As we all know, Valve hit the jackpot with Steam. Nowadays, their own game development falls behind digital distribution as that seems to be a more profitable service. So, while the gaming community awaits for Half-life 3, Steam game base is getting larger. Even though the Steam client receives frequent updates and fixes, some of the issues keep popping up. One of the notable issues is ‘game is already running’. According to some users, their client seems active and thus preventing them from starting the game. So, if this is your problem as well, we’ve prepared some troubleshooting for this annoyance.
How to solve ‘Steam game already running’ issue
Solution 1 – Kill the process in the Task Manager
According to some reports, Steam.exe seems to be working, but the client interface just doesn’t show up. In this case, you should try stopping the process and retry. You can do this by following these steps: If the client user interface is not visible, then the problem requires other solutions, which you can find below. If the game is already running, you need to follow the same steps as above. This time, instead of searching for Steam client in the list of processes you will look for something similar to the name of the game (or that has a similar icon with the game). You will end that process, wait a few seconds and then try launching the game again. Having problems with Task Manager? We’ve got the guide for you.
Solution 2 – Disable possible compatibility modes
The solution for some other Steam-related problems is changing the compatibility mode for the client. However, this medicine does have some counter-effects, as it may cause even more problems. It can cause the client malfunction, especially on x64 systems. So, it’s better to revert it to the original settings, and here’s how to do that:
Solution 3 – Disable known interfering applications
As the Steam tech support stated, there are some background applications that occasionally interfere with Steam. According to them, those applications can slow down or even prevent Steam from working. Since we are into the saying ‘better safe than sorry’, here is the list of apps you should stop while running the Steam client: SPONSORED
Anti-Virus Applications Anti-Spyware Applications Firewall/Security Applications Torrent and Download Applications VoIP Applications Peer 2 Peer Applications
Try disabling their respective processes to prevent possible conflicts with Steam. If the problem persists, move on to the next solution.
Solution 4 – Re-update Steam
In some occasions, Steam files get corrupted or incomplete. Most of the time, the problem lies in some malware infections. Those things can ruin your life for sure! However, once you’ve scanned your PC and the malicious software is out, you should re-update your Steam client. To do so, follow these instructions: On the next start, Steam client will update and possibly fix the issues. If the problem remains unresolved, we give you a final you can try to deal with this problem.
Solution 5 – Reinstall Steam
Yes, reinstall. If none of the solutions from above helped, the re-installation should work it out. Since the program is not as large as you think, the whole process is fast and as easy. Albeit, the re-installation procedure requires you to delete some associated files and, possibly, some registry entries. You can also use a third-party uninstaller, just don’t forget to backup your games as those will be deleted, too. Do as follows: These were our possible solutions for this issue. You should start from top to bottom and try them out. Hopefully, they’ll help. If you are having some other workarounds or ideas, please share them with us in the comments.
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