File scan report
Verdict Safe
Is Launcher
None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this Rockstar Games–signed launcher patcher, and a sandbox run showed it fetching the official Rockstar launcher installer.
Read the whole reasonShow less
Strong evidence · A verified publisher signature, and no engine flags it.
This appears to be the legitimate Rockstar Games launcher patcher. Download it only through official Rockstar channels.
Good practice2 tips
We found nothing harmful in this file.
Run it only if it came from the developer's own website or an official app store.
Keep your antivirus and Windows updates switched on.
No scanner can promise a file is 100% safe.
Antivirus results
0 of 70 flagged
- Flagged 0
- No detection 70
- No result 5
- Code signing Rockstar Games, Inc.
- Test run Completed
- First seen 1mo ago
Chapter 02
Why we think so
1 point against it and 5 in its favour, checked against the scan evidence.
The reasoning behind this verdict
None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this file, and it carries a verified Rockstar Games signature. In a sandbox it downloaded and launched the Rockstar Games Launcher installer from Rockstar's download server.
The executable is validly signed by Rockstar Games, and prior files from this signer were clean in our records. In the single sandbox run it wrote a Rockstar launcher installer to the temp folder, created Rockstar launcher logs and registry keys, and contacted only Rockstar download infrastructure. None of the four contacted hosts has a bad reputation in our cache.
What We Detected
None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged this file. It is a 64-bit executable with a verified Rockstar Games code signature, and its code sections show no signs of packing.
Threat Behavior
In a sandbox run that returned clean, the file wrote and launched a Rockstar Games Launcher installer and created Rockstar launcher logs and registry entries. It contacted gamedownloads.rockstargames.com, and none of the four contacted hosts has a bad reputation in our cache. The six dropped files have not yet been assessed individually.
What To Do Now
The file appears to be Rockstar's launcher patcher. Use copies obtained from Rockstar's official launcher or website, and keep your antivirus enabled.
Where this verdict could be wrong2 caveats
- The sandbox mapped process-injection and archive-related techniques. No injected target process was recorded, and the activity fits a launcher installer.
- Rockstar Games is not on our curated publisher list, and our own history for this signer covers only two samples.
These are the assessment's weak points. If you believe one applies to your file, report the verdict and we'll re-review it.
- None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flagged the file
- Valid Rockstar Games code signature
- Contacted only Rockstar download infrastructure in a clean sandbox run
- Earlier files from the same signer were clean in our records
- Moderately widespread, submitted by 61 different sources
- The sandbox mapped a possible process-injection technique, though no target process was recorded
6 sources checked · all complete. See every source
Chapter 03
What it did in our test
It ran in our isolated test environment; no test environment rated what it did as risky.
Test run summary
Capture complete- 19sandbox rule tags
- 3spawned processes
- 4network contacts
- 17filesystem & mutex artifacts
What this file did when executed
This file was run in a sandbox and its runtime behaviour was observed.
Sandbox verdicts
1- VT: CLEANclean
Techniques observed in the sandbox
19MITRE ATT&CK techniques the sandbox mapped. Highlighted ones are rare in normal software; the others are common in legitimate programs too.
- T1012
- T1027· Obfuscated code
- T1033· Reads user info
- T1036
- T1055· Process injection
- T1056· Keylogging
- T1057· Lists programs
- T1059· Runs commands
- T1071· Application protocol
- T1082· System recon
- T1083· Scans your files
- T1112
- T1129· Loads modules
- T1222
- T1497· Sandbox evasion
- T1539
- T1560
- T1573
- T1614
Observed activity
Processes started
3Programs the file ran, with their command lines.
LauncherPatcher.exe"C:\Users\<USER>\Desktop\LauncherPatcher.exe"RockstarGamesLauncherInstaller.exe"C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\RockstarGamesLauncherInstaller.exe"LauncherPatcher.exe"C:\Users\user\Desktop\LauncherPatcher.exe"
Network contacts
44 hosts, listed as 1 domain, 3 addresses. Links show the host and path only.
- Domain
gamedownloads.rockstargames.com - IP address
23.204.151.150 - IP address
23.11.32.159 - IP address
23.60.117.190
Files
14Files the file created, changed or deleted.
- Written
C:\Users\<USER>\Documents\Rockstar Games\Launcher\prelauncher.log - Written
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games\Launcher\prelauncher_events.json - Written
C:\Users\<USER>\AppData\Local\Temp\RockstarGamesLauncherInstaller.exe - Written
C:\ProgramData\Rockstar Games\Launcher\installer_log.txt - Written
C:\Windows\ServiceProfiles\LocalService\AppData\Local\FontCache\Fonts\Download-1.tmp - Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\Content\26C212D9399727259664BDFCA073966E_B7ED31D77D311A56FDCB56A0083B3E0B
Show all 14 entries for files
- Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\LocalLow\Microsoft\CryptnetUrlCache\MetaData\26C212D9399727259664BDFCA073966E_B7ED31D77D311A56FDCB56A0083B3E0B - Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games - Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games\Launcher - Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Rockstar Games\Launcher\prelauncher_events.json - Written
C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\RockstarGamesLauncherInstaller.exe - Written
C:\Users\user\Documents\Rockstar Games - Written
C:\Users\user\Documents\Rockstar Games\Launcher - Written
C:\Users\user\Documents\Rockstar Games\Launcher\prelauncher.log
Registry and auto-start
4Settings the file changed, including ways to start again after a restart.
- Set
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\Launcher\PatcherUpdate - Set
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\Launcher\PatcherUpdateTime - Set
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games - Set
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Wow6432Node\Rockstar Games\Launcher
Mutexes
3Named locks a program uses so only one copy runs; malware families often reuse them.
{042309D6-BCE2-4AC7-881D-BD0C8F0F231A}{EADA79DC-1FAF-4354-AB3E-23F30CBB7B8F}\Sessions\1\BaseNamedObjects\{042309D6-BCE2-4AC7-881D-BD0C8F0F231A}
Sandbox background — not the file
7The analysis machine's own processes and connections, recorded in every run.
- VM process
services.exeC:\Windows\system32\services.exe - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k NetworkService -p - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k UnistackSvcGroup - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalSystemNetworkRestricted -p -s StorSvc - VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\System32\svchost.exe -k LocalSystemNetworkRestricted -p -s WdiSystemHost - VM process
lsass.exeC:\Windows\system32\lsass.exe
Show all 7 entries for sandbox background — not the file
- VM process
svchost.exeC:\Windows\system32\svchost.exe -k LocalService -s W32Time
Files this sample writes at runtime
This file drops 6 children at runtime. None are currently flagged malicious in our cache. 6 have no saved verdict and were not checked; that is missing coverage, not a finding.
- b5956a07b030de2adae6…a26c58Not checkedno saved verdict
- 321886457b7e4ab727a2…973746Not checkedno saved verdict
- 0a6c11e39f9f6d5178b7…badf12Not checkedno saved verdict
- 802cd1b1deb99fe4dd0f…194f8aNot checkedno saved verdict
- 5be2449dc5fa7202d593…846820Not checkedno saved verdict
- deb67f55877e8c56d4ad…72eb31Not checkedno saved verdict
Chapter 04
Technical details
None of the 70 antivirus engines that checked it flag it; signed by Rockstar Games, Inc..
Sources checked
Every check behind this verdict
6 sources checked · all complete. Complete means the check returned a usable result; it does not mean the file is safe.
File fingerprint
- Last analyzed
- Oct 17, 2026, 1:39 PM UTC
- SHA-256
1653347652b315e5bca950650fdddc43750029484bb2c26cbf95c1cd1ca8578f- SHA-1
754f9f650bf79e22184046796d5da313c87a7611- MD5
9b407edd881db7bdcafb4b5a599692ff
About this file
LauncherPatcher.exe is a Win32 EXE file of 1.2 MB.
- Type and size
- Win32 EXE · 1.2 MB
- Signer
- Rockstar Games, Inc.Valid code signature.
- First seen
- Sep 3, 2026On VirusTotal.
- Submitted by
- 61 distinct sources
- Packer
- None detected
- Entropy
- 5.42 of 8
First scanned Updated
Antivirus consensus
0 of 70 engines flagged this file
5 of the 75 engines returned no result for this file (file type not supported, or the scan did not finish), so they did not check it.
- Tier-118 engines0flagged
- Tier-235 engines0flagged
- Low-trust17 engines0flagged
View all 75 engine results
- AcronisClean
- AhnLab-V3Clean
- AlibabaClean
- alibabacloudClean
- ALYacClean
- Antiy-AVLClean
- APEXClean
- ArcabitClean
- AvastClean
- Avast-MobileNo result
- AVGClean
- AviraClean
- BitDefenderClean
- BitDefenderFalxNo result
- BkavClean
- CAT-QuickHealClean
- ClamAVClean
- CMCClean
- CrowdStrikeClean
- CTXClean
- CylanceClean
- CynetClean
- DeepInstinctClean
- DrWebClean
- ElasticClean
- EmsisoftClean
- ESET-NOD32Clean
- F-SecureClean
- FortinetClean
- GDataClean
- GoogleClean
- GridinsoftClean
- huorongClean
- IkarusClean
- JiangminClean
- K7AntiVirusClean
- K7GWClean
- KasperskyClean
- KingsoftClean
- LionicClean
- MalwarebytesClean
- MaxSecureClean
- McAfeeDClean
- MicrosoftClean
- MicroWorld-eScanClean
- NANO-AntivirusClean
- PaloaltoClean
- PandaClean
- RisingClean
- SangforClean
- SentinelOneClean
- SkyhighClean
- SophosClean
- SUPERAntiSpywareClean
- SymantecClean
- SymantecMobileInsightNo result
- TACHYONClean
- tehtrisClean
- TencentClean
- TrapmineClean
- TrellixENSClean
- TrendMicroClean
- TrendMicro-HouseCallClean
- TrustlookNo result
- VaristClean
- VBA32Clean
- VIPREClean
- VirITClean
- ViRobotClean
- WebrootClean
- XcitiumClean
- YandexClean
- ZillyaNo result
- ZoneAlarmClean
- ZonerClean
Signatures and behavior heuristics
Low-severity pattern matches — worth noting but not on their own cause for alarm.
VirusTotal's sandbox summary maps this run to MITRE T1055 (Process Injection), but no injected process of the sample's own was recorded (the analysis VM's own WMI adapter, crash handlers and Chrome updater are not counted). VirusTotal maps T1055 on about half of all files no engine flags, so the mapping alone is not evidence of injection.
EvidenceT1055 (sandbox MITRE mapping)
Section entropy & packers
No high-entropy executable section or known packer signature was detected. Data and resource sections can still have high entropy without indicating packed code.
How widely this file has been seen
Moderate prevalence — neither rare nor common. No strong prior applies.
Chapter 05
Questions & answers
Short answers to the 7 questions people ask most about this file.
Is LauncherPatcher.exe safe?
What is LauncherPatcher.exe?
How many antivirus engines detected LauncherPatcher.exe?
Is LauncherPatcher.exe digitally signed?
What is the SHA-256 hash of LauncherPatcher.exe?
Is it safe to run LauncherPatcher.exe?
How up to date is this analysis of LauncherPatcher.exe?
Community
Member reviews and reports for this exact file hash.