Rayman 2: The Great Escape

This page may require cleanup to meet basic quality standards. The specific problem is: consolidate fixes. You can help by modifying the article. The discussion page may contain useful suggestions.

Rayman 2: The Great Escape

Developers
	Ubi Pictures
Publishers
	Ubisoft
Poland	Licomp Empik Multimedia
Engines
	Ubisoft OpenSpace
Release dates
Windows	November 4, 1999
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase, Subscription gaming service
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Third-person
Controls	Direct control
Genres	Platform
Art styles	Stylized
Themes	Fantasy, Piracy
Series	Rayman

Rayman 2: The Great Escape is a third-person platform game in the Rayman series developed by Ubi Pictures and published by Ubisoft.

The PC version of Rayman 2 was released on November 4, 1999, shortly after the Nintendo 64 version in the previous month. Compared to the Nintendo 64 version, it features 22kHz quality music instead of MIDI, a higher frame rate, increased detail for certain models (notably Rayman himself), and higher-resolution textures.

The installer on the retail release can fail to launch on modern systems; see Install the game on modern systems (Retail). The game does not support Alt+Tab ↹ while in-game; see Windowed or Game breaks after task switching. Additionally, character animations are capped at 30 FPS.

General information

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		Uses SafeDisc DRM. Also released with Rayman 3-Pack and Rayman 10th Anniversary Collection.
GOG.com		Comes pre-configured with nGlide 2.00
Ubisoft Store		Included with Ubisoft+. Comes pre-configured with WineD3D.
Steam (unavailable)		Comes pre-configured with nGlide, but it may be outdated. Was only available with pre-orders of Rayman Origins.

SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).

Demo

A one-level demo of The Fairy Glade, beginning at the keg-tossing pirate encounter and ending after freeing Ly.

Available to download from PCGamingWiki Files.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.
Subscription gaming service	Available via Ubisoft+.

Essential improvements

Patches

Patches are available here. Digital versions are already patched.

Ray2Fix

A collection of patches and mods that fixes frame drops, speed issues, and adds windowed mode and controller support. As of v1.3.0 also supports controller remapping via the included config tool.

Compatible with the GOG or delisted Steam releases of the game.

Fixes most graphics and framerate issues.

Provides controller input and remapping support.

Installation
Download the latest release .zip and extract all files to Rayman 2's installation directory. Run R2FixCfg.exe and choose the preferred display resolution. Run Rayman2.exe.

Play the game on modern systems

Use nGlide[citation needed]

Download and install nGlide. Run nGlide Configurator from the start menu. Select the screen resolution. Change Aspect ratio to Fit to Screen if wanting to play in widescreen, and click Apply. Run <path-to-game>\GXSetup.exe (causes screen to momentarily flicker). Change Renderer to Glide2 (1.0.0) Voodoo Graphics Glide 2 Driver and click OK. Run Rayman2.exe as an admin (causes screen to momentarily flicker).

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Data\Options\ <path-to-game>\ubi.ini
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/15060/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	<path-to-game>\Data\SaveGame\
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/15060/pfx/

Save game download

An archive containing save games for all stages of the game can be found here. Check the Readme file on how to install.

Alternatively, use the "gothere" cheat code entered in pause menu but it will mess with game progress (insufficient lums, health or no grapnel hook if the "hangon" cheat code isn't entered).

To switch between levels on a save with completed game, use OpenSpaceToolbox (but it requires working task switching in the game).

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
Steam Cloud
Ubisoft Connect

Video

In-game video settings.

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			See Widescreen resolution.
Multi-monitor			See Widescreen resolution.
Ultra-widescreen			See Widescreen resolution.
4K Ultra HD			See Widescreen resolution.
Field of view (FOV)		See Widescreen resolution.
Windowed		See Windowed.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See Windowed.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anti-aliasing (AA)		Use nGlide and force MSAA or SGSSAA in Nvidia Profile Inspector.
High-fidelity upscaling		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)		Always on with Direct3D. For Glide, use nGlide and enable Vsync with nglide_config.exe.
60 FPS		Character animations are capped at 30 FPS.
120+ FPS		Frame rate is capped at 63 FPS.
High dynamic range display (HDR)

Widescreen resolution

Widescreen resolutions

Download and extract the Rayman 2 Widescreen Patch pack. Navigate the folders for the desired aspect ratio and language. Place the files into <path-to-game>, replacing the old ones. Follow this guide from point 8 to adjust the FOV (or it will look zoomed in). For resolutions greater than 2048 pixels, use a wrapper such as nGlide or dgVoodoo 2 and set it in GXSetup.exe or edit ubi.ini. Make sure the aspect ratio settings are set to fit to the entire screen, if using a wrapper. Notes HUD scaling is fixed. Setting a 4:3 resolution in the ubi.ini configuration file with a bigger panoramic resolution than in the wrapper's configuration, will force a higher resolution in the game, with a less distorted typeface for text (at the cost of a very slight graphic sharpness change though). If stuttering is present, change the resolution to one of a 4:3 aspect ratio. (1440x1080 is suitable for 1080p, though the image might appear a bit aliased) Objects at screen edges will disappear with Hor+ aspect ratio. For some people using this permanent patch helped. If not, and if wanting to change the FOV permanently, watch this guide from point 8. If using the retail version with original installer, this is needed to fix "Please insert the CD" error on game startup.

Windowed

Force windowed

Set the game to Glide mode with nGlide. Download and run DxWnd. Click on Edit, then Add. Set the name and executable path. Set Do not notify on task switch. Set the window position and size. Set Desktop for borderless fullscreen windowed. Click on Input tab, set Hook dinput. Click on DirectX tab, set DirectX9. Click OK, then File and Save. Run the game from DxWnd. Notes Windowed mode in some cases can be forced by pressing Alt+↵ Enter, but task switching may still not work correctly.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		Use DInput Key Switcher.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support		Directinput by default.Use Rayman 2 Input Fix on modern systems, Ray2Fix for the GOG releases or dinputto8 alternatively.
Full controller support		Some commands are not bound to the gamepad.
Controller remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Controller sensitivity
Controller Y-axis inversion

Controller types

XInput-compatible controllers		See Xidi.
Xbox button prompts
Impulse Trigger vibration

Generic/other controllers		Generic DirectInput controllers are supported.
Button prompts

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

Xidi

Adds full DirectInput controller support for modern XInput-based controllers.

Restores haptic feedback.

Installing Xidi

Works with Xidi library in DInput form, but requires dropping Xidi's dinput.dll into <path-to-game>. Ensure the system is running Windows 10 or 11. Xidi is built to target Windows 10 or 11 and does not support older versions of Windows. Ensure the Visual C++ Runtime for Visual Studio 2022 is installed. Xidi is linked against this runtime and will not work without it. If running a 64-bit operating system, install both the x86 and the x64 versions of this runtime, otherwise install just the x86 version. Download the latest release of Xidi from here. Install one of the forms of Xidi into the same directory as the game executable: <path-to-game>. Optionally supply configuration settings to Xidi: config. Run the game.

Audio

In-game audio settings.

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music and Sound Effects.
Surround sound		Using A3D. See Restore 3D sound.
Subtitles		Most speech is text-based.
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
EAX support		The game uses Aureal A3D (not EAX). See Restore 3D sound.
Royalty free audio

Restore 3D sound

Restore A3D effects

Install Creative Alchemy (for non-Creative cards, see here). Add and enable the game in Creative Alchemy. Copy these files to <path-to-game>\DLL\. Install A3D Live (After installing, go to %WINDIR% and delete a3dsplhs.exe to prevent the A3D splash screen from popping up). Notes In case of burdensome crashes, use this .ini, and uninstall A3D Live. Alternatively, see the video description from here. Some sounds may play in the wrong pitch/volume (here is patch disabling Doppler effect responsible for it). Also, A3D may cause the game to crash even with the workarounds mentioned above. A3D Live may prevent sounds from disappearing on some configurations.

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French				Original releases in certain countries (such as Germany) have the French translation disabled.
German
Irish				Fan translation.
Italian
Polish				Local retail release only - MULTI2 version with French or MULTI5 with additionally Italian, German, Spanish.
Portuguese				Fan translation.
Russian				Fan translation.
Slovak				Fan translation.
Spanish
Swedish				Fan translation.

Issues unresolved

Game repeatedly changes resolution before launch

This is a side effect of the way Rayman 2 checks for the available resolutions when using the Glide renderer. Setting a forced resolution in the nGlide settings minimizes the effect.

Issues fixed

Blurry and distorted graphics

See Play the game on modern systems[citation needed]
Notes While using dgVoodoo, setting the wrapper additionally to DirectX 12 will fix the issue if it still exists (default is DX11).

32-bit depth not available (only for Glide)

Use nGlide and copy the files

Download and install nGlide. Copy GliVd1vf.dll from <path-to-game>\DLL\ to <path-to-game>\DLL\Glide\. Set Glide in GXSetup.exe. Edit ubi.ini and replace x 16 to x 32. Or instead of points 3-4, copy and overwrite following content of ubi.ini: [Rayman2] GLI_DllFile=GliVd1 GLI_Dll=Glide2 GLI_Driver= GLI_Device= GLI_Mode=1 - 1024 x 768 x 32 Language=English ParticuleRate=High Notes 32-bit in ubi.ini works only with the Glide renderer and after copying the file. To set the desired resolution, go to nGlide Configurator. nGlide is incompatible with HD Tex Mod.

Use dgVoodoo and copy the files (for Glide)[citation needed]
Download dgVoodoo 2 and copy 3Dfx\x86\Glide2x.dll to <path-to-game>. Follow steps 3-4 above. Notes To fix some FPS issues, copy also dgVoodooCpl.exe and dgVoodoo.conf to the game folder, then run the first, and pick 2048 kB TMU, force emulating true PCI Express, Onboard RAM 8MB, set the resolution and apply. Most importantly, copy this library to <path-to-game>\DLL\.

Game breaks after task switching

Update nGlide
Download the latest version of nGlide. Open the nGlide setup with 7-Zip. Extract the contents to the installation folder and overwrite the original files.

(for nGlide) Use combination of ⊞ Win+Tab ↹ and Alt+Tab ↹ alternately[citation needed]

During the first minimization, use ⊞ Win+Tab ↹, during the second minimization, use Alt+Tab ↹ and so on. In the main menu, (before loading a save) use only Alt+Tab ↹. In the case of using Aureal 3D, and closing version notification on startup, don't use Alt+Tab ↹ twice in a row (to come back to the game after closing notification, and later to minimize in the main menu). Don't press on the game icon in taskbar more than once at a row, use Alt+Tab ↹ instead. Notes Game breaks can still occur, but less often.

See Windowed[citation needed]

Use Ray2Fix[citation needed]

Game runs twice as fast (GOG/Uplay versions)

When playing Rayman 2 with the default nGlide settings, it's possible that the game's speed may be running twice as fast than normally intended.

Open the nGlide Configurator and set the refresh rate to 120 Hz or lower, depending on the monitor's refresh rate, instead of the default value[citation needed]

Lower the refresh rate to 60 Hz, or for the same problem on 60 Hz monitors, turn off vertical synchronization[citation needed]

Game runs in windowed mode (fullscreen fix)

Use nGlide (see above)[citation needed]

Use dgVoodoo (instruction for DirectX 6 renderer set)[citation needed]

Download dgVoodoo 2. Copy dgVoodoo.conf, dgVoodooCpl.exe and \MS\x86\DDraw.dll, D3DImm.dll to <path-to-game>. Open dgVoodooCpl.exe and in the DirectX tab, tick the Fast Memory Access box to fix some 30 FPS dips. Make sure to have dgVoodoo's DirectX6 renderer set in GXSetup or edit <path-to-game>\ubi.ini as follows: [Rayman2]Choose = 1GLI_DllFile=GliDX6 GLI_Dll=DirectX6 GLI_Driver=display GLI_Device=Direct3D HAL GLI_Mode=1 - 1920 x 1080 x 16 GLI_DllFile=GliDX6 Language=English Notes For constant 30 FPS drops, download Dege's patch and replace in <path-to-game>\DLL\ - the game will start to work in 60 FPS. Don't run the game from Rayman Control Panel to avoid FPS drops. Alternatively to run the game with RCP, launch it without admin privileges, and the game "as administrator" using Options>Launch Options in RCP. For a fix for small game window, very low FPS, no resolution to choose in dgVoodoo Control Panel on DX10 cards (tested on 9XXX GT, W10 1909, dgVooodoo 2.55.3), download the latest dgVoodoo 2.

(alternative to dgVoodoo) Use DxWrapper (for DirectX 6 renderer)

Download DxWrapper (recommended and verified to work on v1.0.2383.20) Copy dxwrapper.dll, ddraw.dll (from stub), dxwrapper.ini into <path-to-game> (in Windows 1909 if ddraw.dll is ignored and there is no effect, rename it to dsound.dll). In case of blurry graphics use dxwrapper.ini from here (mirror) but don't use draw.dll from this package (FPS issues). Edit dxwrapper.ini: FullScreen = 1. In case of a resolution enumerating error, run as administrator and set Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode in GXSetup/Rayman2. If Glide was previously used, run GXSetup to choose DirectX renderer or paste this ubi.ini content: [Rayman2]Choose = 1GLI_DllFile=GliDX6 GLI_Dll=DirectX6 GLI_Driver=display GLI_Device=Direct3D HAL GLI_Mode=1 - 1920 x 1080 x 16 GLI_DllFile=GliDX6 Language=English Notes dgVoodoo DX6 with this patch behaves better for now. It was one of the best DX6 wrappers for this game. Behaved smoother than WineD3D. Less 30 FPS dips. Overlays cause major FPS drops (e.g. Fraps, Steam, Uplay, MSI Afterburner). It's just enough to hide them by keyboard shortcut if available, or just close them. Alternatively open dxwrapper.ini and edit this line: Force32bitColor = 1 to fix it. Linked specific version for compatibility, doesn't support wrapping DX6 to DX9 like dgVoodoo.

No options to choose in GXSetup (GOG/Uplay versions)

Copy lacking files from retail version

Download the missing files here. Unpack files to the Rayman 2 directory. Run GXSetup as administrator. Now GXSetup should list all renderers (useful for changing DX6 to (n)Glide and opposite, instead of editing ubi.ini). If only Glide is shown on the list, run GXSetup in Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode. Notes If using the e.g. Uplay version, there will be a DLL named GliVd1vf.dll in <path-to-game>\DLL\Glide. This library has to be moved from the Glide folder to the DLL folder instead, then GXSetup should show Glide as an option.

Game refuses to close after an unsuccessful Alt+Tab ↹ / no Ctrl+Esc reaction

In Windows 10, press ⊞ Win+Tab ↹, then drag & drop Rayman 2.exe to "Desktop 2" (create if doesn't exist), then close application in Task Manager[citation needed]

Install the game on modern systems (Retail)

The installer on the retail release can fail to launch on modern Windows versions due to a compatibility issue.

Use Rayman 2 x64 Patcher[citation needed]

Use Rayman Control Panel[citation needed]

Use Ubi Soft Installer Fix

"Please insert CD" message with pirate head image (Retail)

At the end of The Echoing Caves or Menhir Hills Part 2 an anti-piracy message will appear and stop progress, even when using a legitimate copy of the game.

This has been fixed in the GOG release. Just copy the save file to that version and continue playing.

Add missing files not copied from retail installer
Download missing files. Copy the DATA folder to <path-to-game>.

Crash to desktop

Install the game outside the default folder, e.g. to desktop (happens when installed in GOG Galaxy location)

Close MSI Afterburner (fixed in new versions of AB/RivaTuner/AMD drivers)[citation needed]

Set 1024 x 768 in ubi.ini

Add a DEP Exception for Rayman2.exe (sometimes reboot needed afterwards) or enable DEP only for essential system services (default system setting)
Notes This fixes the problem of crashing on Woods of Light and other levels loading.

Follow the instruction (for GPUs supporting Vulkan)[citation needed]
Notes In this case, the crash can happen because the newest GOG release might not be able to run in DX6 mode (old GOG/Uplay/Retail versions not affected).

Use Ray2Fix[citation needed]

Reinstall the game and install pirate head DRM patch using RCP before launching the game for the first time

Use dinputto8 instead of xidi or vanilla game (for ntdll.dll occasional crashes on launch)[citation needed]

Low frame rate on Windows 8/10

Use nGlide[citation needed]
Download and install nGlide. Run <path-to-game>\GXSetup.exe. Set Renderer to Glide2.

See here for dgVoodoo fix

Use Dege's patch (for both DX6 and Glide)

Uplay version or Vulkan set in nGlide cause stuck at startup white window

Wait ~1 minute until the game shows up[citation needed]

Use nGlide or dgVoodoo or update Uplay's version WineD3D[citation needed]

"Graphics Dll not found, run install" [sic]

See Use nGlide or dgVoodoo[citation needed]

Copy files into Rayman 2 folder[citation needed]

Open GXSetup and choose renderer and resolution[citation needed]

Make sure x 32 wasn't set instead of x 16 in ubi.ini while using DirectX 6 renderer, or for Glide without the present GliVd1vf.dll file in \DLL folder (copy it from DLL\Glide)[citation needed]

Check whether ubi.ini contains the line GLI_DllFile=GliDX6 or GLI_DllFile=GliVd1 instead of GLI_DllFile=Dll, which can occur when running GXSetup on newer GOG releases[citation needed]

"Display initialisation error : could not find any resolution"

Run the game with Windows XP SP2 compatibility mode[citation needed]

Cannot load saved game

Run the game as admin[citation needed]

No sound

Download and copy the extracted archive to <path-to-game>\DLL (overwrite)[citation needed]

Install the game outside of the default folder (e.g. to desktop)

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
Direct3D	6	Retail default renderer (Uplay version is already pre-configured with WineD3D wrapper).
Glide	2	Needs to be set in GXSetup.exe or ubi.ini (GOG.com version is already pre-configured with nGlide).

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows

Modifications

• Rayman 2 Fun Box - Adds first-person camera mode and other misc. mods.
• OpenSpace Toolbox - Adds level switching, bookmarking the current position, and hotkeys to reload levels and save/load positions.
• Rayman 2 Reshade with SweetFX mod - Complete "revamp" of lighting and graphics.
• RayTwol - Level editor with the ability to modify the position of most of the objects in any given level. Modifications can saved and experienced in-game, simply through exiting and re-entering the level. Online map viewer can be found here.
• Rayman 2 PC AI Upscaled Texture Pack - Replaces all textures for those of better quality. Created using ESRGAN with the Fatality MKII algorithm, which was pretrained for use with pixel art. The mod works only with DX6 (dgVoodoo).
• Mod loader - Contains also wiki for documentation on creating mods (file replacement, DLL injection, update system, and more).

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	95, 98
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 133 MHz	Intel Pentium MMX 200 MHz
System memory (RAM)	32 MB	64 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)
Video card (GPU)	3Dfx Voodoo 4 MB of VRAM DirectX 6.1 compatible	3Dfx Voodoo2 16 MB of VRAM
Sound (audio device)	Sound Blaster compatible
Other	4x CD-ROM drive	8x CD-ROM drive

No official storage requirement; full game installation is roughly 500 MB.