How to fix "Steam must be running to play this game" error in Windows?

"Steam must be running to play this game" is printed by the game, not by Steam, when its first call to Steam fails. Valve lists five reasons, and the two most common are a game started outside Steam and a game and Steam running at different permission levels. Start the game from your Steam Library first.

Facts checked on 15 October 2026. Steps written for the Steam client on Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2, read against the Steamworks documentation, Steam Support, Activision's troubleshooting notes for Call of Duty: WWII and the Steam client's own text files.

What "Steam must be running to play this game" means and where it comes from

A Steam game that uses Steam's features (achievements, cloud saves, multiplayer, the ownership check) has to connect to the Steam client first. It does that with a function called SteamAPI_Init. When the function returns false, the game cannot go on, so it shows a message and closes.

The text you see is not Steam's own error. It is the sample message from Valve's Steamworks documentation, and many developers copy it into their games. Valve's sample reads: "Fatal Error - Steam must be running to play this game (SteamAPI_Init() failed)." That is why the window is titled Fatal Error and why the wording changes a little from game to game.

What causes the "Steam must be running" error, from most to least likely

Valve's documentation for SteamAPI_Init lists five conditions that make it fail. The order below is ours: Valve publishes no numbers. It follows how often each condition fits what readers describe, and the fixes Steam Support and Activision give for this message.

How to fix "Steam must be running to play this game"

Fixes 1 and 2 answer the two causes behind most cases and take a minute each. Fixes 3 to 5 repair the Steam client and the game's files. Fix 6 looks for another program, and Fix 7 rebuilds Steam without deleting your games.

Fix 1. Start Steam first, sign in to the right account and launch the game from the Library

1 minuteNo riskEveryone starts here, and above all if you used a shortcut, the game's .exe or a launcher other than Steam.

Valve's documentation says that a game started directly does not get its App ID from Steam, and that SteamAPI_Init then fails. A launch through Steam hands the game its App ID and the signed-in account in one step.

1. Select OK on the error and make sure the game window is closed.
2. Start Steam from the Start menu and wait until it has signed in and the Library has loaded.
3. Check the account name in the top right corner. It must be the account that bought the game.
4. Open Library and find the game in the list on the left. If it is not there, this account does not own it: sign in to the right one with Steam > Change Account...
5. Select the game and press Play.
6. If you use a desktop icon, create a new one from Steam: right-click the game and select Manage > Add desktop shortcut. That icon starts the game through Steam.

• Bought on Steam, started from another launcher. Some games open a second launcher, such as the EA app, Ubisoft Connect or Battle.net. A copy bought on Steam is still checked through Steam, so keep Steam running and signed in to the account that owns it.
• Two Steam accounts on one PC. Valve's rule is that the game "must show up in your Steam library". A game bought on the other account fails here even with Steam open.

Fix 2. Run Steam and the game at the same permission level

3 minutesLow riskSteam is open and signed in, the game is in the Library, and it still says Steam must be running. Often one game only.

Valve lists "a different user or administration access level" as a reason SteamAPI_Init fails. A game started as administrator cannot see a Steam that runs as a normal user, and the other way round. The fix is to make the two match.

1. Exit Steam completely: open the Steam menu and select Exit.
2. Open the game's folder: in the Library right-click the game, select Manage > Browse local files.
3. Right-click the game's .exe file and select Properties, then the Compatibility tab.
4. If Run this program as an administrator is ticked, clear it. If the box is grey, select Change settings for all users and clear it there too.
5. Select Apply and OK.
6. Do the same for Steam: right-click the Steam shortcut or C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe, select Properties > Compatibility and clear the box.
7. Start Steam normally, not with Run as administrator, and press Play in the Library.

Some games need administrator rights to start at all. Activision's troubleshooting guide for Call of Duty: WWII says: "Ensure that you are running both Call of Duty: World War II and Steam as an Admin." In that case tick the box for both programs, not for one. The steps for the Compatibility tab: How to run a program as administrator or in compatibility mode

Fix 3. Exit Steam fully, end a stuck game process and install the pending Steam update

3 to 5 minutesNo riskIt started after a Steam update, after the game crashed, or with Call of Duty: WWII.

Activision's note for Call of Duty: WWII says: "please restart Steam, you may have a pending Steam update." A client that is half way through an update, or a game process that never closed, leaves the game unable to reach Steam.

1. Open the Steam menu and select Exit. Closing the window only hides Steam in the system tray.
2. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
3. On Processes, look for the game's name and for any entry starting with Steam. Select each one and select End task.
4. Start Steam again and wait until it has finished any update it offers.
5. Open the Steam menu and select Check for Steam Client Updates... Install what it finds and let Steam restart.
6. Press Play in the Library.

Steam Support's page for the related message "Failed to start game (app already running)" gives the same advice: close the hung game process in Task Manager, and restart the PC if Windows cannot close it. Step by step: Close a frozen app (Task Manager, Force Quit)

Fix 4. Verify the game's files in Steam

5 to 30 minutes, by the size of the gameLow riskOne game fails while others start, especially after a crash, a cleaner program or an antivirus alert.

The game reaches Steam through files in its own folder, such as steam_api64.dll. If one of them is missing or damaged, SteamAPI_Init cannot run. Verifying downloads the original files again. Activision lists it first for Call of Duty: WWII.

1. Restart and open Steam. Restart your computer and launch Steam.
2. Open the game's menu. Right-click the game in your Library, or open the game's Library page and select the gear icon on the far right.
3. Open Properties. Select Properties in the menu.
4. Verify the files. Select the Installed Files tab and select Verify integrity of game files.
5. Wait for the result. Steam checks the game's files. This can take several minutes.

These steps were written for Steam on Windows. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to verify game files in Steam, Epic Games, Xbox app, EA app, Battle.net and GOG Galaxy

If the game reports a missing steam_api.dll or steam_api64.dll by name, our guide to the steam_api.dll error covers that file. Never download it from a DLL website.

Fix 5. Leave the Steam client beta

2 minutesNo riskYou take part in the Steam client beta, or are not sure whether you do.

A beta client is a version of Steam that games have not been tested against yet. Steam Support lists opting out of the beta for launch failures and asks beta users to test both versions.

1. Open the Steam menu and select Settings.
2. Select Interface on the left.
3. Open the list next to Client Beta Participation.
4. Select No beta chosen.
5. Select Restart Now when Steam asks.

Fix 6. Find the program that blocks the game from reaching Steam

10 to 15 minutesLow riskSeveral games fail, or the error began after you installed security software, a tune-up tool or a VPN.

Steam Support warns that anti-virus software "hooks very deep into user systems" and that VPNs, anti-spyware tools and firewalls can come between Steam and its games. A clean boot starts Windows without them and shows whether one of them is the cause.

1. In your antivirus, add the game's folder to the exceptions. Activision gives the folder for Call of Duty: WWII as C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty WWII.
2. Add the Steam folder too. The default is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.
3. Disconnect a VPN and exit its app.
4. Start the game from the Library.
5. If it still fails, do a clean boot: Windows starts with Microsoft services only. Step by step: How to perform a clean boot in Windows
6. After the restart, start Steam and the game.
7. If it works now, turn the services and startup apps back on in small groups until the error returns. The last group holds the cause.

• Users report a tune-up tool as the cause. In the Steam Community thread "Fatal Error - Steam Must Be Running To Play This Game [SOLVED]", the poster found that AVG PC TuneUp was the conflicting program. That is a report, not Valve's advice.
• One test with protection paused. If you cannot add exceptions, pause real-time protection for one launch and turn it back on at once: Turn off Microsoft Defender protection for a moment

Fix 7. Repair Steam by installing it over itself, without uninstalling

10 minutesRead the warningEvery Steam game shows the error and Fixes 1 to 6 did not help.

A fresh copy of the client replaces damaged Steam files, including the parts the games talk to. Steam Support gives a way to do it that keeps your games: install into the same folder.

1. Exit Steam through the Steam menu and Exit.
2. In a browser, open https://store.steampowered.com/about/ and download the Steam installer.
3. Run it and choose the folder where Steam is already installed, by default C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam. Steam Support: "Installing into same location will preserve all installed games."
4. Start Steam, let it update and sign in.
5. Press Play in the Library.

Our guide to Steam error code 2 has the deeper repair from Steam Support, which deletes everything in the Steam folder except steam.exe, steamapps and userdata. Use it only if the reinstall over itself did not help.

If the game still says Steam must be running: what to check and whom to ask

The error has no log file of its own: the game writes the message and closes. What you can send to support is the exact text, how you started the game and what you tried. Steam Support says that when a game still fails to launch, "you will need to contact the support team for that game".

1. Take a screenshot of the error window with its title.
2. Write down how you started the game: Library, shortcut, another launcher.
3. Note whether the boxes in Fix 2 were ticked for Steam, for the game or for both.
4. In the Library, select the game and choose Support from the tabs above the Activity section. Steam Support says the game's support contact is there.
5. Send the screenshot and the list of fixes you tried.

• When it is the game, not your PC: every owner reports it after the same game update. Valve names an App ID that is not set up, such as one in "Release State: Unavailable", as a cause. Only the publisher can repair that.
• When it is the account: the game is not in the Library of any account you can sign in to. Steam Support can check a purchase at https://help.steampowered.com.
• When it is not a legal copy: a copy from outside Steam fails with this message because it has no Steam licence behind it. No fix on this page applies. See the FAQ.
• When it is the drive: the files fail to verify again soon after Fix 4. Check the drive that holds the game: Check a disk for errors (chkdsk)

How to keep the "Steam must be running" error from coming back

The rule behind all of this is short. The game must find a running, up to date Steam, under the same Windows user and at the same permission level, signed in to the account that owns it. Keep those four the same and the message stays away.

Frequently asked questions

Why does a game say Steam must be running when Steam is already open?

Because the game cannot reach that copy of Steam. Valve's documentation lists the reasons: the game runs under another Windows user or at another administration level than Steam, the signed-in account does not own the game, or the game was started outside Steam and has no App ID. The most common case is a box ticked on the Compatibility tab: Run this program as an administrator for Steam but not for the game, or the other way round. Clear it for both, or tick it for both, then start the game from the Library.

How do I fix "Steam must be running to play this game" in Call of Duty: WWII?

Restart Steam first. Activision's troubleshooting guide for Call of Duty: WWII on Steam names this message. Its advice: "please restart Steam, you may have a pending Steam update." Exit Steam from the Steam menu, end any leftover Steam or game process in Task Manager and start Steam again. The same guide asks you to run both the game and Steam as administrator, to verify the game files and to add the game folder to your antivirus exceptions. That is Fixes 3, 2, 4 and 6 on this page, in that order.

Does the same fix work for Modern Warfare 2 and other Call of Duty games?

The cause is the same, because every Call of Duty game sold on Steam checks Steam when it starts. Start with Fix 1 and Fix 2: launch from the Steam Library of the account that owns the game, and keep Steam and the game at the same permission level. Then restart Steam and verify the files. We found Activision's own note for this message only for Call of Duty: WWII. For other titles we could not confirm a game-specific fix, so if the steps here fail, contact Activision through the game's Support tab in the Library.

Can I play the game without Steam, or fix the error on a cracked copy?

No, and this page does not help with that. A game that shows this message was built to check your Steam licence when it starts, so it needs the Steam client running and signed in to an account that owns it. On a copy downloaded from outside Steam the check fails for exactly that reason, and no setting on your PC repairs it. Searches for a crack or a way around Steam lead to files that often carry malware. If you own the game, start it through Steam as Fix 1 shows.

What does "Fatal Error" and "SteamAPI_Init() failed" mean in the message?

"Fatal" only means that the game cannot go on and will close. It does not mean your PC or Steam is damaged. SteamAPI_Init is the function a game calls to connect to Steam when it starts. Valve's Steamworks documentation uses "Fatal Error - Steam must be running to play this game (SteamAPI_Init() failed)." as its sample message, and many developers kept that wording. When the function fails, the game has no account, no licence and no Steam features, so it stops with this window.

Should I always run Steam as administrator?

Not by default. Steam installs and updates games without it, and a Steam running as administrator gives every game it starts full access to Windows. For this error the rule is to match: Valve lists a different administration level between the game and Steam as a reason the game cannot reach Steam. So either both run normally, which is the default, or both run as administrator because a game such as Call of Duty: WWII asks for it. Ticking the box for Steam alone can cause the error instead of fixing it.

Will verifying the game files or repairing Steam delete my saves?

Verifying does not. Steam compares the installed files with the originals and downloads only what is missing or changed, and it leaves local settings files alone. Reinstalling Steam into the same folder keeps your installed games, Steam Support says. The danger is uninstalling Steam through Windows Settings or the Control Panel: Steam Support warns that it deletes all game and userdata content. Games with Steam Cloud keep their saves online, but copy the userdata folder to another drive before any repair if you are not sure.

I searched in Korean, Arabic, Persian or Spanish. Is this the same error?

Yes. Readers search for this message as "해결법" (solution), "حل مشكلة" (solve the problem), "مشکل" (problem) or the Spanish "Steam debe estar funcionando para jugar este juego". The window shows the text the game's developer wrote, so it can be in English or in your language, but the cause is the same: the game could not reach Steam. The fixes on this page do not depend on the language of Windows or of Steam. Only the menu names differ, so follow the order of the steps.

What does "Please make sure Steam is running and you are logged in to an account entitled to the game" mean?

It is another developer's wording of the same check, and it names two of Valve's five reasons openly. Steam must run, and the signed-in account must be "entitled", which in Valve's words means it owns "a license for the App ID". Open Steam, check the account name in the top right corner and look for the game in the Library. If it is not there, sign in to the account that bought it with Steam, then Change Account. Then start the game with Play.