Steam is a special program used by many players around the world. Occasionally Steam will report that the game will run even after stopping it. As a result, Steam will not work as expected, and you will not be able to play other games. There are several reasons for this problem, and it occurred when the previous game did not quit properly, or you forgot to quit the game. Such flaws can also cause outdated video drivers, compatibility issues, and more. The most annoying thing is that you can’t play all of your favorite games.
So, if you are in the same situation and looking for a suitable solution to solve the problem, this article will help you. So, follow these practical techniques and apply them appropriately to solve the problem.
Error Explained
The problem you are facing is not new and is quite common. Sometimes you open a game and have to close it for some reason. But when you try to open it again, you face an error saying that the game is still running whereas you have already closed it. Such happens quite usually and happens for several reasons. When this happens, you won’t be able to:
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Start the same game as long as the problem is resolved.
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Start a VAC-secured game if Valve Anti-Cheat also protected the previous game.
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close Steam unless you use Task Manager.
Undoubtedly, this can be very frustrating, especially while playing a competitive game, as it can mean all the difference between winning and losing a game. So without further delay, let’s get into the solutions.
Solution: 1 Verify Game Files
One of the most basic and simple ways to resolve any error is to verify game files. It is pretty simple, and doing this can ensure that all game files are acceptable. One can be sure that there are no corrupted files.
How To Verify Game Files In Steam?
If your game doesn’t have textures or other content, or if it crashes while playing, you can ask Steam to make sure the game files are installed correctly on your computer.
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Restart your computer and start Steam.
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You can then right-click on the game in your library or click the gear icon on the game library page on the far right.
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Select ‘Properties’ from the drop-down menu.
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Select the Local Files tab and click Check Game File Integrity.
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Steam will check your game files. This process may take several minutes.
Solution:2 Close The Game’s Launcher
Almost every game nowadays uses dedicated launchers. It means that when you launch a game, it might not necessarily run from steam, but the game’s dedicated launcher would run, and then the game would run successfully. To resolve this: When you exit the game, you will also have to close the dedicated game launcher. If this is not your case, feel free to skip and see other fixes.
Solution: 3 Update your video driver
If Steam reports that the game is running after updating your operating system, but it doesn’t, you should check your video driver version. You must follow the next section to download the latest version.
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First, click the “Start” button and type “Device Manager” in the search box.
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Then press Enter to open the Device Manager window.
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You can find all installed applications in the “Device Manager” tab.
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Find your video driver in the list and right-click on it.
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Select the Check for Updates option from the drop-down menu.
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It will automatically download the latest version and install the updated version on your device.
After completing the steps, restart your system and check if the problem still exists.
Solution: 4 Use Task Manager To Close Programs
When you close a game, it takes some time to shut down all the operations related to that game. Hence, it would be good to open the task manager and close all the procedures related to that specific game. It could solve your problem but be careful not to close steam while checking the related programs running along with the game.
Solution:5 Wait for Steam Cloud Sync to Complete
After exiting a Steam game, if the game supports Steam Cloud and is used to store progress, you will need to wait for the local data to sync with the cloud servers. Ideally, it should only take a few seconds. However, it may take a little longer depending on your specific game and other factors such as your internet connection speed. We recommend that you wait for the synchronization to complete. If it appears to be stuck, which is rare but occasionally occurs, you can force quit and restart Steam.
Unable to click the “Play” button on Steam until the text “Synchronize” next to the game name disappears.
Solution:6 Exit Steam And Run It As Administrator
If the problem is related to Steam (and sometimes it is), the simplest solution is to restart the client. It’s easy to do, and it doesn’t take long, which is one of the main reasons many users try to solve this problem with the first solution when faced with this problem. You can also close steam from the task manager if the problem persists.
Ensure to run Steam as administrator the next time you start it to avoid other minor issues.
SOLUTION:6 Restart Your PC
If none of the above methods are satisfactory, try restarting your computer. Many people see this as a routine task that doesn’t help, but it’s very misleading. This will not only completely restart Steam but will also reload all related temporary files/data. A complete system reset should not be overlooked.
Conclusion:
By now, your error should have been resolved, and now you can sit and enjoy your game for as long as you like. If the problem persists, contact Steam Support as it is very responsive and helpful. It may be that the error could be on their end and would need just a little tweaking to get your game running again.
