For many players, accepting Steam’s demand that a game is running when it isn’t can be difficult. This problem may cause changes to your gaming schedule and lead to frustration. In this tutorial, we’ll discuss troubleshooting methods to fix the “Steam Thinks Game is Running” issue.
Why does Steam say, ‘App is already running’?
The main reason a game appears to be working on Steam is that it hasn’t been properly closed down. Steam games involve many processes running in the background. It’s possible that the game files connected to Steam are running—or not—even if you may have closed the game.
Method 1:Close Task Manager-related Steam functions.
The best way to find and stop rogue Steam apps and services that are still active after being closed is through the Task Manager.
- To access Task Manager, first perform a right-click on the Start Menu button.
- Using the Task Manager window, search for Steam-related services or games that might be idle in the background. After selecting the background function you wish to stop, click the End Task button.
- The problem “Steam thinks the game is running” should be fixed, and the game should end correctly this time.
Method 2: To make sure that no games are running, restart Steam.
Sometimes, minor Steam bugs can be solved by restarting the program. Close all Steam-related apps from the Task Manager by following the directions in the previous section, then give the software a minute or two to reload. The problem needs to be fixed.
Method 3: To end running games on your computer, reboot it.
One of the oldest methods in the book is to reboot a device to get it working again. Restarting the computer has been shown to fix a number of issues despite its slight lack of convincingness. After selecting the Start Menu button, click the Power button. Select “Restart” from the few options that show up. Try launching Steam and playing the game in remote mode when your PC has restarted. Your problem will likely be fixed.
Method 4: Reinstall the Game
If you don’t see any progress after this point, the game is most likely the issue. Reinstalling the game after removing it is an option in these kinds of situations. Your data will be saved if you play an online game, but if you play an offline game, you must back up all of the game files before deleting them. This is the correct way to reinstall the game without wiping your data.
- Launch Steam and choose the game that provides you with difficulty from the left-hand Game Library.
- The Settings icon is found below the game’s poster on the right side. After you click on it, select Properties from the list of options that follows.
- Select “Local Files” from the left side.
- Click “Verify integrity of game files” here first. This will check to see if every file is working and repair those that are not.
- To keep your game data safe, choose “Backup game files.”
- After verifying the integrity of your game files, you can try again to start the game. You can proceed with the uninstallation if it doesn’t work.
- Click the Settings button once more on the game’s website, choose “Manage,” and then click Uninstall.
- The game will be uninstalled. After deletion, any game you buy through Steam will stay in the library. Choose the game and press the Install button.
- After the game has been installed, click on the “Steam” option in the upper left corner of the screen, then choose the “Backup and Restore Games” option.
- Choose the option to “Restore a previous backup” in the pop-up window and press the Next button.
- Find the backup files that Steam has saved, then load the game data back. You should be able to resolve the Steam thinks the game is running issue on your PC if you try rerunning the game.
Method 5: Reinstall Steam to fix the game is still running error
Should the methods mentioned above remain unsuccessful for you, the issue is likely connected to your Steam application. Resetting your Steam program is the best course of action for times such as these. Right-click Steam from the Start menu and choose “Uninstall.” After the software has been deleted, install it on your PC once more by visiting the official Steam website. Since everything on Steam will be lost, reinstalling is a safe procedure. Try relaunching the game after the app has been installed to verify whether the problem has been fixed.
Recommended:
Fix problems with Steam when launching the game.
Although Steam is a fantastic piece of software, it has problems, just like every other piece of technology. These kinds of issues are relatively common on Steam, and you should be able to quickly fix them by following the steps outlined above.
We hope you found this helpful tutorial and were able to resolve Steam reports, a running issue with the game. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section if you still have any about this post.
