diff --git a/docs/release-notes.md b/docs/release-notes.md
index da3db590..b5a0adaf 100644
--- a/docs/release-notes.md
+++ b/docs/release-notes.md
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
   * Optimized performance and memory usage (thanks to atravita!).
   * Other internal optimizations.
   * Added more file extensions to ignore when searching for mod folders: `.7z`, `.tar`, `.tar.gz`, and `.xcf` (thanks to atravita!).
+  * Removed `UseRawImageLoading` option. This is now always enabled, except when PyTK is installed.
   * Fixed update alerts incorrectly shown for prerelease versions on GitHub that aren't marked as prerelease.
 
 * For mod authors:
diff --git a/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentCoordinator.cs b/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentCoordinator.cs
index 9e044b44..cf26307f 100644
--- a/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentCoordinator.cs
+++ b/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentCoordinator.cs
@@ -34,9 +34,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework
         /// <summary>An asset key prefix for assets from SMAPI mod folders.</summary>
         private readonly string ManagedPrefix = "SMAPI";
 
-        /// <summary>Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</summary>
-        private readonly bool UseRawImageLoading;
-
         /// <summary>Get a file lookup for the given directory.</summary>
         private readonly Func<string, IFileLookup> GetFileLookup;
 
@@ -139,8 +136,7 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework
         /// <param name="getFileLookup">Get a file lookup for the given directory.</param>
         /// <param name="onAssetsInvalidated">A callback to invoke when any asset names have been invalidated from the cache.</param>
         /// <param name="requestAssetOperations">Get the load/edit operations to apply to an asset by querying registered <see cref="IContentEvents.AssetRequested"/> event handlers.</param>
-        /// <param name="useRawImageLoading">Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</param>
-        public ContentCoordinator(IServiceProvider serviceProvider, string rootDirectory, CultureInfo currentCulture, IMonitor monitor, Reflector reflection, JsonHelper jsonHelper, Action onLoadingFirstAsset, Action<BaseContentManager, IAssetName> onAssetLoaded, Func<string, IFileLookup> getFileLookup, Action<IList<IAssetName>> onAssetsInvalidated, Func<IAssetInfo, AssetOperationGroup?> requestAssetOperations, bool useRawImageLoading)
+        public ContentCoordinator(IServiceProvider serviceProvider, string rootDirectory, CultureInfo currentCulture, IMonitor monitor, Reflector reflection, JsonHelper jsonHelper, Action onLoadingFirstAsset, Action<BaseContentManager, IAssetName> onAssetLoaded, Func<string, IFileLookup> getFileLookup, Action<IList<IAssetName>> onAssetsInvalidated, Func<IAssetInfo, AssetOperationGroup?> requestAssetOperations)
         {
             this.GetFileLookup = getFileLookup;
             this.Monitor = monitor ?? throw new ArgumentNullException(nameof(monitor));
@@ -151,7 +147,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework
             this.OnAssetsInvalidated = onAssetsInvalidated;
             this.RequestAssetOperations = requestAssetOperations;
             this.FullRootDirectory = Path.Combine(Constants.GamePath, rootDirectory);
-            this.UseRawImageLoading = useRawImageLoading;
             this.ContentManagers.Add(
                 this.MainContentManager = new GameContentManager(
                     name: "Game1.content",
@@ -230,8 +225,7 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework
                     reflection: this.Reflection,
                     jsonHelper: this.JsonHelper,
                     onDisposing: this.OnDisposing,
-                    fileLookup: this.GetFileLookup(rootDirectory),
-                    useRawImageLoading: this.UseRawImageLoading
+                    fileLookup: this.GetFileLookup(rootDirectory)
                 );
                 this.ContentManagers.Add(manager);
                 return manager;
diff --git a/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentManagers/ModContentManager.cs b/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentManagers/ModContentManager.cs
index ddb6f6f5..badbd766 100644
--- a/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentManagers/ModContentManager.cs
+++ b/src/SMAPI/Framework/ContentManagers/ModContentManager.cs
@@ -30,9 +30,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.ContentManagers
         /*********
         ** Fields
         *********/
-        /// <summary>Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</summary>
-        private readonly bool UseRawImageLoading;
-
         /// <summary>Encapsulates SMAPI's JSON file parsing.</summary>
         private readonly JsonHelper JsonHelper;
 
@@ -74,15 +71,13 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.ContentManagers
         /// <param name="jsonHelper">Encapsulates SMAPI's JSON file parsing.</param>
         /// <param name="onDisposing">A callback to invoke when the content manager is being disposed.</param>
         /// <param name="fileLookup">A lookup for files within the <paramref name="rootDirectory"/>.</param>
-        /// <param name="useRawImageLoading">Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</param>
-        public ModContentManager(string name, IContentManager gameContentManager, IServiceProvider serviceProvider, string modName, string rootDirectory, CultureInfo currentCulture, ContentCoordinator coordinator, IMonitor monitor, Reflector reflection, JsonHelper jsonHelper, Action<BaseContentManager> onDisposing, IFileLookup fileLookup, bool useRawImageLoading)
+        public ModContentManager(string name, IContentManager gameContentManager, IServiceProvider serviceProvider, string modName, string rootDirectory, CultureInfo currentCulture, ContentCoordinator coordinator, IMonitor monitor, Reflector reflection, JsonHelper jsonHelper, Action<BaseContentManager> onDisposing, IFileLookup fileLookup)
             : base(name, serviceProvider, rootDirectory, currentCulture, coordinator, monitor, reflection, onDisposing, isNamespaced: true)
         {
             this.GameContentManager = gameContentManager;
             this.FileLookup = fileLookup;
             this.JsonHelper = jsonHelper;
             this.ModName = modName;
-            this.UseRawImageLoading = useRawImageLoading;
 
             this.TryLocalizeKeys = false;
         }
@@ -205,36 +200,27 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.ContentManagers
         {
             this.AssertValidType<T>(assetName, file, typeof(Texture2D), typeof(IRawTextureData));
             bool returnRawData = typeof(T).IsAssignableTo(typeof(IRawTextureData));
-            bool loadRawData =
-                returnRawData
-                || (
-                    this.UseRawImageLoading
+
 #if SMAPI_DEPRECATED
-                    && !this.ShouldDisableIntermediateRawDataLoad<T>(assetName, file)
-#endif
-                );
-
-            // load
-            if (loadRawData)
-            {
-                IRawTextureData raw = this.LoadRawImageData(file, returnRawData);
-
-                if (returnRawData)
-                    return (T)raw;
-                else
-                {
-                    Texture2D texture = new Texture2D(Game1.graphics.GraphicsDevice, raw.Width, raw.Height).SetName(assetName);
-                    texture.SetData(raw.Data);
-                    return (T)(object)texture;
-                }
-            }
-            else
+            if (!returnRawData && this.ShouldDisableIntermediateRawDataLoad<T>(assetName, file))
             {
                 using FileStream stream = File.OpenRead(file.FullName);
                 Texture2D texture = Texture2D.FromStream(Game1.graphics.GraphicsDevice, stream).SetName(assetName);
                 this.PremultiplyTransparency(texture);
                 return (T)(object)texture;
             }
+#endif
+
+            IRawTextureData raw = this.LoadRawImageData(file, returnRawData);
+
+            if (returnRawData)
+                return (T)raw;
+            else
+            {
+                Texture2D texture = new Texture2D(Game1.graphics.GraphicsDevice, raw.Width, raw.Height).SetName(assetName);
+                texture.SetData(raw.Data);
+                return (T)(object)texture;
+            }
         }
 
 #if SMAPI_DEPRECATED
diff --git a/src/SMAPI/Framework/Models/SConfig.cs b/src/SMAPI/Framework/Models/SConfig.cs
index b3061fba..bceb0940 100644
--- a/src/SMAPI/Framework/Models/SConfig.cs
+++ b/src/SMAPI/Framework/Models/SConfig.cs
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.Models
             [nameof(WebApiBaseUrl)] = "https://smapi.io/api/",
             [nameof(LogNetworkTraffic)] = false,
             [nameof(RewriteMods)] = true,
-            [nameof(UseRawImageLoading)] = true,
             [nameof(UseCaseInsensitivePaths)] = Constants.Platform is Platform.Android or Platform.Linux,
             [nameof(SuppressHarmonyDebugMode)] = true
         };
@@ -68,9 +67,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.Models
         /// <summary>Whether SMAPI should rewrite mods for compatibility.</summary>
         public bool RewriteMods { get; set; }
 
-        /// <summary>Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</summary>
-        public bool UseRawImageLoading { get; set; }
-
         /// <summary>Whether to make SMAPI file APIs case-insensitive, even on Linux.</summary>
         public bool UseCaseInsensitivePaths { get; set; }
 
@@ -99,13 +95,12 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.Models
         /// <param name="webApiBaseUrl">The base URL for SMAPI's web API, used to perform update checks.</param>
         /// <param name="verboseLogging">The log contexts for which to enable verbose logging, which may show a lot more information to simplify troubleshooting.</param>
         /// <param name="rewriteMods">Whether SMAPI should rewrite mods for compatibility.</param>
-        /// <param name="useRawImageLoading">Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D instance through the GPU.</param>
         /// <param name="useCaseInsensitivePaths">>Whether to make SMAPI file APIs case-insensitive, even on Linux.</param>
         /// <param name="logNetworkTraffic">Whether SMAPI should log network traffic.</param>
         /// <param name="consoleColors">The colors to use for text written to the SMAPI console.</param>
         /// <param name="suppressHarmonyDebugMode">Whether to prevent mods from enabling Harmony's debug mode, which impacts performance and creates a file on your desktop. Debug mode should never be enabled by a released mod.</param>
         /// <param name="suppressUpdateChecks">The mod IDs SMAPI should ignore when performing update checks or validating update keys.</param>
-        public SConfig(bool developerMode, bool? checkForUpdates, bool? paranoidWarnings, bool? useBetaChannel, string gitHubProjectName, string webApiBaseUrl, string[]? verboseLogging, bool? rewriteMods, bool? useRawImageLoading, bool? useCaseInsensitivePaths, bool? logNetworkTraffic, ColorSchemeConfig consoleColors, bool? suppressHarmonyDebugMode, string[]? suppressUpdateChecks)
+        public SConfig(bool developerMode, bool? checkForUpdates, bool? paranoidWarnings, bool? useBetaChannel, string gitHubProjectName, string webApiBaseUrl, string[]? verboseLogging, bool? rewriteMods, bool? useCaseInsensitivePaths, bool? logNetworkTraffic, ColorSchemeConfig consoleColors, bool? suppressHarmonyDebugMode, string[]? suppressUpdateChecks)
         {
             this.DeveloperMode = developerMode;
             this.CheckForUpdates = checkForUpdates ?? (bool)SConfig.DefaultValues[nameof(this.CheckForUpdates)];
@@ -115,7 +110,6 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework.Models
             this.WebApiBaseUrl = webApiBaseUrl;
             this.VerboseLogging = new HashSet<string>(verboseLogging ?? Array.Empty<string>(), StringComparer.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
             this.RewriteMods = rewriteMods ?? (bool)SConfig.DefaultValues[nameof(this.RewriteMods)];
-            this.UseRawImageLoading = useRawImageLoading ?? (bool)SConfig.DefaultValues[nameof(this.UseRawImageLoading)];
             this.UseCaseInsensitivePaths = useCaseInsensitivePaths ?? (bool)SConfig.DefaultValues[nameof(this.UseCaseInsensitivePaths)];
             this.LogNetworkTraffic = logNetworkTraffic ?? (bool)SConfig.DefaultValues[nameof(this.LogNetworkTraffic)];
             this.ConsoleColors = consoleColors;
diff --git a/src/SMAPI/Framework/SCore.cs b/src/SMAPI/Framework/SCore.cs
index 4d6deb15..40979b09 100644
--- a/src/SMAPI/Framework/SCore.cs
+++ b/src/SMAPI/Framework/SCore.cs
@@ -1333,8 +1333,7 @@ namespace StardewModdingAPI.Framework
                     onAssetLoaded: this.OnAssetLoaded,
                     onAssetsInvalidated: this.OnAssetsInvalidated,
                     getFileLookup: this.GetFileLookup,
-                    requestAssetOperations: this.RequestAssetOperations,
-                    useRawImageLoading: this.Settings.UseRawImageLoading
+                    requestAssetOperations: this.RequestAssetOperations
                 );
                 if (this.ContentCore.Language != this.Translator.LocaleEnum)
                     this.Translator.SetLocale(this.ContentCore.GetLocale(), this.ContentCore.Language);
diff --git a/src/SMAPI/SMAPI.config.json b/src/SMAPI/SMAPI.config.json
index 2d4239ba..635e3add 100644
--- a/src/SMAPI/SMAPI.config.json
+++ b/src/SMAPI/SMAPI.config.json
@@ -54,12 +54,6 @@ copy all the settings, or you may cause bugs due to overridden changes in future
      */
     "UseCaseInsensitivePaths": null,
 
-    /**
-     * Whether to use raw image data when possible, instead of initializing an XNA Texture2D
-     * instance through the GPU.
-     */
-    "UseRawImageLoading": true,
-
     /**
      * Whether to add a section to the 'mod issues' list for mods which directly use potentially
      * sensitive .NET APIs like file or shell access. Note that many mods do this legitimately as