Error Code -998

[LunaCat]

I played all day yesterday and now I can't get the game to load.
It tells me that it can't load dll and there is an error code 998. What is that and how do I fix it?

[IFIYGD]

What OS are you running? I'm seeing more of this error being reported on various game hubs (not just this game), and most people reporting it seem to be running Windows 11. No proof seen in any of those threads that Windows 11 is the actual cause, though.

Anyhow- there's another thread about this error, but Steam Search sucks so it's not easy to find if you search the forums for "Error -998".
Here's a link: https://steamcommunity.com/app/305620/discussions/4/4034725629430043547/?tscn=1702362395

I listed some common possible causes shown on general Internet searches. No one here on the player forums can tell you for sure- it's all going to be random guesses. File a bug report so HL Tech Support can look into it.

[LunaCat]

I am running windows 10.

I just rebooted my computer because Kaspersky had an update. Now the game is running just fine. I don't know if the problem was Kaspersky or something else but the problem seems to be gone for now.

[Game? More like Grift.]

Failed to load dll (error code -998) Linux here. From my testing this appears to be a Steam DRM issue...

[R0N4LD'S]

Is Steam running in the background?
It may seem stupid, but I had the same error, in this case it was because Steam was closed (not running in the background). I opened the game for her and it worked