Rockstar now has their own game launcher on the PC. The development studio quietly released this new launcher a short time ago today. They are attempting to entice users to download and use the installer by giving away a free copy of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for a limited time.
Interesting enough, the Rockstar Games Launcher includes some features that took other launchers a little bit of time to add after release. This launcher includes cloud save support, a shop, and automatic updates. The prices on the store seem to be the same as the prices found on Steam for Rockstar's games.
Login is handled by using your Rockstar Social Club account. If you have played any recent Rockstar release in the past few years, chances are you already have one of those accounts. This launcher does seem to recognize games you have already purchased through Steam, which is a bonus.
It doesn't make much sense to get this launcher right now, unless you really want a free copy of San Andreas. In fact, it's a bit odd that Rockstar would launch their own launcher right now without a major game release to entice people to download it. Of course, maybe this is all being done in preparation for some PC launch of Red Dead Redemption 2. There is also no saying as to whether or not Rockstar will make any game release exclusive to this launcher, or if they will continue to release across multiple platforms at the same time.
This could very well just be a way for Rockstar to make it easier for fans to purchase games directly from them while still allowing consumer choice.
