Are you having trouble with a particular Steam game that won't download or start? Don't panic as this issue is usually within your ability to fix.
This troubleshooting guide will show you the solutions that you can try to fix this type of problem. There are a number of effective solutions that you must do so be sure to do the suggested fixes in the order provided below.
If your game won't launch, then it may be due to an issue with the extracted game files. Steam can verify the integrity of your cached game files and rectify any issues that it discovers. As part of this process, Steam will compare the game files that are installed on your computer with the latest version of the game files on Steam's servers. Can your computer run these games? System Requirements Lab analyzes your computer in just seconds, and it's FREE. Select a game list below to find out now. Top Steam Games 2017 Epic Games The Steam Awards 2018 Tom Clancy Games 2K Games Google Stadia Games.
- With the free Steam app for Android, you can participate in the Steam community wherever you go. Chat with your Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, read the latest gaming news and stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales.
- If you are unable to run Steam or it fails to run itself or you experiencing any kind of odd issues with games then you should try this trick. Remove the ClientRegistry.blob file, after deleting you'll have to log back into Steam. This step will also be lost the other local settings.
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Reasons why a Steam game won't download or start
There are a number of factors to check if a Steam game won't download or start. Below are the things that you must try to narrow down when trying to fix any game issue.
Random game bug.
Applications can develop bugs from time to time due to a wide variety of factors. Majority of this type of bugs usually go away on their own though after refreshing the system. We highly recommend that you try restarting your computer first if you'll have to deal with a Steam game issue.
Game or software is outdated.
In some cases, a Steam game may crash or won't start due to a coding error. If this error is known to the publisher or developer, they would right away fix it by releasing an update. Steam client will notify you if there's any available game update so all you have to do is to proceed with the installation of such update.
Sometimes, an issue with a Steam game may stem from a fault within the Operating System itself. In this case, you'll have to make sure that your PC's OS is running its latest update. By default, Operating Systems are set to periodically check for updates but you can also manually check them. If you're running a PC, you can check for updates by doing the following steps:
- Select the Start (Windows) button from the bottom-left corner.
- Go to Settings (gear icon).
- Select the Update and Security icon.
- Choose Windows Update tab in the sidebar (Circular arrows).
- Select Check for updates. If there is an available update, it will begin downloading automatically.
If you have a Mac, follow these steps to check for updates:
- Choose System Preferences from the Apple menu , then click Software Update to check for updates.
- If any updates are available, click the Update Now button to install them. Or click 'More info' to see details about each update and select specific updates to install.
Corrupted game files.
Steam games use a wide range of files and file folders in order to work properly. If one of these needed files is outdated or corrupted, it may result to game performance issue, crashes, or loading problems.
Connection issues.
If you're having an issue with a game that requires internet to work, you must ensure that your computer has a reliable internet connection. If possible, try to avoid wifi and instead use a wired connection. If you have no other option than to use wireless connection, make sure that it's working normally and not cutting out. Steam won't open or start if wireless internet connection has poor or weak signal.
Game incompatibility issues.
Older games may have trouble working with newer Operating System versions. Try running them in compatibility mode and see if it loads fine. Follow the steps below to do this.
- Open Steam.
- Go to Steam Library.
- Locate the game you want to run
- Right-click the game title, and go to Properties.
- Head over to the Local Files tab.
- Click Browse Local Files.
- Find the game executable, right-click it, and go to Properties.
- Head over to the Compatibility tab.
- Check Run this program in compatibility mode for.
- Choose the operating system.
- Save changes.
Troubleshooting a Steam game that won't launch or download
You can perform a set of troubleshooting steps to figure out why your Steam game won't run.
- Update your computer's Operating System.
Making sure that the OS is updated not only fixes bugs but can also prevent problems from developing.
- Update your video graphics.
Another possible reason why a game may crash is an issue with your computer's graphics drivers. You want to update the GPU drivers by doing these steps:
Right-click on the Start icon.
From the Power user menu, select Device Manager.
Navigate to Display adapters and expand this section.
Right-click your graphics device and open Properties.
Select the Details tab.
From the drop-down menu, open HardwareIds.
Copy the first row and paste it into your browser's address bar.
The search results should show you the exact drivers you'll need to install. - Verify Local Files.
Files stored in your hard drive may become corrupted due to hardware malfunction, software issues, power surges, and other reasons. To ensure that necessary files needed by the game is intact, you can ask Steam to verify local files.
- Restart your PC.
Make sure that you restart Steam, then your computer as part of your troubleshooting steps. This simple suggestion often fixes random, minor bugs as it refreshes caches, running applications, files, and other resources.
- Clear Download cache.
If your game still won't start at this point, you can try to clear Steam download cache. This step will force steam to purge cached configuration for the game and redownload it from a remote server.
- Repair Library folder.
An error within the Steam game Library may also cause game issues sometimes. This library is a folder that Steam uses to store files needed to run your games. Any outdated file or sub-folder may cause a problem. To fix the problem, you can tell Steam to repair the library folder.
Reinstall Steam. To do that, follow the following steps:
Open Steam client.
Go to Settings.
Select Downloads.
Select Steam Library Folders.
Right click on folder.
Select Repair Folder. - Change Download Region.
Sometimes, a particular region where your local Steam client is connected to may be experiencing download or server issues. This can result to slow downloads or game crashes. You can redirect your Steam client to change a download region as a workaround. Here's how:
Open Steam client.
Go to Settings.
Select Downloads.
Select a Download Region.
If necessary, try as many download regions as possible to see if this is going to fix your problem. - Try running a game in Compatibility Mode.
As mentioned above, incompatibility between a game and Operating System can cause a problem. Follow the steps provided above to check if you can run the current game you want with the OS in your computer.
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Summary :
If you don't know how to fix 'Steam must be running to play this game' error while launching a game, don't worry. This post from MiniTool Software has collected some effective solutions for you. If you encounter this error, check out this post now.
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When you try to open a game on your computer, it may prompt up the following error message:
Steam must be running to play this game (steamapi_init() failed).
Well, you are not the only one who encounters this error. Recently, many users reported that came across 'Steam must be running to play this game' error message on their PC. How to fix it?
After analyzing several posts on how to fix the 'Steam must be running to play this game' error, I have summarized some effective solutions. You can try the following solutions one by one.
Solution 1. Install the Steam Client on Your PC
If you always play games on PC, it is important for you to install the Steam client on your computer. Nowadays, many PC games will require you to have Steam installed on your PC.
If you haven't installed the Steam client, you can follow the steps below to install it. The sims game no download. If you have already installed Steam on your computer, you can try the next method directly.
Step 1. Visit Steam client download page and click the Install Steam Now button to download Steam's installation executable.
Step 2. Run the executable file and follow the on-screen prompts to finish the Steam client installation on your PC.
Step 3. When the installation is finished, restart your computer. After restarting, run the game that you encounter 'Steam must be running to play this game' again.
If this fixes the error, you can play the game now. However, if this method doesn't work, try the next solutions.
Many users choose to move steam games when they take up much space. This article will show you how to move steam games to another drive if you have the need.
Can I Run This Steam Games On
Solution 2. Update the Steam Client to the Latest Version
Some users reported that after updating Steam to the latest version, they removed the 'Steam must be running to play this game (steamapi_init() failed)' error message.
Step 1. Launch the Steam client and input your passwords to log in.
Step 2. Click the Steam button on the top menu bar and then select Check for Steam Clients Updates from the drop-down menu.
Step 3. If there is a new version available, you can follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest version on your PC.
When the update is finished, restart your computer and check if Steam must be running to play this game error still appears on your computer.
Solution 3. Log out Your Steam Account and Log Back In
According to some users' feedback, after logging out and logging back in the Steam account, and then launch the game in Steam client, they will not 'get the Steam must be running to play this game (steamapi_init() failed)'. Many users report that this is helpful. So you can have a try.
Step 1. Open Steam, click the drop-down menu near your account profile on the top-right corner of the window. Then, select Log out of account from the drop-down menu.
Step 2. Exit Steam completely. You can end all Steam related processes in Task Manager.
Step 3. Right click on the Steam shortcut on the desktop and choose Run as administrator. Then, log back in with your user account.
Step 4. Re-launch the problematic game from the Steam. After that, check if the 'Steam must be running to play this game' error message disappears.
When the Steam service component doesn't work, you may encounter the Steam service error when you launch Steam on your PC. This article will show you the fixes.
Solution 4. Verify Integrity of the Game Files
If the game that you try to open is incorrectly updated via the Steam client or the game's folder is missing some files, you may get the 'Steam must be running to play this game' error when launching it. At this time, you may wonder: is there any way to make it up?
Well, in this situation, you can verify the integrity of the games file with Steam client. If it finds any inconsistencies, Steam will re-download the missing components for you.
Here are detailed steps to verify integrity of the game files with Steam client.
Run Steam Games On Android
Step 1. Launch the Steam client and click on Library.
Step 2. Right-click on the game that prompts you the 'Steam must be running to play this game' error message, then choose Properties.
Step 3. Then switch to the Local Files tab and click on Verify Integrity of Game Files. Then the program will start verifying the integrity of the game files.
Steam Can I Run This Game
When the verifying process is finished, restart the Steam client and check if this resolves the 'Steam must be running to play this game' error message.
