Steam Game Won’t Launch? 13 Fixes to Start Gaming Again

From force quitting to reinstalling it

Steam boasts an incredibly diverse library of 50,000+ video games, but it offers no guarantee that you’ll be able to run every one of them without issues. Factors such as varying hardware configurations, incompatibilities between operating systems, and conflicting software can prevent games from working correctly on your PC or Mac.

However, if one of your Steam games won’t launch, working your way through the list of solutions below may just be what you need to get it up and running.

Whether it’s a video game you just installed or a title you had no trouble playing previously, we recommend you go through the following solutions in the order that they appear.

1. Force-Quit Steam Game and Try Again

Occasionally, a Steam game can hang at launch for no apparent reason. When that happens, completely force-quitting it from memory before attempting another shot at relaunching might help.

  1. Right-click the taskbar and selectTask Manager.

  2. SelectMore details.

  3. Pick the game-related process under theProcessestab and selectEnd task.

  4. Search for and open theActivity Monitorvia Spotlight Search (pressCommand+Space).

  5. Select the game-related process within theCPUtab.

  6. Select theStopbutton at the top of the window.

2. Restart Your Computer

If force-quitting still results in the game getting stuck, you should continue by restarting your PC or Mac. In most cases, that should take care of any glitches within Steam or the operating system preventing the Steam game from launching.

3. Apply Pending Updates

Newer updates to the Steam client include numerous bug fixes that help fix known issues with specific video game titles. To update Steam, open theSteammenu and selectCheck for Steam Client Updates.

Additionally, you must ensure that Steam updates the malfunctioning video game immediately whenever the developer releases any patches. To do that, open theSteam Library, right-click or control-click the video game, and selectProperties. Then, switch to theUpdatesside-tab and selectAlways keep this game updated.

4. Check Video Game Requirements

A Steam game may not start at all if your computer fails to meet the minimum system requirements (such as a processing speed threshold, available physical memory, or a compatible video card) needed to run it.

You can find that information within theSystem Requirementssection at the bottom of any game’s Steam store page.

5. Run Game as Administrator (PC Only)

Running a Steam video game with elevated privileges is another fix that can help get a video game to launch correctly.

To do that, open File Explorer and head over toLocal Disk (C:)>Program Files (x86)>Steam>SteamApps>common. Follow by opening the folder related to the game. Then, locate its main executable file, right-click it, and selectRun as administrator.

In case that helps, you might want to set the game to run as an administrator automatically. You can do that by right-clicking the game’s executable file, selectingProperties, and checking the box next toRun this program as an administrator.

Once you do that, the game should always run as an administrator, including when you launch it directly via the Steam client.

6. Run Game in Compatibility Mode (PC Only)

If you’re playing a relatively old video game on a PC running Windows 10, you can try running it in Compatibility Mode.

To do that, right-click the video game’s executable file and selectProperties. Then, under theCompatibilitytab, check the box next toRun this program in compatibility modeand chooseWindows 8.

If that doesn’t make a difference, select theRun compatibility troubleshooteroption within the same screen. That should help you figure out what version of the operating system you must choose for the game to work on your computer.

7. Update Windows/macOS

A Steam game may also fail to launch due to issues with Windows or macOS. The best way to fix that is to apply any pending operating system updates.

Open theStartmenu and go toSettings>Update & Security>Windows Update. Then, selectCheck for updates. Suppose you see any updates, selectDownload and installto apply them.

Also, selectView optional updatesto apply pending hardware driver updates—e.g., video card.

Open theApplemenu and go toSystem Preferences>Software Update. If you see any pending updates, selectUpdate Now.

8. Update/Roll Back Drivers (PC Only)

Your PC should automatically install new graphics drivers as long as you keep the operating system up-to-date. But it’s always a good idea to check the video card manufacturer’s website—NVIDIA,AMD, orIntel—since that’s where you’ll often find the latest driver releases as soon as they become available.

However, if the issue started after installing a fresh set of drivers, you might want toroll them back. To do that, right-click theStartbutton and selectDevice Manager. Then, expandDisplay adaptersand choose thePropertiesoption. Finally, switch to theDrivertab and selectRoll Back Driver.

9. Verify Steam Game Integrity

You can rule out file corruption when a Steam game won’t launch by verifying the integrity of a malfunctioning video game installation. The Steam client provides built-in means to help with that.

Start by bringing up the Steam Library. Then, right-click or control-click the video game and selectProperties. Follow that by switching to theLocal Filesside tab. Finally, selectVerify integrity of game files.

10. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software

Do you use third-party antivirus software on your Windows 10 computer? If so, try disabling it temporarily. Then, attempt to relaunch the problematic Steam game. If that helps with launching your Steam game, re-activate the antivirus utility but add the game to its list of exempted programs.

11. Play in Offline Mode

Try playing the video game in Steam’s Offline mode. That should help it overcome any issues stemming from connectivity to Steam’s servers.

To do that, open theSteammenu and selectGo Offline. Then, follow by launching the game from your Steam Library.

If you want to switch Steam back to Online mode later, open theSteammenu again and selectGo Online.

12. Migrate to a Different Location

Shifting the game to a different location on your computer is another fix that can help. Just bring up your Steam Library, right-click or control-click the video game, and selectProperties. Then, switch to theLocal Filesside tab and chooseMove install folder.

13. Reinstall the Video Game

If none of the fixes above worked, you might be dealing with a corrupted video game installation that nothing but a new download can fix.

Begin by bringing up your Steam Library. Then, right-click or control-click the video game and selectUninstall. Follow that by restarting your PC. Next, locate the video game within the Steam Library and chooseInstall.

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn’t hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube.Read Dilum’s Full Bio

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