Epic Game Will Not Launch from Steam, Get It Running Again

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You click “Play” on Steam for a game like Fall Guys or Rocket League, the button flashes “Stop,” and then, seconds later, it reverts to “Play.” Nothing happens. When your Epic game will not launch from Steam, it’s a uniquely frustrating problem because you’re caught between two massive gaming ecosystems that aren’t communicating properly. The good news is that the fix is almost always related to a broken link in that communication chain, and we can repair it.
This guide will walk you through the exact steps to diagnose and fix the handoff failure between Steam and the Epic Games Launcher. We’ll start with the simple resets and move to the more technical fixes that solve over 90% of these launch issues.

At a Glance: Your Troubleshooting Roadmap

  • Understand the Handoff: Learn why Steam needs the Epic Games Launcher to run certain games and where this process typically fails.
  • Master Admin Privileges: Fix the most common cause of launch failures by ensuring both launchers have the permissions they need to communicate.
  • Verify Files the Right Way: Discover why verifying files in Steam often isn’t enough and how to use Epic’s own tool to fix corrupt game data.
  • Clear Corrupted Caches: Resolve authentication stalls by clearing the Epic Launcher’s webcache, a common but often overlooked culprit.
  • Resolve Overlay Conflicts: Stop background apps from blocking your game by systematically disabling interfering overlays from Steam, Discord, and others.
  • Apply Advanced Fixes: Use specific launch arguments and compatibility settings to force the game to run when all else fails.

Why Steam Needs Epic to Launch Your Game

Before diving into fixes, it helps to understand what’s happening—or failing to happen—behind the scenes. When you buy an Epic Games title on the Steam store, you aren’t buying a typical Steam game. You’re essentially buying a license that is authenticated and managed by the Epic Games ecosystem.
The launch sequence is a multi-step handoff:

  1. You click “Play” on Steam. Steam confirms you own the license and initiates the launch command.
  2. Steam calls the game’s primary executable. This isn’t the full game yet; it’s a small wrapper.
  3. The wrapper calls the Epic Games Launcher. This is the critical step. The game needs to check in with Epic’s servers to verify your Epic account, check for updates, and load cloud saves.
  4. Epic authenticates and gives the green light. The Epic Launcher confirms everything is valid and allows the full game engine to load.
    An Epic game will not launch from Steam when any link in this chain is broken. The failure could be a permissions issue, a corrupt file, a stale authentication token, or a conflicting background process. Our job is to find and fix that broken link.

The First Responders: Quick Fixes That Work Surprisingly Often

Always start here. These steps reset the state of both launchers and resolve temporary glitches without requiring deep technical changes.

1. The Simple Restart Sequence

It sounds basic, but a hung process is a frequent cause. Don’t just close the windows; ensure the applications are fully terminated.

  1. Exit Steam Completely: Go to Steam > Exit in the top-left menu. Don’t just click the ‘X’.
  2. Exit Epic Games Launcher: Right-click the Epic icon in your system tray (bottom-right of the taskbar) and select Exit.
  3. Open Task Manager: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc. Look under the “Processes” tab for any remaining instances of Steam.exe, EpicGamesLauncher.exe, or the game’s executable (e.g., FallGuys_client.exe). If you find any, select them and click “End Task.”
  4. Restart Your PC: A full reboot clears out system memory and resolves many hidden conflicts.

2. Grant Administrative Privileges to Both Launchers

This is the single most effective fix. Modern Windows security can prevent one application from launching another without explicit permission. By running both as an administrator, you ensure they have the authority to execute the handoff.
You need to set this permanently, not just for one launch:

  1. For Epic Games Launcher:
  • Type “Epic Games Launcher” into your Start Menu.
  • Right-click the result and choose “Open file location.”
  • In the folder that opens, right-click the EpicGamesLauncher shortcut, and select Properties.
  • Go to the Compatibility tab.
  • Check the box for Run this program as an administrator and click OK.
  1. For Steam:
  • Follow the same steps, but find your Steam shortcut or navigate directly to your Steam installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam).
  • Right-click Steam.exe, go to Properties > Compatibility, and check Run this program as an administrator.
    Now, launch Steam first, then try to launch your game. This elevated permission often solves the problem instantly.

Digging Deeper: File Integrity and Cache Corruption

If the quick fixes didn’t work, the issue likely lies with a corrupt file or a bad piece of cached data that’s blocking the authentication process.

Verifying Game Files: The Epic-Centric Approach

You might be tempted to verify the game files through Steam. While it’s a good habit, for Epic games, Steam often only checks its small launcher file, not the gigabytes of actual game data. The real verification must happen inside the Epic Games Launcher.

  1. Open the Epic Games Launcher (as an administrator).
  2. Go to your Library. You should see the game you installed via Steam listed here.
  3. Click the three-dots menu (…) under the game’s tile.
  4. Select Manage.
  5. Click the Verify button.
    The launcher will now scan all the game files it manages. If it finds anything missing or corrupt, it will automatically redownload and replace it. While verifying files often solves the immediate issue, a host of other launcher-specific problems can mimic this symptom. If verifying doesn’t work, it’s worth reviewing a broader guide to Fix Epic Games not running to rule out more general launcher corruption.

Field Report: The Fall Guys Conundrum
A user reported that Fall Guys would show a brief loading screen then crash when launched from Steam. Verifying files in Steam showed “1 file failed to validate and will be reacquired,” but the problem persisted after every attempt. The solution was to ignore Steam’s verifier and use the Verify function inside the Epic Games Launcher instead. Epic found and replaced a 150 MB corrupt data file, and the game launched perfectly afterward.

Clearing the Epic Webcache

The Epic Launcher uses a webcache to store login data, session tokens, and storefront information—much like a web browser. If this data becomes corrupt, it can prevent the launcher from properly authenticating your account when Steam calls on it. Clearing it is safe and doesn’t affect your installed games or save files.

  1. Completely exit the Epic Games Launcher (use the system tray icon).
  2. Press Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog.
  3. Type %localappdata% and press Enter.
  4. This opens the AppData\Local folder. Find and open the EpicGamesLauncher folder.
  5. Open the Saved folder.
  6. Delete the folder named webcache. Don’t worry, the launcher will recreate it cleanly the next time it starts.
  7. Restart your PC and try launching the game from Steam again.

Advanced Tactics for Stubborn Launch Failures

If you’re still stuck, the conflict may be at a deeper system or graphics level. These steps address issues with display settings, graphics APIs, and conflicting background software.

Disabling Problematic Overlays

Overlays from applications like Steam, Discord, and NVIDIA GeForce Experience inject code into your game to display notifications and features. Sometimes, two or more overlays try to control the game at once, causing it to crash on startup.

  • Steam Overlay: In Steam, go to Settings > In-Game and uncheck “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.” For a less drastic approach, right-click the specific game in your library, go to Properties, and uncheck the same box under the General tab.
  • Epic Games Overlay: The Epic launcher doesn’t have an overlay, but it does have social notifications that can sometimes cause issues. In Epic’s Settings, scroll down to “Desktop Notifications” and uncheck everything.
  • Other Overlays: Temporarily disable overlays from other popular apps like Discord, NVIDIA ShadowPlay/GeForce Experience, and Radeon ReLive. If the game launches, you’ve found the culprit and can re-enable them one by one to isolate the conflict.

Adding Launch Arguments in the Correct Place

Forcing a game to use a specific graphics API (like DirectX 11 instead of 12, or OpenGL) can bypass driver-related launch issues. However, for an Epic game launched from Steam, you must add these arguments in the Epic Games Launcher, not in Steam’s launch options.

  1. Open the Epic Games Launcher.
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Scroll all the way down to the “Manage Games” section.
  4. Find and expand the entry for your game (e.g., Rocket League).
  5. Check the box for Additional Command Line Arguments.
  6. In the text box that appears, try one of the following arguments:
  • -d3d11
  • -OpenGL
    Close the settings and try launching the game from Steam again. This tells the game’s engine to use a different, often more stable, rendering path.

Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

This Windows feature is intended to improve performance for fullscreen games but can occasionally cause compatibility issues, especially in a dual-launcher scenario.

  1. Locate the game’s main .exe file. (You can find this by going to the game in your Epic Library, clicking Manage, and then clicking the folder icon next to “Installation”).
  2. Right-click the game’s primary executable (e.g., RocketLeague.exe).
  3. Select Properties.
  4. Go to the Compatibility tab.
  5. Check the box for Disable fullscreen optimizations.
  6. Click Apply and OK.

Quick Answers to Common Headaches

A few common questions pop up frequently when troubleshooting this specific issue.

Q: Do I need the Epic Games Launcher installed to play an Epic game I bought on Steam?

A: Yes, absolutely. Steam acts as the storefront and initial launcher, but the Epic Games Launcher is required for account authentication, DRM, updates, and managing online services. Think of Steam as holding the ticket, but you still need to go through Epic’s gate to enter the stadium.

Q: Why does the Epic Games Launcher have to open when I launch from Steam?

A: It’s for Digital Rights Management (DRM) and to connect you to Epic’s social and cloud services. The game needs to phone home to the Epic servers to confirm you own it, sync your friends list, and download your cloud saves. The launcher is the software that facilitates this connection.

Q: I tried everything, and my Epic game will not launch from Steam. What’s left?

A: If you’ve exhausted all the steps above, you’re down to the “scorched earth” options. The next logical step is to fully reinstall the game. Make sure you uninstall it from within the Epic Games Launcher or Windows’ “Apps & features” list, not just from Steam. If that fails, a full reinstall of the Epic Games Launcher itself is the final software-side step before considering issues with your Windows installation or hardware drivers.

Q: Can I just add the game’s .exe to Steam as a “Non-Steam Game”?

A: This is a common workaround for other games, but it rarely works for Epic titles. Doing so bypasses the initial Steam-to-Epic authentication handoff, which is a required step. The game will almost certainly fail to launch and give you an authentication error. Stick to the official “Play” button in your Steam library.

Your Action Plan: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Feeling overwhelmed? Use this checklist to work through the solutions methodically. Stop when the game launches successfully.

Phase 1: The Quick Resets

  • [ ] Restart your PC completely.
  • [ ] Set Steam.exe to always run as an administrator.
  • [ ] Set EpicGamesLauncher.exe to always run as an administrator.
  • [ ] Use Task Manager to end all lingering Steam, Epic, and game processes before relaunching.

Phase 2: The Integrity Checks

  • [ ] Verify the game’s files using the tool inside the Epic Games Launcher.
  • [ ] Clear Epic’s webcache folder from %localappdata%.

Phase 3: The Conflict Resolution

  • [ ] Disable the Steam Overlay for the specific game.
  • [ ] Temporarily turn off overlays from Discord, NVIDIA, Radeon, etc.

Phase 4: The Deep Fixes

  • [ ] Add -d3d11 as an additional command line argument in Epic’s settings for the game.
  • [ ] Disable fullscreen optimizations on the game’s .exe file.

Phase 5: The Last Resorts

  • [ ] Fully uninstall and reinstall the game via the Epic Games Launcher.
  • [ ] Fully uninstall and reinstall the Epic Games Launcher.
  • [ ] Check for and install the latest graphics drivers from NVIDIA or AMD.
Yaride Tsuga
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