Reinstalled after several years and Rockstar will not authenticate my copy

[Mystified]

You know I genuinely hate the direction games are going in where everything requires a password. I paid for the game on steam, it's clearly my game, yet I have to jump through a dozen hoops to play it. I'm sure there is some logical reason but it seems like a bit of a scam to try and make people buy the game again. Regardless...

So after I signed in, the game started and said that it required verification or authentication or whatever it is. I went into Steam and got the CD Key and it says the key is already in use...
No kidding....I only bought the game when it came out ages ago.
I've tried to look this up online and spent the last 30 minutes trying different "solutions".

Has anyone else had this issue?

[Joe Cool]

You hit the nail on the head.

It is a scam to try to make people buy the game again.

Sadly a decent percentage of people who encounter this problem actually DO buy the game again. Hence why Rockstar will NEVER fix this issue. In fact GTA 6 will also suffer from this verification problem.

Rockstar has become one of the worst gaming companies that exist today. Their launcher is extremely anti-consumer and treats paying customers like they are criminals who stole the game.

It was verified once at purchase, and it was verified again when it was installed for the first time. Why does it also have to be verified literally every single time I launch the game?

There's a very good chance that the launcher also collects our private information and sends it to Rockstar during this "verification" process so they can then sell that data to advertisers for even more profit.

Always remember that Rockstar is SO greedy that nearly 1 billion dollars per year JUST OFF OF SHARK CARDS ALONE is something they see as a failure that was "under monetized"

[Mystified]

Yeah its BS to waste someone's time who was good enough to buy the damn game making them do a run around trying to fix it. At least it's not as bad as the company that makes Monopoly. I reinstalled it, wouldn't take my login, and wouldn't let me reset it. So shady.

[Mystified]

Bump, please let me know if anyone knows how to fix this on steam. Thx

[SqueakyTweaky]

1. Restart Everything

Restart Steam, Rockstar Games Launcher, and your PC.


2. Check Steam Login & Account

Ensure you're logged into the correct Steam account that owns GTA 5.

Open Steam Library, find GTA 5, and check "CD Key" (right-click > Manage > CD keys).


3. Verify Game Files

Open Steam > Right-click GTA 5 > Properties > Installed Files > Click "Verify integrity of game files".


4. Launch Rockstar Launcher via Steam

Open Steam, go to Library, and click Play on GTA 5.

Let Rockstar Launcher open through Steam.


5. Sign Out & Back Into Rockstar Launcher

Open Rockstar Games Launcher.

Click your profile icon (top-right) > Sign Out.

Restart the launcher and log back in.


6. Check Social Club Account Linking

Ensure your Steam account is linked to the correct Rockstar Social Club account.

Log in at Rockstar Social Club and check account settings.


7. Disable Background Apps

Close VPNs, antivirus software, or overlays (Discord, MSI Afterburner, etc.) that might interfere.


8. Reinstall Rockstar Launcher

Uninstall Rockstar Games Launcher.

Download & install it again from Rockstar’s official site.


9. Run as Administrator

Right-click Rockstar Launcher and Steam > Select Run as administrator.


10. Contact Rockstar Support

If none of the above works, reach out to Rockstar Support with your Steam purchase details.

[Mystified]

Thanks for the attempt to help, unfortunately nothing worked. I even signed into my Rockstar account online and it had my GTA5 linked, even all my old stats. I opened rockstar launcher (not through steam, couldn't find an option for that, playing through steam just launches the game directly) but I set everything to admin in game files and the rockstar launcher again showed my game and I was able to launch GTAV through steam right from the launcher...same thing. I turned off discord, msi, rivatuner, and just about anything else that wasn't nailed won....no difference. I will try contacting rockstar but I won't hold my breath...

[Mystified]

Yeah that's about what I expected. Another hour of my life I will never get back. You try to click the link to submit a ticket on their website and it routes you back through their "search for an answer" system. The only other alternative is their Twitter or X or whatever account but I do not use social media. I am outraged at what absolute S#!T Rockstar customer service is. I'm just going to uninstall and say screw it. This game has taken enough of my time trying to play.

[Mystified]

OMG what an absolute S#!T show. Their website is ridiculous. I finally found a customer support email to which I received a reply telling me sorry, this is outgoing only, your message will not be read. There is no where to add a ticket. I finally ended up being deceptive and sending a message on the link for requests for reimbursement and begged them to direct my message to the right damn place. Rockstar should be ashamed. I even tried viewing the site on 2 different browsers and it didn't make a difference. Usually if you go through the Q&A section and answer "no" the solutions offered didn't work, it would allow you to submit a ticket, not Rockstar.

[WizardWurth]

just fought this issue for the past two days using the list of "solutions" I've found on reddit, finally came out victorious by going into the games file via steam then opening the "GTAVLauncher" application. after opening then closing i noticed for a split second there was an error message before it auto closed. i then ran the application as an administrator by right clicking then selecting "run as administrator, and it booted right up with no activation error, it may have been a mix of things but that was the final step i took before it finally let me play