Is GOG Galaxy failing to launch or establish a connection with Steam for you? If yes, you are not alone; we know how frustrating it is. Whether it’s difficult launching the app or not being able to connect to Steam, these can be resolved. In this article, we will explore solutions to know what to do when GOG Galaxy is not launching or connecting to Steam.
Fix GoG Galaxy not launching or connecting to Steam
If GOG Galaxy is not launching or connecting to Steam, execute the solution mentioned before.
- Restart GOG Galaxy and Steam
- Reset winsock
- Allow GOG Galaxy and Steam through the firewall
- Enable Directplay
- Launch Game outside GOG Galaxy
- Repair Broken code
Let’s get started.
1] Restart GOG Galaxy and Steam
We all know how gaming-related apps can encounter temporary glitches or errors that prevent proper functioning. Restarting GOG Galaxy and Steam can not only reset the states and clear out temporary issues but also refresh, reestablish the connection, clear out accumulated memory, and apply updates. To do the same, open Task Manager, right-click on the GOG Galaxy, and select End Task. Do the same with Steam, then re-open both apps and retry.
2] Reset winsock
Resetting winsock can help resolve connectivity issues if this is causing the launching or connectivity issues within GOG Galaxy. When we reset winsock, temporary glitches or misconfigurations that cause communication problems between the computer and the Internet will be cleared out.
Click Win+ R to open the Run dialog box, type cmd to open the Command Prompt, and hit the Ctrl + Shift + Enter button.
Now, select Yes when the UAC prompt appears
Run the following command.
netsh winsock reset
Restart the device, GOG Galaxy, and Steam, and then check whether the issue is resolved or not.
3] Allow GoG Galaxy and Steam through the firewall
One of the most common reasons behind any game launcher or game not launching is interference by the antivirus software and firewall. They are notorious for blocking incoming and outgoing connections from the app. If GOG Galaxy or Steam are being blocked by the firewall, they won’t be able to establish connections with their servers or each other. Therefore, we recommend allowing both GOG Galaxy and Steam through the firewall. Also, allow Steam though Firewall.
4] Enable Directplay
In this solution, we recommend enabling DirectPlay as GOG Galaxy and Steam rely on various system components and libraries to function properly, including DirectX to prevent compatibility issues. In some cases, older games also require DirectPlay to work properly for networking functionalities or other features. DirectPlay is a legacy component of DirectX, Microsoft’s collection of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for handling multimedia tasks in games and other apps.
To enable it,
- Click Win+R to open the Run dialog box, type the following, and hit the Enter button.
appwiz.cpl
- To directly open the Window in the snapshot, click the Turn Windows features on or off, and click the drop-down menu of the Legacy component.
- Select the DirectPlay option, and hit the OK button to save the changes.
Now, check if the issue persists.
5] Launch the Game outside GOG Galaxy
We also recommend launching the game outside of GOG Galaxy as a temporary workaround when experiencing GPG Galaxy not launching or connecting to Steam. To directly launch the game executable file and bypass GOG Galaxy, open File Explorer, then the GOG game data folder, and click the executable file for the game that you want to open. we can determine if the issues lie specifically with GOG Galaxy or if it’s due to the game itself. If the game launches successfully outside of GOG Galaxy, then move on to the next solution.
6] Repair Broken code
The issue also stems from an outdated community integration implementation within Galaxy, leaving it ineffective. However, the bigger issue is not this, it is CDPR leaving it in the same condition, and not prioritizing replacing the malfunctioning code. And that’s what we are going to do in this solution.
- Properly log out of GOG Galaxy and quit all the related tasks from the Task Manager.
- Now, navigate to the following address to open the plug-in folder:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\GOG.com\Galaxy\plugins\installed\steam_ca27391f-2675-49b1-92c0-896d43afa4f8
- Delete the content in it; however, don’t do anything to the folder, and keep it for the next steps.
- Download the updated version of the community integration from github.com, and now, dump it in the same folder where we removed its content.
- Launch GOG Galaxy, log in, and now, set up the Steam integration.
Hopefully, there won’t be any error stopping you from doing so.
Read: Best Free Game Launchers for Windows PC
Can I launch GOG games through Steam?
Unfortunately, you cannot use games you have purchased on GOG in Steam. Each game on Steam has a unique code exclusive to the platform. However, if the game you want to play from GOG is also free on Steam, then you can play it there. Otherwise, you will need to purchase it again for use on the Steam platform.
Read: GOG Galaxy is not tracking my Game Play Time
Is GOG better than Steam?
When deciding whether to choose GOG or Steam, you should take into consideration factors such as your preferences regarding DRM, game availability, pricing, community features, and additional services. If you value games that are free of DRM, GOG might be a better option for you.
Also Read: Can’t install games on GOG Galaxy.
