Steam says the game is "running" but it doesn't run!

[bandaid]

Hello, hello! I got Project Zomboid about a week ago to play with my friends, and until now, it's been running perfectly with good fps and minimal lag and such! However, yesterday my game crashe completely, and when I attempted to start it back up again, it wouldn't launch. I currently have the game on steam, and when I hit the 'launch' button, it shows me that my game is running, but the game never actually pops up, and it doesn't appear in my task manager, which leaves me to believe that it doesn't launch at all. Things I've tried:

• Signing out/back into steam
• updating drivers, windows, etc.
• Running PZ as admin
• Running Steam as admin
• verifying files
• uninstalling + reinstalling the game

So far, nothing has worked. :( All my other steam games work just fine, so I'm assuming it's a problem solely with PZ. I really want to be able to play with my friends again, so any and all advice is appreciated!

Edited July 10, 2024 by bandaid

[Beard]

Can you try using the "Alternate launch" option when launching the game through Steam? If the game fails to start again, can you share your console.txt file, found in C:\Users\YourUserName\Zomboid?

[Aslam23]

Reinstalling Windows helped me. Sometimes Steam bugs out and says a game is running when it’s not. I’ve had this happen with Dota 2 before. What usually works for me is to open the Task Manager, find the game process, and manually end it. After that, I can relaunch the game without issues. If you’re dealing with Dota 2 frustrations, consider using a service like this https://eloboss.net/dota2-boosting to boost your MMR while you sort out the technical stuff. They can handle the grind while you focus on fixing these annoying issues. Also, ensure your game files are verified through Steam; sometimes a corrupted file can cause this problem.

Edited August 25, 2024 by Aslam23

[Capulessa]

Hey, I totally get where you're coming from! I remember when I first started with Fortnite, getting stomped left and right felt like part of the game. I even once rage-quit after an embarrassing loss in front of my friends. Anyway, if you’re really looking for something that gives you an edge, I stumbled upon this site a while back: fortnite cheat . It's pretty under the radar, so you won't have to worry about getting caught as long as you use it smartly. Just don’t go overboard—you want to still have fun, right?

Edited October 17, 2024 by Capulessa

[VeresBenedek]

It sounds like you're dealing with a game launch issue. Try deleting the "Project Zomboid" folder in your Steam user data directory (Steam\userdata[your Steam ID]\108600) and then try launching the game again. If that doesn't work, consider checking for any background processes blocking the game or reinstalling Steam itself.