Following the GameSpy server shutdown in 2014. F.E.A.R.: Perseus Mandate can no longer be played online natively. A replacement master server was available at joinfear.tk but has since also shut down. OpenSpy[openspy.net] is an open source GameSpy emulator that as of 2021 fully supports the multiplayer functionality of this game, and many others.

Download the following file[drive.google.com], extract the files in the archive and copy them over to your Perseus Mandate directory (the FEARXP2 folder in your FEAR directory if you own the game on Steam). To navigate to this folder with the Steam version, select FEAR in your library, right click on it and hit properties, then select browse under the local files tab. It is recommended to back up the original files by renaming them first.

You can also manually patch the "FEARXP2.exe" and "EngineServer.dll" files using a hex editor such as HxD[mh-nexus.de].

Simply replace all instances of "gamespy.com" with "openspy.net". Make sure the data type is set to text-string or ASCII.

Another possible method is to edit your hosts file. This is not recommended as the OpenSpy IPs may change which would require you to redo the edit with the new addresses. The hosts file can be found in C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts on Windows.

Paste the following into the file:


If the IPs change, you can use nslookup in command prompt on the domains (substituting gamespy.com with openspy.net) to find the new IPs, e.g.

Digital distribution versions do not come with cd-keys for the game needed to play online. Fortunately, OpenSpy does not verify the validity of cd-keys so you only need a 20 character string different from other players.

I recommend using this site[www.random.org]
Generate a string as shown consisting of numbers and uppercase letters.


Now create a blank text file called "Key.ini". Write "[FEARXP2]" for the first line, and put the key you generated in the second line in 5 sets of 4 separated by hyphens (-) following "CDKey=". You can use notepad on Windows to do this.

e.g.

Now save this file in the configuration directory located at "C:\Users\Public\Public Documents\TimeGate Studios\FEARXP2".

Now simply host and join games as normal. Both dedicated and listen servers will work. No port-forwarding is required as the natneg service is fully supported by Perseus Mandate and OpenSpy.

You can also view a retail server list here - https://beta.openspy.net/en/server-list/fearxp2

I get "Invalid Game Assets" upon trying to join a server

You will need to remove or disable your autoexec.cfg file when you are playing on listen servers. Anything in there can instead be put in your settings.cfg file in the configuration folder. Ensure it's set to read-only.

I get "Required content cannot be downloaded. (FEARL_XP.Arch000)" upon trying to join a server

The digital distribution versions of the game have a different version of this file from the retail version which breaks multiplayer compatibility. You will need to use the same version as used on the server you're joining.

Download the English retail[drive.google.com] or Steam[drive.google.com] versions of the file and place them in your Perseus Mandate install directory as needed.