Investigation thread · gear
Ultrawide cutscene black bars
Remove black bars from in-engine cutscenes, menus, and interaction scenes on wider aspect ratios. Pre-rendered FMVs remain letterboxed.
Verified route · unofficial PC fix
Use RoseTheFlower's release, then unpack it into Win64.
The current release removes black bars from in-engine cutscenes, menus, and interaction scenes. It is a third-party fix, not an official Frogwares patch, and it was tested at 2560×1080 and 5120×1440. A report made after Hotfix 1.0.1 still identified the remaining bars as pre-rendered video. Hotfix 1.0.2 does not list an ultrawide or cutscene-bars change, so compatibility with the newer game build remains unconfirmed.
01 · Do this
Follow the route in order.
- 01
Close The Sinking City 2. Download only the archive listed under Assets on the author's linked GitHub release.
Open RoseTheFlower's GitHub release ↗ - 02
In Steam, open Library → The Sinking City 2 → Manage → Browse local files. Record the archive's file list and copy any same-named files that will be overwritten to a safe location.
- 03
Unpack the archive contents into PlayGround\Binaries\Win64 inside the game folder. Put the files in Win64 itself, not in a new nested folder.
- 04
Launch the game at your ultrawide resolution and check an in-engine cutscene, menu, or interaction scene.
02 · Confirm
What success looks like.
- Black bars are removed from in-engine cutscenes, menus, and interaction scenes.
- Gameplay remains available at the selected wider aspect ratio.
- The intro cutscene and main-menu background may still show bars because they are pre-rendered FMVs.
03 · Boundaries
Read this before changing files.
- The release notes list tests at 2560×1080 and 5120×1440; other resolutions and aspect ratios are not independently verified here.
- A post-Hotfix 1.0.1 report confirms the known pre-rendered-video limitation, but it is one observed case rather than a complete compatibility test. The current 1.0.2 notes only list a driver warning, PSO hitch improvements, and a rare navigation-mesh crash fix; they are not compatibility proof for this unofficial binary modification.
- Do not use a mirror or a repacked attachment. The page links only to the author's GitHub release.
04 · Undo
How to roll it back.
- Close the game, use the archive's file list to remove the files introduced by the fix, and restore any same-named originals from your backup.
- Steam's Installed Files → Verify integrity can restore stock files that were overwritten. It may not remove extra mod files, so remove those using the archive list first; if the file list is unclear, stop and make a copy before changing Win64.
Evidence checked 2026-09-16
Sources checked for this route.
RoseTheFlower release thesinkingcity2 v1.0 · published 2026-08-18 · checked against current Hotfix 1.0.2 notes on 2026-09-16 · compatibility unconfirmed
- releaseRoseTheFlower GitHub release ↗
Release instructions, supported scenes, FMV limitation, tested resolutions, and removal step.
- playerSteam player report ↗
A current discussion reports the ultrawide/FOV problem and points to both current fixes.
- playerReddit widescreen report ↗
Independent player request and solved thread describing 16:9 cutscene bars on ultrawide displays.
- playerPost-Hotfix 1.0.1 GitHub report ↗
A user reported remaining bars after the game hotfix; the fix author identified the scene as pre-recorded video, and the reporter accepted that explanation. This corroborates the documented FMV limit, not full compatibility across every scene or resolution.
- officialSteam Hotfix 1.0.2 announcement ↗
Official patch context checked 2026-09-16: the notes add an outdated-driver warning, improve PSO-related hitches, and fix a rare navigation-mesh crash. They do not announce an ultrawide or cutscene-bars change.