How to Verify Game Files on Steam
If you’re having trouble with a corrupt Steam game, you may want to check the integrity of the game’s files. This guide will explain how.
Steam has a game for everyone, from quick time sinks to epic open-world adventures. What happens if your favorite Steam game won’t work, however?
In that scenario, unless you want to uninstall your game and reinstall it, you might want to try verifying your game installation files first. This process will force Steam to check that the game is installed correctly.
If it isn’t, Steam will repair any files that it believes are corrupted. If you want to know how to verify game files on Steam, follow the steps below.
Steps To Take Before Verifying Steam Files
Before you rush to verify your game files on Steam, you should make sure to set your PC or Mac up for the process.
For instance, you should close or exit any other running applications. This is especially true for memory-intensive applications, such as other games, video rendering applications, or virus scanning software (mid-scan).
If your PC or Mac doesn’t have enough memory to perform the file integrity check, it won’t complete properly. You may find that Steam misses corrupt files or, in a worst-case scenario, corrupts certain files during the process of fixing files.
If you’re ready to proceed, follow the steps below.
How to Verify Game Files on Steam
If you believe that your Steam game has become corrupted, you can verify its integrity by using the Steam client. Steam will check each of the files in the game’s installation and compare them to what Steam believes is the correct version.
If it finds any corrupted files, it will try to fix them.
To verify game file integrity on Steam:
- Open the Steam client on your PC and Mac and sign in (if you aren’t already).
- Select Library at the top.
- Locate your game in the list on the right.
- Right-click the game and select Properties.
- In the Properties window, select Local Files.
- To verify the Steam game files, press the Verify integrity of game files button.
- Steam will begin the verification process. You’ll need to allow time for this to complete.
- Once the game verification process is complete, you’ll see the result appear in the Properties window to confirm the result.
- Exit the Properties window once you’re done.
This process will verify game files using Steam. You may also want to check if the game itself has its own tool for verifying game integrity. You might find this available for MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) games, for instance.
One or More Files Failed to Verify
Steam should automatically verify the integrity of your game files using this process. If it detects one or more files that failed to validate, however, don’t panic.
In many cases, a few files that aren’t verified could be due to local configuration files. Steam doesn’t have anything to compare these files against so, in this scenario, it’ll assume that the files are corrupt.
Before you take drastic action, launch your game to see if it works. If it doesn’t, you can always remove and reinstall the game.
Reinstalling a Steam Game
If your game files haven’t been verified properly, you can always remove and reinstall them. This will force Steam to remove the game files and download them again.
To reinstall a Steam game:
- Open the Steam client and sign in.
- Select Library at the top.
- Locate your game in the list on the left.
- Right-click the game and select Manage > Uninstall.
- Confirm you want to remove the game by pressing Uninstall.
- Wait for the game to be removed from your PC or Mac.
- Once the game is uninstalled, select the Install button on the game’s profile (or right-click and select Install).
- Allow time for the game to download and install again.
Once the game is installed, the problems with game integrity should be resolved.
Repairing Your Steam Games
Using the steps above, you can quickly verify the game files of Steam games. If you find a game isn’t working properly, verifying the integrity of those files should resolve the problem in most cases.
If it doesn’t, don’t forget that you can remove and reinstall the game at any point. Having trouble with your game downloads? You can always increase your Steam download speeds.
Want to keep your gameplay history secret? You can always hide your game activity on Steam from friends and other users.
