Gaming · Windows
Check a Crashing Steam Game on Windows
Source-checked About 10 minutes
Answer
If one Steam game crashes, use Steam's Verify integrity of game files control to check its installation. This can repair changed or missing game files, but it cannot diagnose every Windows, driver, save, mod, or publisher-specific crash.
Identify the affected game
Confirm whether the crash affects one game or every Steam game before changing anything.
Restart the PC and Steam
Restart Windows, then launch Steam and sign in to the account that owns the game.
Open the game in Library
Right-click the game in Library or select its gear icon on the Library page.
Open Properties
Choose Properties from the game menu.
Verify installed files
Open Installed Files and select Verify integrity of game files.
Wait and retry the game
Let Steam finish the validation, then launch the same game and record any remaining error.
Video walkthrough
If it does not work
- Steam says one or more local configuration files may fail verification normally. Do not delete them just because Steam reports that message.
- Do not run verification for multiple games or while running heavy disk tasks. If only this game still crashes, preserve saves and use the publisher's support for the exact error.
- File verification applies only to the selected game. It is not a substitute for checking that the crash is not caused by a mod, save, launcher, driver, or publisher service.
- After Steam finishes, start the same game once from Library and note whether the message changes. Keep backups of valuable local saves before making any game-specific recovery decision.
- If several games crash, record the affected titles and Windows error details. Do not verify every installed game at once or delete the entire Steam library as a first response.
Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows.
Follow the linked first-party guidance if labels differ after a platform or app update.