One issue many Steam users have faced is that, even after exiting a game, Steam still says the game is running, and the game will not start or launch, either. Since Steam is one of the biggest gaming platforms, with more than 120 million users worldwide, this bug can have a significant impact on the gaming experience for a large number of people.
The first thing to try is to restart your computer. If this doesn’t work, The table below outlines three things you can try.
| Verify integrity of game files | Close background processing in Task Manager | Troubleshoot compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Log in to your Steam account. 2. Go to “Library.” 3. Right-click on the game you want to verify and go to “Properties.” 4. Select the tab for “Local files.” 5. Click “Verify integrity of game files.” | 1. Open the Task Manager. 2. Go to the Processes tab. 3. Right-click on the Steam game. 4. Select the End task. 5. Once the task ends, restart the game from Steam. | 1. Right-click the Steam desktop icon and select “Open file location.” 2. Right-click on the Steam executable. 3. Select “Properties.” 4. Click on the “Compatibility” tab. 5. Uncheck all the boxes except “Run this program as an administrator.” |
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Steam game already running issue
A reoccurring issue for many Steam users is that when they try to start a game, Steam won’t allow the game to launch as it says the game is already running. This usually happens because the game’s process is still running in the background of your computer. In that case, you need to open Task Manager and end the task. However, if the game is not in Task Manager, then the issue is with Steam itself.
Issues within the Steam game can be related to either game file corruption or Steam instillation file corruption. You can fix this by verifying game files or troubleshooting compatibility. Although this is a minor bug within Steam, it dramatically impacts how users can play their game since there isn’t just one quick fix to the issue. You can try many different methods to fix this, which I have explained in the section below.
How to fix it
There are several ways you can try to fix Steam when it says a game is already running. The first thing you should try to do is restart the computer. It may be that you need to relaunch your computer to refresh Steam. However, if this is not the case and the problem still occurs after restarting, there are three other things you can try. You can verify the integrity of game files, close the background processing or troubleshoot the compatibility. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to carry out all three of these solutions.
Verify integrity of game files
- Log in to your Steam account.
Log in to Steam using your credentials.
2. Go to “Library.”
From the panel at the top of the page, select “Library.”
3. Right-click on the game you want to verify and go to “Properties.”
When you right-click on your game, a drop-down list will appear. Select “Properties” from the list.
4. Select the tab for “Local files.”
When the properties window opens, go to “Local files” from the left-hand side tabs.
5. Click “Verify integrity of game files.”
Finally, click on the “Verify integrity of game files” button and wait for it to verify the files.
Close background processing in Task Manager
1. Open the Task Manager.
Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys on the keyboard to open up the Task manager.
2. Go to the Processes tab.
At the top of the page, select the processes tab from the panel.
3. Right-click on the Steam game.
After right-clicking on the Steam game, a drop-down menu will open up.
4. Select the End task.
From the drop-down list, select End task. This still stops the background processing.
5. Once the task ends, restart the game from Steam.
Troubleshoot compatibility
1. Right-click the Steam desktop icon and select “Open file location.”
When you right-click on the Steam application, a drop-down list will appear. Select “Open file location.”
2. Right-click on the Steam executable.
A new file will open that shows all of the Steam files on your computer. Find the Steam executable file and right-click on it. A drop-down list will appear.
3. Select “Properties.”
From the drop-down list, select “Properties.”
4. Click on the “Compatibility” tab.
When the properties window opens, click on the compatibility tab.
5. Uncheck all the boxes except “Run this program as an administrator.”
Under the settings section of the window, check the box for “Run this program as an administrator,” ensuring all the other boxes have not been selected.
Once these settings are saved, Steam should start to launch games properly.
Conclusion
When a Steam game doesn’t launch, it can be pretty stressful for Steam users as it prevents them from being able to play their game. In addition, there isn’t a quick fix that will solve this problem as it remains one of Steam’s most common bugs many users have faced. There are multiple solutions to this issue, meaning users have to try each of them until they find one that fixes the problem. The first solution to try is to restart the computer. Although this may sound too simple of a fix, sometimes that is required to get the game working correctly.
If this doesn’t work, you can try verifying the integrity of game files, closing the background processing or troubleshooting the compatibility. This blog post has a detailed step-by-step guide on how to carry out all three of these solutions.