diff --git a/engine/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml b/engine/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
index 07a246fcc..f93e390b4 100644
--- a/engine/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
+++ b/engine/android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml
@@ -22,6 +22,15 @@
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.VIBRATE" />
     <!-- CRxTRDude - Allows the use of a wake lock -->
     <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WAKE_LOCK" />
+    <!--
+        Frontend launch (see GameActivity): a pak that lives outside this app's
+        own storage can only be read with a shared storage permission. Android 11
+        and later grant it from the "All files access" settings page; older
+        versions use the classic storage permission.
+    -->
+    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
+    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"
+                     android:maxSdkVersion="32" />
 
     <application    android:label="@string/app_name"
                     android:icon="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
diff --git a/engine/android/app/src/main/java/org/openbor/engine/GameActivity.java b/engine/android/app/src/main/java/org/openbor/engine/GameActivity.java
index d2c31fb37..9ce0ad98a 100644
--- a/engine/android/app/src/main/java/org/openbor/engine/GameActivity.java
+++ b/engine/android/app/src/main/java/org/openbor/engine/GameActivity.java
@@ -38,6 +38,13 @@
 import android.content.BroadcastReceiver;
 import android.content.Intent;
 import android.content.IntentFilter;
+import android.Manifest;
+import android.app.AppOpsManager;
+import android.content.pm.PackageManager;
+import android.net.Uri;
+import android.provider.Settings;
+import android.widget.Toast;
+import java.io.File;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
 /**
@@ -51,6 +58,168 @@ public class GameActivity extends SDLActivity {
   protected static WakeLock wakeLock;
   protected static View decorView;
 
+  // ------------------------------------------------------------------------ //
+  // Frontend launch.
+  //
+  // A frontend (Daijishō, Pegasus, ES-DE, a launcher script...) can start this
+  // activity directly and name the pak to run, so the player lands in the game
+  // instead of the pak selection menu:
+  //
+  //   am start -n org.openbor.engine/.GameActivity \
+  //            -e pak /storage/emulated/0/Games/openbor/Game.pak
+  //
+  // The path travels to the native main() as its single command line
+  // argument, the same way every desktop port takes a pak on the command
+  // line. Without the extra, or when the file cannot be read, nothing changes:
+  // the engine shows its menu as before.
+  //
+  // A pak outside this app's own storage needs a shared storage permission.
+  // When it is missing, the user gets the permission dialog (Android 10 and
+  // older) or the "All files access" settings page (Android 11 and later)
+  // and can retry from the frontend afterwards.
+  // ------------------------------------------------------------------------ //
+
+  /** Intent string extra that carries the absolute path of the pak to launch. */
+  public static final String EXTRA_PAK_PATH = "pak";
+
+  /** Pak path taken from the launching intent, or null for the menu flow. */
+  private String frontendPakPath = null;
+
+  /**
+   * Hands the pak named by the launching intent to the native main() as
+   * argv[1]. SDL calls this on its own thread after onCreate() has run.
+   */
+  @Override
+  protected String[] getArguments()
+  {
+    if (frontendPakPath == null)
+    {
+      return super.getArguments();
+    }
+
+    return new String[] { frontendPakPath };
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Reads EXTRA_PAK_PATH from the launching intent and checks that the engine
+   * will be able to open the file.
+   *
+   * @return the pak path to run, or null to fall back to the menu.
+   */
+  private String resolveFrontendPak()
+  {
+    Intent intent = getIntent();
+
+    if (intent == null)
+    {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    String path = intent.getStringExtra(EXTRA_PAK_PATH);
+
+    if (path == null || path.isEmpty())
+    {
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    File pak = new File(path);
+
+    if (pak.canRead())
+    {
+      Log.i("OpenBOR", "Launching pak from intent: " + path);
+      return path;
+    }
+
+    // Without a shared storage permission the system hides the file, so
+    // exists() cannot tell a missing pak from a blocked one. Ask for the
+    // permission first; the frontend can launch again once it is granted.
+    if (!hasSharedStoragePermission())
+    {
+      Log.w("OpenBOR", "Pak from intent needs shared storage permission: " + path);
+      Toast.makeText(this, "OpenBOR needs storage access to open paks from other apps. Grant it, then launch again.", Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
+      requestSharedStoragePermission();
+      return null;
+    }
+
+    Log.w("OpenBOR", "Pak from intent not found or unreadable: " + path);
+    Toast.makeText(this, "Pak not found: " + path, Toast.LENGTH_LONG).show();
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  /** Request code for the classic storage permission dialog (Android 10 and older). */
+  private static final int REQUEST_SHARED_STORAGE = 0x504B; // "PK"
+
+  /**
+   * App op behind the "All files access" switch (AppOpsManager.OPSTR_MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE,
+   * which the SDK does not expose).
+   */
+  private static final String OP_MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE = "android:manage_external_storage";
+
+  /**
+   * @return true when this app may read files outside its own storage:
+   *         "All files access" on Android 11 and later, the classic storage
+   *         permission before that.
+   */
+  private boolean hasSharedStoragePermission()
+  {
+    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.M)
+    {
+      // Install-time permission model: granted with the manifest entry.
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.R)
+    {
+      return checkSelfPermission(Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
+    }
+
+    // Same rule the platform applies for Environment.isExternalStorageManager():
+    // the op is on, or it is untouched and the permission itself was granted.
+    // Evaluated here because some vendor builds return true from that method
+    // while the settings switch is still off and every read fails.
+    AppOpsManager ops = getSystemService(AppOpsManager.class);
+    int mode = ops.unsafeCheckOpNoThrow(OP_MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE, getApplicationInfo().uid, getPackageName());
+
+    if (mode == AppOpsManager.MODE_ALLOWED)
+    {
+      return true;
+    }
+
+    return mode == AppOpsManager.MODE_DEFAULT
+        && checkSelfPermission(Manifest.permission.MANAGE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE) == PackageManager.PERMISSION_GRANTED;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Asks for the shared storage permission. Android 11 and later only grant
+   * "All files access" from a system settings page, so that page is opened
+   * for this app; older versions show the normal permission dialog.
+   */
+  private void requestSharedStoragePermission()
+  {
+    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.M)
+    {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT < Build.VERSION_CODES.R)
+    {
+      requestPermissions(new String[] { Manifest.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE }, REQUEST_SHARED_STORAGE);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    Intent settings = new Intent(Settings.ACTION_MANAGE_APP_ALL_FILES_ACCESS_PERMISSION, Uri.parse("package:" + getPackageName()));
+
+    try
+    {
+      startActivity(settings);
+    }
+    catch (android.content.ActivityNotFoundException e)
+    {
+      Log.w("OpenBOR", "No settings page for All files access: " + e.getMessage());
+    }
+  }
+  // ------------------------------------------------------------------------ //
+
 //needed to fix sdk 34+ crashing
 @Override
 public Intent registerReceiver(@Nullable BroadcastReceiver receiver, IntentFilter filter) {
@@ -119,6 +288,9 @@ protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
     // call parent's implementation
     super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
     Log.v("OpenBOR", "onCreate called");
+
+    // Frontend launch: pick up the pak named in the intent, if any.
+    frontendPakPath = resolveFrontendPak();
     //msmalik681 copy pak for custom apk and notify is paks folder empty
    // CopyPak();