio Mix
↑ BioShock 2 - Games For Windows - last accessed on 2022-11-16
↑ BioShock 2 - last accessed on June 27, 2018
↑ New 120Hz Games Report - last accessed on May 2023
↑ Game Watcher - BioShock 2 DLC "secretly" fixes hacking mini-game for colour-blind - last accessed on May 2023
↑ http://www.forum-3dcenter.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=9254703&postcount=2348
↑ https://forums.guru3d.com/showpost.php?p=4799483&postcount=271
↑ Bioshock 2 Steamworks FAQ
↑ PC Tweaks: lower mouse sens, toggle duck and zoom/aim - 2K Forums - last accessed on May 2023
↑ PSA: PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM CRASHES, TRY THIS FIX! - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ Steam Community Guide - Fix audio cutting out - last accessed on 2017-02-12
↑ Frequent Loss of Plasmid Hand - Steam Users' Forums (retrieved)
↑ Steam Community - last accessed on May 2023
↑ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=411190623
↑ Timeslip's utilities, mods and patches - last accessed on May 2023