Game does not launch from Steam

[CellarFiend]

Happily played many hours of EU4 on Steam, but now EU4 refuses to launch from Steam. The same is true of HOI4 as well. I have not changed anything recently, other than the purchase of some DLC for HOI4. In fact EU4 was working happily this morning and now does not!

I click the green PLAY button from library in Steam. Up pops the diaglog attached and I click Play.. Something happens (button in Steam changes from Play to Running) briefly. Then the button changes back to Play and nothing further happens.

I have tried the following steps:


- uninstall Paradox Launcher v2 from the Windows "Apps and features" utility, if still present.

Delete the following folders if still present:

- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Roaming/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/

Deleted the following file:
C:\Users\{userName}\Documents\Paradox Interactive\Europa Universalis IV\launcher-v2.sqlite

- exit the Steam app entirely
- run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user
- run the game from the PLAY button in Steam

This seems to cause the launcher to re-install, but does not solve the issue.

 

[AndrewT]

From what you say this is a launcher problem, not a game issue. If you run eu4.exe and hoi4.exe directly from file explorer, do they start okay?

In this folder are some .log files:
C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
Please attach them here.
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

 

[CellarFiend]

HOI4 runs OK from the .exe. However running eu4.exe generates the following error (Steam is definitely running on my machine) - see attached file. Logs also attached.

 

[AndrewT]

However running eu4.exe generates the following error (Steam is definitely running on my machine) - see attached file

That is normal for EU4 when run that way. When you OK that message does the game start up alright?


We see no significant errors in those logs. That you can launch the games but the launcher cannot, usually an antivirus app is getting in the way. What antivirus app do you use? You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

hoi4.exe and dowser.exe (in the Steam HOI4 folder)
C:/users/{username}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2023.16/paradox launcher.exe
C:/users/{username}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

IF that doesn't help, also set each of those .exe files (EXCEPT hoi4.exe !) to run as the Windows Admin user.

Then the game should run from Steam/our launcher, and enable all the DLCs.

 

[CellarFiend]

I have finally got it to work. Kind of.

However, I had to uninstall the launcher again (for about the fifth time) and when it asked me to update the launcher I ignored it. So for me it works if and only if I use version launcher-v2.2022.9. This seems to be the default when you install via Steam.

However, if you exit EU4 it seems to automagically upgrade the launcher. So for this 'fix' to work I have to uninstall the launcher every time I want to play eu4!


When it updates the launcher it installs launcher-v2.2023.16 and then launching from Steam does not work again.

The issue seems to be with launcher-v2.2023.16.

 

[grotaclas]

Which OS do you use? Recent launcher versions don't support older windows versions anymore:

Update on Paradox Game Launcher's support on Windows 7, 8 & 8.1

Hello everyone! Last week, we deployed version 2023.14 of the Paradox Game Launcher. With this version we are no longer supporting Windows 7, 8, and 8.1. We wanted to give you all some more information on how this decision came about and what it...

forum.paradoxplaza.com

 

[CellarFiend]

Ah ha! thank you. Yes my OS is old, but since the launcher does not add anything useful I think this is bit....
Anyway the workaround on the post you linked to works. So hurrah for that. Thank you again.

 

[AndrewT]

Ah ha! thank you. Yes my OS is old, but since the launcher does not add anything useful I think this is bit....

Well, Steam will stop supporting obsolete Windows versions too, next month I believe. There's no reason for the launcher to support them after that!