GTA 5 Not Launching: Here’s How To Fix It [2023 Quick Guide]

Many players met the GTA 5 not opening problem, so the first check should be your GPU driver ✅

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Many players are encountering GTA 5 not launching, which is preventing them from playing the game.

‘GTA 5 not opening’ usually occurs when players click the Play button in Steam or other launchers like Epic Games or Rockstar launchers. Also, the players have reported that GTA 5 won’t launch after mods that were installed on their PCs.

The launching issues can appear on different devices and platforms. Mostly, GTA 5 is not launching on Windows 11 and Windows 10 (including the launchers: Steam, Epic Games, and Rockstar), and also on Xbox One.

Why is GTA 5 not launching?

In general, GTA 5 won’t launch because of out-of-date graphics drivers, but there is not a singular answer to this inquiry, so you should take into consideration different aspects to fix the issue. Namely, GTA 5 would not open due to:

  • outdated graphics driver
  • corrupted game file
  • even incompatible OS
  • antivirus protection

💬 We appreciate how valuable your time is, which is why we created this article with the goal of saving you 10 minutes by giving you the necessary information. You’ll save time, learn valuable information, and find the exact solution to fix GTA 5 not launching by reading our article.

How to fix GTA 5 not launching on PC?

To fix GTA V not launching on PC, you can try to update the GPU drivers, verify the game files, run the game as administrator, turn off your antivirus software for a couple of minutes, or, in a dire situation, reinstall the game.

The best solutions to this problem are:

  1. Update GPU drivers
  2. Verify the game files
  3. Run the game as an administrator
  4. Turn off antivirus protection
  5. Disable your NVIDIA Drivers
  6. Reinstall Grand Theft Auto 5

1. Update GPU drivers

Time needed: 5 minutes

One of the best solutions to fix GTA 5 Not Launching is to update your GPU drivers because they directly affect the game’s performance.

  1. Click on Device Manager from the Windows taskbar button.
    click on Windows device manager

  2. Go to Display adapters and right-click on your graphics driver.

  3. Now, click on Update driver.
    Update GPU driver

  4. Choose Search automatically for drivers.
    Update drivers - Search automatically for drivers

  5. Restart your PC to complete the process.

As an alternative, you can also utilize a dedicated driver updating software that will scan your PC and update old drivers with their official manufacturer version. Outbyte Driver Updater is the most suitable method to resolve all your driver issues 100% automatically.

Get Outbyte Driver Updater

2. Verify the game files

When you verify the game files, you ensure that they are not damaged or corrupted, and by doing so, your system will attempt to repair any possible problem with them in no time.

  1. Open the Steam client and go to Library.
  2. Then, right-click on the game in the library and click Properties.
    click on game properties
  3. Switch to the Local Files tab.
  4. Finally, click on Verify integrity of game files.
    Verify Integrity of Game File
  5. If there are corrupted files, proceed to fix them.

3. Run the game as an administrator

Running the game as an administrator is the oldest trick in the book, but instead of doing it all the time by right-clicking it, you can just set it permanently to open with administrator rights.

  1. Right-click on Steam and click Properties.
  2. Navigate to the Compatibility tab and check Run this program as an administrator.
    Check the box Run this program as an administrator
  3. Click on the Apply button and OK to close the window.
  4. Open Steam and try to launch your game now.

4. Turn off antivirus protection

Your antivirus might be blocking important features of GTA 5, thus by disabling your antivirus for a few minutes might allow the game to properly launch.

  1. Access Windows Security in the Windows Search box.
    Dishonored 2 Crashing
  2. Select the Virus & threat protection menu.
  3. Click on Manage settings and turn off Real-time protection.
  4. If you need to accept it, click Yes on the prompted window.

5. Disable your NVIDIA Drivers

Sometimes NVIDIA drivers are malfunctioning in concordance with your other windows drivers, thus creating compatibility errors. To get rid of this problem you can either Disable NVIDIA drivers and later reinstall them. Here’s how you can do it:

  1. Open Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Device Manager or press Windows Key + R and type devmgmt.msc
  2. Once you opened Device Manager look for Display adapters
  3. Right Click on the NVIDIA driver and press Disable Device

6. Reinstall Grand Theft Auto 5

This solution might take a while, this is why it is the last one listed. However, it might be your only option to get rid of faulty game files and to be able to play the game.

  1. Open Control Panel > Programs
  2. Look for GTA 5, right click on it and press uninstall
  3. Additionally, to ensure that you uninstalled the game properly you can use a third party cleaning program.

🪄 BONUS Solutions that might work

In case the solutions above didn’t work out for you, make sure to check all the workarounds below:

  • Verify your game cache.
  • Make sure that you have the latest versions of C++ and DirectX installed on your PC.
  • Verify if the program is being installed in Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club directory.
  • If you are stuck on loading, auto-sign-in may have failed. Press the Home key and see if you can log in manually.

🔃 Social Club failed to initialize or load

In order to fix this issue follow the tips below from Rockstar: The most common cause for these errors is an incorrect installation of Social Club. If you are receiving launching bugs, we recommend uninstalling Social Club and then reinstalling it manually.

First, be sure GTAV is not running in the background. Open the Task Manager and end the following processes if they are running (right-click the process and click End Process).

  • GTA5.exe
  • PlayGTAV.exe
  • GTAVLauncher.exe

Also, ensure you have administrator rights on your computer. Run the Social Club Installation application as an administrator by right-clicking the application and choosing “Run as Administrator.”

How to Fix GTA 5 not opening when clicking on the launcher? 

In order to resolve GTA 5 not launching on the Rockstar launcher, you need to try a couple of different fixes like running the game in administrator mode or checking if the Rockstar launcher servers are up

How to fix GTA 5 not launching Xbox One?

A practical solution to solve launching issues on Xbox One console is to power cycle your device. 

  • To do so, hold the Xbox button on the controller for 10 seconds, and after a short time turn it back on by pressing the Xbox button on the console. 

Related Articles:

In the end, we hope that our workarounds were helpful in order to fix GTA 5 not opening issues, thus letting you enjoy this beloved gameplay.

For other questions or resolutions, you can reach out in the comments below and tell us your feedback.

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30 Comments
  1. Willie says

    Hi Sorry but i dont see the biggest issue yet that lots are having on the net, register game on rockstar, download game then get prompted on loggin for activation again. Code already in use. No way to access game and seems rockstars is not giving a damn.

    1. Denis says

      Have you tried talking to Rockstar Support to help you fix this?

  2. Broski says

    This is my error that show up whenever I start gta PC . The game is loading and just crashes. Error: GTA5.exe has stopped working.
    this is what stands in the launcher.log file
    15-04-14 00:18:46.415] [DISPLAY] Launching game…
    [2015-04-14 00:18:46.416] [DISPLAY] (path: M:\gta5\GTA5.exe cmdline: “M:\gta5\GTA5.exe”)
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.134] [DISPLAY] Game exited with code -2147483645
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.135] [ ERROR ] Unable to stat out-file!
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.135] [ ERROR ] ************************************************************************
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.135] [ ERROR ] * Setting error condition
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.137] [ ERROR ] * Category: 1 (ERRORCATEGORYLAUNCHER)
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.137] [ ERROR ] * Code: 1 (LAUNCHERERRINVALIDOUTFILE)
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.137] [ ERROR ] * Extra:

    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.137] [ ERROR ] * Localised: Launcher error. Code: 7
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.137] [ ERROR ] ************************************************************************
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.138] [ ERROR ] Unable to read out-file!
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.138] [ ERROR ] ************************************************************************
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.138] [ ERROR ] * Setting error condition
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.139] [ ERROR ] * Category: 5 (ERRORCATEGORYEXITCODE)
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.139] [ ERROR ] * Code: 5 (80000003)
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.140] [ ERROR ] * Extra:

    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.140] [ ERROR ] * Localised: Grand Theft Auto V exited unexpectedly.
    Please click Retry below to enter the game again, or click Safe Mode to launch the game with reduced graphics settings.
    If you continue to have problems playing the game, please contact Rockstar Games Customer Service at http://support.rockstargames.com
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.140] [ ERROR ] ************************************************************************
    [2015-04-14 00:18:51.160] [ ERROR ] Unable to clear in-file and out-file!
    [2015-04-14 00:18:53.891] [DISPLAY] Uninitializing.

  3. Bileon says

    this helped me fix the crashes issue on my PC and now i can play the game!

  4. Vinicius says

    The problem im having is that when i start my game the launcher is in offline mode. Rockstar wont help me, so i came here!!!

  5. Denis says

    Try to run the game as administrator(right click Social Club, choose “Run as Administrator”) and also check that the Social Club is installed in the right place—Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club.

  6. Costin says

    After i create my online character, it asks me if i want to skip the tutorial. No matter what i choose, my game crashes. Please i need help 🙁

  7. Button Mash says

    Will this work with the retail version of the game? I know I’ll need to change the directory, but will it?

  8. Mitko says

    Hey I have fps drop I play with 60 fps but when I play 20-30 I get fps drop

  9. punktaveira says

    I had a x64 file corrupted, still downloading it again, will seen in 40 minutes

  10. Harleys99 says

    Does it help with a hardcopy to instead of steam purchased game

  11. Olaf says

    I get this error message, and I don’t know what to do? And are the patches by Rockstar to overcome the windows login name problems automattically installed or do I have to download them from somehere?

    [2015-04-23 09:13:51.967] [ ERROR ] Error opening TM file!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.140] [DISPLAY] Initializing downloader…
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.140] [DISPLAY] Adding patch checks…
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.140] [DISPLAY] Checking for updates…
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.140] [ ERROR ] Error opening TM file!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.171] [DISPLAY] Download complete!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.171] [ ERROR ] Unable to get file version info size for C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\GTA5.exe
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.171] [ ERROR ] Last error: 2 : Het systeem kan het opgegeven bestand niet vinden.

    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.218] [DISPLAY] File version 10000:0 (for C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\PlayGTAV.exe)
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.218] [ ERROR ] Error opening TM file!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.218] [ ERROR ] Error opening TM file!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.249] [DISPLAY] Download complete!
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.249] [DISPLAY] File version 10000:14f0002 (for C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\GTAVLauncher.exe)
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.249] [DISPLAY] Shutting down downloader…
    [2015-04-23 09:13:52.249] [ ERROR ] Error opening TM file!

  12. iz` says

    hi mike. whenever i start GTA online, it says ‘ALERT , unable to download files from rockstar service’ Please help .

  13. musav says

    wow its working

    1. Peter says

      Mine says the servers are down. Don’t know what to do. I can’t even play the offline game either cos it’s a newly bought machine. Thinking of asking for a refund.

  14. dhanz says

    i got program error TIEUP-0034-CHK-B retrieve me

  15. Modey says

    My game crashes in the loading screen
    after i start the game it shows the loading screen for 1 minute the in crashes and shows a massage that says Grand Theft Auto V is not responding
    my graphic card is Amd Radeon HD 8850M

  16. Abhishek SHarma says

    Every time I press Play GTA V it nothing happens, I have see the launcher starting up in Task Manager but then it disappears and nothing happens?

    Here’s my launcher.log
    [2015-05-27 12:19:21.842] [DISPLAY] Using DPI 96
    [2015-05-27 12:19:21.869] [DISPLAY] File version 10000:15e0001 (for C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\GTA5.exe)
    [2015-05-27 12:19:21.883] [DISPLAY] File version 10001:50008 (for C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club\socialclub.dll)
    [2015-05-27 12:19:21.893] [DISPLAY] File version 10000:15e0001 (for C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\GTAVLauncher.exe)
    [2015-05-27 12:19:21.895] [DISPLAY] Version: 1.0.350.1|1.0.350.1|1.1.5.8|1.0.350.1|FFP
    [2015-05-27 12:19:22.367] [DISPLAY] OS version: Major: 6, Minor: 2, Build: 9200, Platform: 2
    [2015-05-27 12:19:24.127] [DISPLAY] File version 10000:15e0001 (for C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockstar Games\Grand Theft Auto V\GTA5.exe)
    [2015-05-27 12:19:24.617] [DISPLAY] Opened options file.
    [2015-05-27 12:19:24.833] [DISPLAY] File version 10001:50008 (for C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club\socialclub.dll)
    [2015-05-27 12:19:24.846] [DISPLAY] Social Club initializing…
    [2015-05-27 12:19:25.221] [DISPLAY] Attempting to create device…
    [2015-05-27 12:19:25.222] [DISPLAY] Attempting to initialise DX9 COM object…
    [2015-05-27 12:19:25.238] [DISPLAY] Window size: 690 x 496
    [2015-05-27 12:19:25.277] [DISPLAY] Successfully created DX Device!
    [2015-05-27 12:19:52.201] [DISPLAY] Uninitializing.

  17. Saumya says

    hi i have the recommended specs to run this game.. when i run it on ultra.. it stutters and frame rates drop and sometime it lags n recovers but sometimes it crashes … i mean no matter what my settings are… from low to ultra these things remain same my monitors refresh rate is at 60hz but the framerates are very inconsistent … i mean i can play the game for like 5 – 10 mins sometimes maybe 15 n then the game either lags n recovers or crashes or stutters for 10 secs then back to 60 fps then stays there for a while then drops the framerates again .. please help …

  18. Fighterlegend says

    gtav executable path not found.please re-install the game.

    Any solutions?

  19. JITHIN REJI says

    When I take setting by pressing esc button the game stops working.please help me to solve this problem.

  20. Gabriel says

    cant download gta 5 help The Rockstar update service is unavailable (code 1) my user name has no abstract characters.

    1. Denis says

      Read the fix that Rockstar posted for this issue here

  21. John says

    My settings don’t save for gta5 for some reason. I have to check off the user agreements everything I open the game and I always have to readjust the settings. Anyone know how to fix this issue?

  22. Spesh says

    I played gta5 PC offline for some time and i went on the iFruit app to buy some customization stuff and when I connected the game online to update my purchases it just wont go past the starting page with stars and shows black screen after that

  23. jeric says

    When I take setting by pressing escape button the game stops working.please help me to solve this problem. please help

  24. Jerry says

    Hi I have a problem in GTA5 the game runs good and al but when i try to open the map it crashes and i have updated my videocard but it still does not work!!! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

  25. saimon says

    hlw guys i have a big prblm..its just like crush!when i click on luncer….nothing happen..nor any black screen nor any notification!!how can i fix it..plz brother..any one help me

  26. Shubham Namasudra says

    Well, i was surprised because it worked and my lag was fixed to a great extent. Thanks Denis for making such posts.

  27. Adhinarayana c says

    GTA V is not working

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