How to fix CS2 not launching

If you are trying to launch Counter-Strike 2 and are encountering an “unable to start game” error or any other error that keeps you from launching the game, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve done a good amount of research to see how people have overcome their Counter-Strike 2 launch issues. Hopefully, we have a fix for you in this guide.

Related: When is Counter Strike 2 coming out? Answered

All Counter-Strike 2 ‘unable to start game’ error fixes

Besides restarting your PC, power cycling your device, and deleting and redownloading Counter-Strike 2 to get it to work, there are a few other fixes you can try. Of course, I recommend you try all those fixes first, but if you’ve done that and are looking for more potential fixes, read on.

Update your PC

You may be getting an error when trying to launch Counter-Strike 2 because you haven’t updated your PC. Make sure your PC is up to date — that includes graphics cards and all general updates.

Verify your CS2 files

On Steam, go to Counter-Strike 2. Go to properties and then installed files. Select “verify integrity of game files.” By doing this, you’ll see if there are any problems with your game files. If there are, they will be identified and fixed. This is a common error that keeps games from launching on Steam.

Run the file as an administrator

After looking for fixes on Reddit, I found a few threads and comments that could be a potential fix for you. One of the ones I found was to run CS2 as an administrator. To do that, open your CS2 files on your computer either through a manual route or by opening the files via Steam. Then, right-click the “CS2.exe” file and select run as administrator.

This is a quick fix that has worked for many people trying to get into Counter-Strike 2, so it may work for you.

Wait for Valve to fix CS2

If none of the fixes above work, you need to be patient and wait for Valve to fix Counter-Strike 2. It’s a relatively new game, so that means there are a lot of bugs and errors to iron out. Given time, Valve will fix the existing issues keeping you from launching Counter-Strike 2.

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