Square Enix has removed the Denuvo anti-tamper technology from the PC release of Just Cause 3, the publisher confirmed on December 17, 2025. The sandbox action game originally launched in December 2015, so the protection remained in place for roughly ten years before this change.
The removal leaves the PC build without the Denuvo layer that many players have criticized for potential performance and compatibility impacts. The move follows a pattern from Square Enix this year, where the company has been stripping Denuvo from older titles as post-launch windows close and piracy concerns decline.
Players who still run heavily modded versions of the game may already be using community-maintained packages. One popular option in 2025 was the Just Cause 3 Unlimited Edition mod that bundles hundreds of tweaks and additions for modern systems. For context on Square Enix’s wider removals of Denuvo across its catalog, see the publisher’s recent removal from Visions of Mana and the earlier confirmation that Denuvo was planned for OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 before launch in August 2025, as documented in the developer’s specs post.
Just Cause 4 continues to list Denuvo in its PC build, so players looking for a similar change will need to wait for any future announcements from Square Enix. For now, the removal in Just Cause 3 is a straightforward change aimed at cleaning up older releases after their sales and support cycles have progressed.
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Just Cause 3
Developed by Avalanche Studios
The Mediterranean republic of Medici is suffering under the brutal control of General Di Ravello, a dictator with an insatiable appetite for power. Enter Rico Rodriguez, a man on a mission to destroy the General’s hold on power by any means necessary. With over 400 square miles of complete freedom from sky to seabed and a huge arsenal of weaponry, gadgets and vehicles, prepare to unleash chaos in the most creative and explosive ways you can imagine.
- Genre: Adventure
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Xbox One
- Modes: Single player
- Release: 2015-11-30
- Publisher: Square Enix
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Age Rating:
ACB MA 15+ / CLASS_IND 16 / USK 18 / GRAC 19+ / PEGI 18 / ESRB M / CERO Z
- IGDB Rating: 75.4/100
