What the hell is happening with all our old games (DRM issue, "updating executable", games not launching?

[Arnold Braunschweiger]

So I started noticing this today when I wanted to do some retro gaming. So far I tested or found other people complaining about these games, which appear to have this problem:
- Aliens vs. Predator (2010)
- Aliens Colonial Marines
- Homefront
- Risen 2
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009)
- Civilization V

It's the same issue with all of them: launch the game, you see the "updating executable" message under the launch button for a while, and it either stays that way or the game crashes. Steam discussions for all those games are filled with threads about the problem, but no one seems to be aware that it's a common issue for many games.

Some people offer various solutions that rarely work, others straight up share replacement executable files. Hell, some of those threads are months old by now. But so far I haven't seen any pinned threads from Steam or publishers, no official comments on the matter... c'mon, what the hell is this? Fix it, I want to play my games!

I'm honestly surprised this isn't talked about more, seeing that more and more games are affected by this and no one seems to know what's up. Is this the Steam DRM issue? I know it's not the engine issue since some of those games are using various different game engines. So if it's Steam and they don't even care to do anything about it, the future of digital distribution starts looking bleaker and bleaker...

[J4MESOX4D]

I noticed this with Civilization V the other week and saw that the recent reviews had gone from about 96% positive to 59% and this issue being talked about by a lot of users. Many attributed the issue something to do with the publishers removing their launcher requirement. Also reported with X-Com of which is 2K also. Wasn't aware of it happening with other games though.

[Nx Machina]

The following games run on my PC but i have no answer as to why.

Windows 10 x64 22H2

- Aliens Colonial Marines
- XCOM: Enemy Unknown

I have Civilization V but not currently installed. I will download and test.

I do not have the other games listed.

[Arnold Braunschweiger]

Автор сообщения: J4MESOX4D

I noticed this with Civilization V the other week and saw that the recent reviews had gone from about 96% positive to 59% and this issue being talked about by a lot of users. Many attributed the issue something to do with the publishers removing their launcher requirement. Also reported with X-Com of which is 2K also. Wasn't aware of it happening with other games though.

Right, I forgot about Civ 5, which I also saw somewhere in one of those threads. Thanks for pointing it out.

[crunchyfrog]

I wonder if this is down to some recent Windows update, as I wear I saw one just before Christmas that got a few people bent out of shape somewhere.

[ESPINGARDA PEGA NA CURVA]

ko top muito top

[Nx Machina]

Update for Civilization V. Would not launch so i did the following.

Right click game > Properties > General > Set the Direct X version before following the instructions on the article linked and the game launches via desktop shortcut.

https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/34890889538707--Civilization-V-Launcher-Removal

[TheTrippyHippie]

This has been happening to a few games, I have used steam for years and I have only started to notice in the past oh I don't know 2-3 months maybe.

Never had the issue before and it started to happen on window 11 and also Linux same games funny enough, sometimes you can install them and they work fine other times install them and they wont work, uninstall and reinstall to don't work, deleting the whole game folder from the SSD, no still didn't work

I don't know why but it is a thing and not just Xcom or 2k games.

[Princess Luna]

https://steamcommunity.com/id/Lenkcy/recommended/8930/

If Civilization 5 isn't launching after the recent update where they removed the 2k launcher do the following.

And people wonder why we dont like 3rd party launchers on Steam?

[Nx Machina]

Автор сообщения: Princess Luna

And people wonder why we dont like 3rd party launchers on Steam?

Civilization 5 did not use 2K's launcher, it had it's own and they switched to using the launch options in Steam. Civilization 5 was the only game on my PC which would not launch.

I provided a fix in post #6.

All others, XCOM Enemy Unknown, XCOM 2/War of the Chosen and XCOM Chimera Squad all ran before and after the removal of the 2K launcher.

For EA Play app, Ubisoft Connect, Rockstar Games, Steam is the 3rd party launcher.

[Arnold Braunschweiger]

Автор сообщения: Princess Luna

https://steamcommunity.com/id/Lenkcy/recommended/8930/

If Civilization 5 isn't launching after the recent update where they removed the 2k launcher do the following.

And people wonder why we dont like 3rd party launchers on Steam?

In this case it's not the launchers. Most of the games that I've tested so far launch directly through Steam.

----------------------------------------------------

Anyway, I've tested Civ5 and Modern Warfare 2 just now, and while Civ5 simply won't launch no matter what I do, I did manage to get MW2 running by going into the game's folder, clicking "launch" in Steam, and while it was stuck on "updating executable", I double clicked on the game's executable manually which suddenly made Steam client wake up and launch the game. This trick didn't work for all games, though.

Another thing I've noticed is that, if you double click on the game's executables in the game folder, a new file will be created each time, with the format [game_executable_name].[number].STEAMSTART
On one occassion, like with Aliens Colonial Marines or Risen 2, once I deleted this file during the "updating executable" process, it also triggered the game to launch.

None of those tricks worked consistently across the affected games, though. It's a total crapshoot, it seems.

[Lithurge]

Автор сообщения: Arnold Braunschweiger

None of those tricks worked consistently across the affected games, though. It's a total crapshoot, it seems.

Yes it is, it's been happening for quite a while now, 2K claimed to have fixed it for Xcom with a patch, but I was still getting the problem on that game.

[J4MESOX4D]

Автор сообщения: Lithurge

Автор сообщения: Arnold Braunschweiger

None of those tricks worked consistently across the affected games, though. It's a total crapshoot, it seems.

Yes it is, it's been happening for quite a while now, 2K claimed to have fixed it for Xcom with a patch, but I was still getting the problem on that game.

Firaxis on the other hand have ignored the Civilization community completely regarding this issue and it's not a good look when they expect people to pay £60-120 for their latest game coming out in a couple of weeks. After what's happened and seeing their disdain for players along with their own product, I'm certainly not going to buy it and I'm not the only one either.

[Arnold Braunschweiger]

Автор сообщения: J4MESOX4D

Автор сообщения: Lithurge

Yes it is, it's been happening for quite a while now, 2K claimed to have fixed it for Xcom with a patch, but I was still getting the problem on that game.

Firaxis on the other hand have ignored the Civilization community completely regarding this issue and it's not a good look when they expect people to pay £60-120 for their latest game coming out in a couple of weeks. After what's happened and seeing their disdain for players along with their own product, I'm certainly not going to buy it and I'm not the only one either.

I saw that they did initially try to fix it with a patch but I also have my doubts that it's entirely their fault. This looks like a Steam client issue to be honest. The behavior is practically identical across multiple games from completely different developers and publishers.

[Armorip]

It seems like you're dealing with a frustrating issue that has affected several older games, where after launching the game, the "updating executable" message appears, and the game either crashes or doesn’t launch at all. This issue could be related to a few different factors:

1. **DRM Issues**: Some older games may have DRM systems that are no longer fully supported by Steam or their publishers, especially if they rely on third-party services that are no longer active or maintained. This can cause conflicts when Steam tries to update or launch the game.

2. **Steam and Compatibility Problems**: Over time, Steam has undergone updates and changes, which could have led to compatibility problems with older games. Steam’s system might be having trouble properly launching or updating the executable, especially if it’s interacting with legacy DRM or system files.

3. **Game Executable Issues**: In some cases, as you've noted, people have suggested using replacement executables. These could be modified versions that bypass the issues with Steam’s execution process. However, these are not official fixes and may not work in all cases, plus they could lead to other issues.

### Suggested Solutions:
- **Reinstall the Game**: Sometimes files get corrupted. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the game to see if that helps.

- **Check for Official Patches**: Look for any available patches from the publisher or Steam. Sometimes, a game-specific update or patch may resolve these issues.

- **Verify Game Files**: Right-click the game in your Steam library, go to **Properties > Local Files**, and click **Verify Integrity of Game Files** to make sure no files are corrupted.

- **Run the Game as Administrator**: Right-click the game’s shortcut and select **Run as Administrator**. This can sometimes bypass issues with permissions that may prevent the game from launching correctly.

- **Disable Steam Overlay**: Disable Steam’s overlay, as it can sometimes interfere with older games. You can do this by right-clicking the game, selecting **Properties**, and unchecking the option to enable the Steam Overlay.

- **Steam Support or Publisher Help**: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Steam Support or the game's publisher for assistance.

If this issue resonates with you, I’d appreciate your support!

[Arnold Braunschweiger]

Автор сообщения: Armorip

It seems like you're dealing with a frustrating issue that has affected several older games, where after launching the game, the "updating executable" message appears, and the game either crashes or doesn’t launch at all. This issue could be related to a few different factors:

1. **DRM Issues**: Some older games may have DRM systems that are no longer fully supported by Steam or their publishers, especially if they rely on third-party services that are no longer active or maintained. This can cause conflicts when Steam tries to update or launch the game.

2. **Steam and Compatibility Problems**: Over time, Steam has undergone updates and changes, which could have led to compatibility problems with older games. Steam’s system might be having trouble properly launching or updating the executable, especially if it’s interacting with legacy DRM or system files.

3. **Game Executable Issues**: In some cases, as you've noted, people have suggested using replacement executables. These could be modified versions that bypass the issues with Steam’s execution process. However, these are not official fixes and may not work in all cases, plus they could lead to other issues.

### Suggested Solutions:
- **Reinstall the Game**: Sometimes files get corrupted. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the game to see if that helps.

- **Check for Official Patches**: Look for any available patches from the publisher or Steam. Sometimes, a game-specific update or patch may resolve these issues.

- **Verify Game Files**: Right-click the game in your Steam library, go to **Properties > Local Files**, and click **Verify Integrity of Game Files** to make sure no files are corrupted.

- **Run the Game as Administrator**: Right-click the game’s shortcut and select **Run as Administrator**. This can sometimes bypass issues with permissions that may prevent the game from launching correctly.

- **Disable Steam Overlay**: Disable Steam’s overlay, as it can sometimes interfere with older games. You can do this by right-clicking the game, selecting **Properties**, and unchecking the option to enable the Steam Overlay.

- **Steam Support or Publisher Help**: If the issue persists, consider reaching out to Steam Support or the game's publisher for assistance.

If this issue resonates with you, I’d appreciate your support!:luv:

Thanks Chat GPT.