Steam is a very famous gaming platform that is like a doorway to limitless games and fun and is used by millions of people. It is a type of videogame digital distribution service that was launched in September 2003. It does not matter which type of game you are into. Steam consists of all genres.
Moreover, it has all the features that are required to connect with friends and members online. Steam is built for computer games. Steam offers different features. For example, anti-cheat measures, socializing and game streaming, etc. Steam is the largest distribution platform for PC gaming. Steam users tend to enjoy it a lot but there have been some complaints regarding it.
Some users are unable to launch any game because the server crashes or the game does not start at all. It can be a little hard for you to find out the reason behind this issue, but you don’t have to worry about this because some solutions will help you fix this steam game launching issue. In order to fix the issue, first, you need to know the reasons behind the issue, so the following are some reasons behind this issue.
Causes of Steam Game Launch Issue
There are many reasons why steam games, not launching issues might occur. One of the most obvious reasons is when the game is installed incorrectly. Due to this, the files get corrupted and steam begins to create an issue with launching that game. Compatibility can also be one of the reasons due to why this issue occurs.
Some very similar Steam game not launching issues are as follows:
- Steam games not launching on Windows 7
- Steam games not launching windows 10
- Steam games won’t launch
- The steam game won’t launch after clicking on the Play button
- Steam not launching
- non-steam game not launching
- Steam games won’t launch on Windows 7
Methods to fix the issue
Following are the methods that can be used to fix the Steam Game not launch issue.
Method 1: by restarting your computer
The most preferable and the first step in order to fix the Steam game not launch issue is to simply reboot your computer. The steam game, not launch issue may have occurred on your system due to a temporary error so it can easily be solved by just restarting your PC. Another reason for this issue can be that sometimes a driver is not completed loaded when Windows are booted the first time so it may need a restart. You have to follow the steps given below to restart your system:
- To access the Start menu, go to the Windows icon on the Taskbar.
- Go to the Power button and select Restart.
After restarting your system, launch the Steam client to check if the issue is gone or not. If Steam still fails to work then you can check the other methods given in the article below.
Method 2: by running Steam Games in Windows 7 Compatibility Mode
A very easy and used method to solve the steam game not launch issue is to run Steam games with the Windows 7 compatibility mode. This mode helps the games to function properly without any crashes. Following are the steps through which you can put Steam games to Windows 7 compatibility mode.
- Close the Steam client completely.
- Go to the Steam games installation directory from the following path
C:> Program Files(x86) >Steam > SteamApps > Common > GameFolder
- After reaching the game folder, locate the game.
- Right-click on it.
- Go to properties and then the compatibility tab.
- Below this tab, you will find the option of “run this game in compatibility mode”.
- Choose Windows 7 from the drop-down menu.
- Save changes.
- Now try running the desired game again.
Method 3: by deleting ClientRegistry.blob File
If you notice that after launching your game it gets stuck at the Launching game dialogue box then it can be because of ClientRegistry.blob file. If this file gets corrupted, it stops the game from launching. ClientRegistry.blob file consists of important data related to the game as well as the client. In order to fix it, you have to delete this corrupted file. So in this way, a fresh file will be generated and the Steam game not launching issue will be fixed.
- Take your cursor to the bottom.
- Right-click on the Taskbar and go on Task Manager.
- In this search for “Steam Client Bootstrapper Process”.
- After finding it, right-click on it and choose End task.
- Now go to the below path
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
- Once you are there, locate the “ClientRegistry.blob” and delete it.
- After doing so, restart your system.
- Now again go to the installation directory as stated in step 5.
- Click on “Steamerrorreporter.exe”, and your issue will be fixed.
Method 4: by deleting the AppCache Folder
AppCache folder consists of all the Seam cache files. If the Steam game not launching issue is still not fixed, then you have to delete the AppCatch folder. Doing this can help because in some cases the Steam cache files get corrupted. By following the steps given below you can easily delete corrupted files and solve the Steam game launch issue.
- Turn off the Steam client completely.
- Now go to the Steam games installation directory by the following path
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam
- Now find the “app cache” folder and delete it.
- Now try to run the steam client and hopefully your issue will be gone.
Method 5: by relocating the Steam client
If the Steam game launch issue is still not solved even after trying the 3 methods given above then there is another way to solve this issue. In this method, you have to change the location of the Steam installation folder in order to fix the issue.
- Go to the settings while the Steam client is still running.
- Click on Downloads> Steam Library Folders > Add Library Folder
- Browse the new location, it is better if the chosen location is in a different drive.
- Once you have done it, save the changes and close the Steam client.
- Go to the path given below
C:\Program Files\Steam
- Delete every folder except SteamApps and UserData.
- After doing this, restart the system.
- Now launch the game and your issue will be gone.
Method 6: by running the game in Administrator mode
There are some games that require administrative privilege in order to work properly. So if the Steam game won’t launch then you can try running the game in an administrative mode in order to diverge any restrictions that were preventing the game from launching. The steps given below will help you to run the game in administrative mode.
- On the Steam, look for the Steam Library folders.
- Right-click tick on the game which is causing the issue with the browse local files.
- Go to properties and click on Local Files.
- Click on the browse button to get access to the Steam installation folder.
- Track the games’ .EXE file which is commonly present in the “C Program Files x86” and right-clicks on it.
- Go to its Properties and then the compatibility tab.
- Allow/enable “Run this program as an Administrator” and then click on OK to save the changes.
Now open the Steam shortcut in the Steam game folder which is located in “C Program Files x86”. Try launching the game again to look if the Steam games not launching issue is fixed or not. If it is still not fixed you can continue to the next step.
Method 7: by updating your windows
There are some cases in which the Steam game launch issue occurs because the newest update of windows is not installed. The way to fix this issue is easy as you just have to install all the available windows updates. You can update your windows by the following easy steps.
Go to Windows settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and click on check on updates in the right lane. Then by following the instructions that are given on the screen you can easily install the available update.
Method 8: by updating the graphics card driver
Another major reason for the Steam games not launching issue is that the graphic card which is installed on your PC is probably outdated. Whenever you are playing games on Steam you need to make sure that you have the correct drives for your graphic card so that it gives you maximum performance. To fix the Steam game not launching issue in this case you just have to update your graphics card device. In order to fix this you have to follow the steps given below:
- On your keyboard press the Windows key + X to get access to the Quick Menu.
- Go to Device Manager and select Display Adapters.
- After right-clicking on your graphics card driver select update driver.
Now follow the instructions given on the screen to install the latest drivers for your PC.
After doing all of this, go back to the Steam and try launching another game to see if the problem is still there or not.
Method 9: by verifying the integrity of game files
The Steam game launch issue occurs due to damaged game files. If this is your case you can simply solve this issue by verifying the integrity of the game files on Steam. Following are the steps by which you can do that very easily:
- Navigate to the Steam Library.
- Right-click on the problematic game and select “properties”.
- Click on “verify the integrity of game files” from the local files tab and wait for the validation to complete.
By the above-mentioned method, you can easily solve the Steam game not launch issue.
Method 10: by restarting the Steam Client
Sometimes when all the methods are not working then the issue might just be with the Steam Client. You can try another method i.e. restarting the Steam client to make sure that all the resources and Steam’s extracted game files are loaded correctly. You can restart the Steam client by the following steps:
- On your keyboard press the Windows key + X and select Task Manager.
- Click on the processes tab.
- Look for the Steam client from the list.
- Click on Steam client.
- Click on the End Task button to stop the steam client from running.
Now return to your desktop, run Steam, and re-login to your account. Now check if your game is launching on your computer without the error or not.
Method 11: by deleting the GameOverlayRenderer64.dll file
In some cases when no method is working you may be able to force a game to start or prevent crashes by deleting the game’s “GameOverlayRenderer64.dll” file. As this method is a bit experimental so in order to test it, you can move the “GameOverlayRenderer64.dll” file to a new location. Moreover, you can try and rename the file as it will help you in testing the fix even without deleting the GameOverlayRenderer64. If doing so does help you then you can delete the troublesome GameOverlayRenderer64.dll file.
Method 12: by disabling third-party apps and services
Third-party apps and services always interfere with Steam. Sometimes when you have a big amount of background apps or services then it becomes a time-taking task to look for the main criminal. To make this step easy you should focus on and check the following third-party apps as they mostly interfere with the Steam.
- Antivirus Software: Sometimes antivirus software can interfere with your disk and network operations which can cause issues with your Steam. Furthermore, some of the games use copy-protection technology which can cause the antivirus scanners to incorrectly flag that game as malware. If the case is that your antivirus program is causing hindrance to Steam, then you have to edit your antivirus configuration so that it includes exceptions for Steam. Alternatively, you can disable your antivirus software before playing each game.
- Virtual Private Network (VPN): Some of the VPN software can block the Steam client application from having access to the steam server. Moreover, it may stop the games from having access to the Web which creates issues for the games that require internet connectivity. So even if you’re using VPN, you should make sure that your VPN allows Steam and Steam-related activities.
- Firewall: A few firewall configurations can stop the Steam client from communicating with the Steam servers. If you feel that your firewall is affecting your Steam experience and is causing the issue then you have to change your firewall configuration and add the required exceptions for steam.
- Peer-to-Peer, file sharing, FTP, and web server apps: If your peer-to-peer (P2P), file sharing, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), and the webserver is not properly configured then these applications can consume a large amount of bandwidth. This stops Steam from accessing the resources that are required to run your games. Even if these server apps are causing the issue occasionally with Steam, pausing them or disabling them while you’re using Steam will give a better result and will have higher performance.
- IP filtering programs: The IP filtering programs are designed in such a way that they limit the signals that are received and sent through the network. This is one of the reasons why the Steam game does not launch issue can occur.
Method 13: by reinstalling the game
This method is surely going to stop your game not launching issue. Follow the steps given below in order to fix the issue.
- Navigate to the Library.
- Right-click on the game which is causing the issue.
- Go to properties.
- Click on the Local Files Tab.
- Select Uninstall game.
- After doing so, go to the Steam store and search for the Steam game.
- Download and install the game again.
Method 14: by reinstalling Steam
The last method which will surely help you is reinstalling steam. Removing the old version of Steam and installing a new one will help you to delete all the potentially corrupted Steam folders which were causing hindrance in the gameplay. The following steps will help you to reinstall Steam.
- By pressing the “Windows” and “R” keys, bring up the run line command.
- On this command, open the “uninstall or change a program” window.
- Type in “appwiz. cpl” and press “enter”.
- Look for the Steam client in the “uninstall or change a program” in the program list.
- Click “uninstall” and then again to confirm.
- Download the latest Steam after successfully uninstalling the previous one.
- Double-click on the executable file of the Steam once the download is done. Then follow the installation wizard.
- Now sign in to your steam account.
- Download and install the game which was having the problem before to confirm if the problem is fixed.
