Fix: Failed to Connect to the Rockstar Games Library Service

You may encounter the ‘Failed to Connect to Rockstar Games Library Service’ error mainly if the Rockstar Games Library service is not enabled. Moreover, the corrupt installation of the game can also cause the issue at hand.

The affected user encounters the error as soon as he opens the launcher. Some affected uses started to get the error right after the game’s installation, whereas other users face it after playing for a long time.

Before proceeding with the troubleshooting process to fix the Rockstar Game Launcher, make sure that the game’s servers are up and running. Moreover, try to clean boot Windows to check for any software conflict. Make sure you are using an updated version of the launcher/game. Furthermore, check if the Windows user account used to launch the game has administrator privileges. You can also open the executable directly in the following path using administrator privileges:

launcher/game/ GTA5.exe/PlayGTAV.exe

Moreover, try to start the game directly from the installation directory (or through launcher if you are having issues when the game is launched directly). Additionally, perform a simple restart to rule out any temporary glitch.

Solution 1: Revert the Disk Drive Letter to Previously Used Letter

You may encounter the error under discussion if you have changed the device drive letter of the hard disk partition where the game was installed; this would have changed the path to the file. In contrast, the launcher/game will try to look to the older path (that consists of the previously used device drive letter). In this case, reverting to the previous letter may solve the issue.

1. Right-click on the shortcut of This PC icon at your desktop and then click on Manage.

   

2. Then in the left pane of the window, click on Disk Management.
3. Now, in the right pane of the window, right-click on the installation disk drive of the game and then click on Change Drive Letter and Paths.

   

4. Then click on the Change button.

   

5. Now, opposite to the option of Assign the Following Drive Letter, open the dropdown and select the previously used letter.

   

6. Then, save your changes and exit Disk Management.
7. Now restart your system and then check if the game is clear of the error.

Solution 2: Enable the Rockstar Game Library Service

Rockstar Games Library Service is essential for the operation of the game. You may encounter the error under discussion if this service is not running in the background (you accidentally disabled it or it got disabled by default through some third-party service). In this case, enabling this service may solve the problem.

1. Right-click on the Windows button and then click on Task Manager.

   

2. Then navigate to the Startup tab.
3. Now select the Rockstar Games Library Service and then click on the Enable button.

   

4. Now restart your system and then check if the game has started to work regularly.
5. If not, press Windows + R keys to bring out the Run command box and type the following:

   services.msc

6. Now find and double-click on the Rockstar Game Library Service.
7. Change the Startup type to Manual and then click on the Start button.

   

8. If you cannot start the service after changing the startup type to Automatic, then set the startup type to Manual and restart your system.
9. Upon restart, check if the game is working fine.

Solution 3: Edit the System’s Registry to Fix the Path Issue

You may encounter the error at hand if the game’s path to the exe file is not in quotes in the corresponding registry value. In this scenario, changing the registry value of the path through the registry editor may solve the problem.

Warning: Proceed at your own risk as editing registry requires a certain level of expertise, and if done wrong, you may severely damage your system and data.

1. Press Windows key and in the search bar, type Registry Editor. Then in the search results, right-click on Registry Editor and click on Run as Administrator.

   

2. Now navigate to the following path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Rockstar Service

3. Then edit the key “ImagePath” and make sure its path value is inside the quotes.
4. Save your changes and exit the registry editor.
5. Now restart your system and then check if the game is clear of the error.

Solution 4: Uninstall the Social Club Application

Social Club is installed with the game but is not vital for the actual gameplay. Instead, it can create the issue under discussion if its installation has corrupted. Sometimes a new update of the game may break the dependencies between the Social Club application and the game, which can also be the cause of the Library Service error. In this context, uninstalling Social Club may solve the problem.

1. Press the Windows key and in the search bar, type Control Panel. Then in the search results shown, click on Control Panel.

   

2. Now, click on Uninstall a Program.

   

3. Then right-click on Social Club and then click on Uninstall.

   

4. Now, restart your system.
5. Upon restart, open file explorer and navigate to the Social Club folder. Usually, it is located at:

   %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\

6. Now, backup the Rockstar Games’ folder to a safe location.
7. Then delete the Launcher folder and Social Club folder.
8. Now restart your system and then check if the game is operating fine.
9. If not, manually download and install the Social Club application and then check if the game is clear of the error.

Solution 5: Reinstall the Game

If nothing has helped you so far, then the issue may have been caused by the corrupt installation of the game. In this scenario, reinstalling the game may solve the problem.

For Non-Steam Version

1. Exit the launcher and kill all of its running processes through the Task Manager.
2. Uninstall Social Club, as discussed in Solution 4.
3. Press Windows key and in the search box, type Control Panel. Then in the search results shown, click on Control Panel. Then click on Uninstall a Program.
4. Now right-click on Grand Theft Auto V and then click on Uninstall.

   

5. Then restart your system.
6. Upon restart, open File Explorer and navigate to the following paths and delete all the files including folders present in the folder::

   C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\
   
   %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTAV
   
   %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Rockstar
   
   %temp%"

For Steam Version

1. Open Steam and navigate to Library. Right-click on GTA V and then click on Uninstall.

   

2. Exit Steam and restart your system.
3. Upon restart, open File Explorer to navigate to the following path and Delete all the files/folders in this folder.

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\

4. Follow Step 6 of the Non-Steam version to delete the related files/folders.

Now reinstall the launcher/game and check if it is clear of the error.  Moreover, if you are trying to install the game on a drive that is not a system drive, you may also face problems with the installation. In this case, try to install the game on the system drive.

If you are still having issues with the game, then try to change your password of the Social Club website to rule out any problem with your linked account.