How to Fix CS:GO Not Launching on Steam (2023)

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive may not launch due to corruption of the Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) repository, in which case you can resolve the issue by resetting the repository. While this is a common cause for the game not launching at all, there are other factors that can come into play as well.

This can include the antivirus program installed on your computer, which is preventing the game process from starting, and the interference of other third-party programs, to mention a few. Regardless of the cause of the issue, we will guide you through several methods in this article that will assist in isolating the problem, covering a wide range of potential causes.

1. Reset the WMI repository.

The first thing you should do when troubleshooting the problem in question is to reset the Windows Management Instrumentation repository. WMI is essentially an infrastructure in the Windows operating system that is used for data management and operations. It can serve various purposes, such as the management of devices or apps in a network.

In some cases, corruption or damage to the WMI repository can cause CSGO not to launch at all. In such a scenario, you will need to reset the WMI repository and start afresh. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Start Menu and search for Command Prompt. Click the “Run as administrator” option on the right-hand side.

   

2. In the command prompt window, enter the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:

   net stop winmgmt
   winmgmt /standalonehost
   winmgmt /resetrepository

   

3. Once you do that, restart your computer.
4. After your PC boots, open CSGO and see if the problem occurs.

2. Run Steam as an admin.

Another potential cause of CS:GO not launching could be insufficient permissions for the game process in the Windows environment. This can happen when third-party programs, such as security software, interfere with the game.

In such a scenario, you will need to run the game with elevated privileges. You can achieve this by opening the Steam client as an administrator. Once you do that, any processes started by the Steam client will also inherit elevated privileges, and the game should be able to run without any issues.

Follow the instructions below to do this:

1. First, open the Start Menu and search for Steam.
2. After that, click the ‘Run as administrator‘ option on the right-hand side to open Steam with admin privileges. Alternatively, you can right-click on the Steam option and choose ‘Run as administrator‘ from the drop-down menu.

   

3. Click Yes on the User Account Control dialog box. 
4. Finally, open CSGO to see if the game launches.

3. Use auto-configuration.

Custom configurations for CSGO are pretty common. Most users have their own configuration with their own settings that allow them to configure the game according to their requirements. However, in some cases, using a custom configuration can lead to potential issues.

This can happen when your custom config file is either corrupted or damaged, causing the game to not launch at all. In such a scenario, you will have to revert to the game defaults to see if that fixes the issue for you. To do this, follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Steam client on your computer.
2. In your Steam client, go to the Games Library and right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
3. From the drop-down menu, choose Properties.

   

4. In the Properties window, locate the Launch Options field. Type in -autoconfig and close the Properties window.

   

5. In addition, if you are executing your custom config via the launch options, make sure to remove the specific launch option.
6. Once you do that, open Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and see if that fixes the issue.

4. Disable joystick support.

In some scenarios, the issue can also arise due to the peripherals attached to your computer. A popular example of this would be the Anne Pro 2 keyboard, which prevents the game from launching at all. If you have additional peripherals attached to your computer, you will need to disable joystick support in CSGO via the launch options.

To do this, follow the instructions down below:

1. Start by opening the Steam client on your computer.
2. In your games library, right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and choose Properties from the drop-down menu.

   

3. After that, in the properties window, type -nojoy in the Launch Options field.

   

4. Close the Properties window and open CSGO.
5. See if that fixes the issue.

5. Run in Compatibility Mode.

Another common cause for CSGO not launching at all is the game’s compatibility with your computer. If the game faces any compatibility issues on your computer, it will not be able to launch at all.

In such a scenario, you will need to launch the game in compatibility mode to fix the issue. To do this, you will have to access the properties of the CSGO executable file. Follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Steam client on your computer.
2. Then, right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in the games Library and choose Manage > Browse Local Files.

   

3. This will open a File Explorer window. 
4. Locate the csgo.exe file and right-click on it. Choose Properties from the drop-down menu.
5. In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab.
6. After that, tick the Run this program in compatibility mode for checkbox.

   

7. From the drop-down menu, choose Windows 7 and click Apply.
8. Once you do that, open the game to see if the problem persists.

6. Reinstall DirectX

DirectX is an important piece of software on your Windows machine that allows games to communicate with the graphics card and audio hardware on your computer. When you install CSGO, DirectX is installed by Steam by default so that you can the game without any issues.

However, in some cases, this installation can become corrupted, preventing the game from launching at all. In such a scenario, you will need to reinstall DirectX on your computer. Steam provides the required DirectX version installer in the CSGO installation directory, should you encounter any similar issues in the future.

Follow the instructions below to reinstall DirectX:

1. First, open the Steam client on your system.
2. After that, in the games library, right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and choose Manage > Browse Local Files.

   

3. In the File Explorer window that opens, locate the dx_installer folder.

   

4. Open the folder and run the dxsetup.exe file.

   

5. Wait for DirectX to install, and then open CSGO to see if the issue still persists.

7. Remove the antivirus.

Third-party security programs are known to cause various issues with the games on your computer. This happens when the security program is overprotective and stops any game processes due to a false positive.

If you are using a third-party security program on your computer, you will need to uninstall it from your system to determine if that resolves the issue. To do this, you must open the Control Panel window. Follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Start menu and search for the Control Panel. Then, open it up.

   

2. In the Control Panel window, click on the Uninstall a program option.

   

3. This will show you a list of all the installed programs on your computer.
4. Locate the antivirus program and double-click on it to uninstall it from your system.
5. Once you’ve removed your antivirus program, open CS:GO and see if the issue still occurs.

8. Disable the Xbox Game Bar.

Xbox Game Bar is a built-in feature in Windows that allows you to capture your gaming moments automatically. This eliminates the need for third-party programs to clip any in-game moments.

Using the Xbox Game Bar can sometimes prevent games from launching at all, as it interferes with the game process. In such a scenario, you will need to disable the Xbox Game Bar through the Windows Settings app. Follow the instructions below to do this:

1. First of all, press the Win key + I on your keyboard to open the Settings app. 
2. In the Settings app, navigate to Gaming > Xbox Game Bar.

   

3. After that, use the slider provided to turn off Xbox Game Bar.

   

4. Then, go back to the Gaming tab and navigate to Captures.
5. In the Captures section, disable the Record what happened option.

   

6. Once you do that, open CS:GO and see if the game still isn’t launching.

9. Reinstall the graphics drivers.

The graphics driver on your computer plays a vital role when it comes to gaming. This is because the graphics driver acts as a bridge of communication between the processes on your system and the graphics card installed on your motherboard.

In some cases, the graphics drivers can become corrupted or damaged due to a Windows Update or another inconsistency. In such a scenario, you will need to reinstall the graphics drivers on your computer to resolve the issue.

To uninstall the graphics drivers, you can use a third-party utility such as Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU). One of the advantages of using DDU is that it removes every trace of your current drivers from your computer, allowing you to perform a fresh installation of new drivers.

Follow the instructions below to reinstall your graphics drivers.

1. First, download the latest version of Display Driver Uninstaller from the official website by clicking here.
2. Extract the downloaded file to any location on your computer.
3. Navigate to the extracted folder and open the Display Driver Uninstaller.exe file.
4. Once DDU opens, you will be shown the General Options box. Click Continue to proceed.

   

5. Now, choose GPU from the Select device type drop-down menu.

   

6. After that, choose your graphics card manufacturer from the Select device drop-down menu.

   

7. Finally, click the Clean and restart option to uninstall your graphics drivers.

   

8. After your PC boots up, head to your graphics card manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers available.
9. Install the new drivers on your computer. 
10. Once you do that, open CSGO and see if the game launches. 

10. Perform a clean boot.

Another potential cause for CSGO not launching can be the interference of third-party programs on your computer. This occurs when the third-party programs running in the background on your computer interfere with the game files, causing the game not to launch at all.

In such a scenario, you will need to perform a clean boot to see if that fixes the issue. A clean boot starts your computer with only the required Windows services running in the background, disabling all third-party programs.

If the game opens up in a clean boot, it will be evident that the problem is caused by a third-party program. If this is the case, you can enable the services one by one to find the culprit. Follow the instructions below to perform a clean boot:

1. First, open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R on your keyboard.
2. In the Run dialog box, type in msconfig and hit Enter.

   

3. This will open a System Configuration dialog box.
4. Switch to the Services tab and check the ‘Hide all Microsoft services‘ checkbox.

   

5. After that, click on the Disable all button and hit Apply.

   

6. Once you do that, switch to the Startup tab and click on the Open Task Manager option.

   

7. In the Task Manager window, select the apps one by one and click the Disable button.

   

8. Finally, restart your computer to perform a clean boot.
9. After your PC boots up, open Steam and launch CS:GO. Check if the issue still persists.
10.  In case the problem goes away, begin enabling the services one by one to determine which program is causing the issue.

11. Reinstall the CSGO game.

Finally, if none of the above methods have fixed the issue for you, it is very likely that the problem is caused by the installation files on your computer. This can happen when the installation files of CSGO are either corrupted or damaged. In such a scenario, you will have to delete the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive folder in the Steam library and then reinstall CSGO.

To do this, follow the instructions down below:

1. First, open the File Explorer window.
2. Navigate to the directory where CSGO is installed.
3. After that, delete the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive folder.

   

4. Now, open the Steam client on your computer.
5. Navigate to the Games library and right-click on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
6. From the drop-down menu, choose Manage > Uninstall.

   

7. After the game has been uninstalled, start downloading it again.
8. See if that fixes the issue.