Getting an error code (80) when launching your game on Steam? You’re not alone. Many Steam users have had this issue occurring on their games.
This is very frustrating. You can’t play your game because of this error. But don’t worry. It can be fixed …
Fixes to try
The following are a few methods that have helped many Steam users fix this error. You may not have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
- Restart your computer
- Check the read-only attribute of your Steam folder
- Update your device drivers
- Check for software conflicts
Method 1: Restart your computer
Once you get the error code 80 error, you should first try exiting your Steam client and restarting your computer. Then run your Steam games and see if this gets rid of you error. If it does, great. But if not, there are still three fixes for you to try ….
Method 2: Check the read-only setting of your Steam folder
You may receive the error code 80 because your Steam folder is set to read-only. You should disable this setting and see if this solves your problem.
To check the read-only setting of your Steam folder:
1) Open File Explorer (by pressing the Windows logo key and E on your keyboard), then go to where your Steam client is installed.
2) Right click the Steam folder, then click Properties.
3) Uncheck Read-only, then click OK.
4) Launch your Steam client, then run your game.
Hopefully, this works for you. But if not, there are two more fixes for you to try.
Method 3: Update your device drivers
You may also get your error because you’re using a wrong device driver or it’s out of date. To see if that’s the case for you, you should update your device drivers. If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update your wireless driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy.
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
You can download and install your drivers by using either Free or Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes only 2 clicks (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to each device to download the latest and correct driver for it, then you can manually install it. You can also click the Update All button at the bottom right to automatically update all outdated or missing drivers on your computer (this requires the Pro version — you will be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All).
Method 4: Check for software conflicts
The Steam error code 80 is sometimes caused by interference from other programs. To check if there is any software conflicts, you should perform a clean boot on your computer.
Here’s how to perform a clean boot:
1) Press the Windows log key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run dialog.
2) Type “msconfig” and press Enter on your keyboard.
3) Click the Services tab. Then check Hide all Microsoft services (FIRST) and click Disable all. After that, click OK.
4) Click the Startup tab, then click Open Task Manager.
5) Right click each enabled Startup item, then click Disable. After that, close Task Manager.
6) Click OK.
7) Click Restart.
When you’ve performed a clean boot, launch your Steam client and run your games. If you don’t see the error occurring, follow the steps below to find out the application or service that causes the trouble.
1) Press the Windows log key and R on your keyboard. Then type “msconfig” and press Enter on your keyboard.
2) Click the Services tab. Check Hide all Microsoft services. Then enable any disabled service (by selecting its checkbox) and click OK.
3) Click Restart.
4) Run your game. If you still don’t receive the error, repeat step 9 to 11 until you find out the service that causes the error. If none of these services is the cause, go to the next step.
5) Press the Windows log key and R on your keyboard. Then type “msconfig” and press Enter on your keyboard.
6) Click the Startup tab, then click Open Task Manager.
7) Right click one (only) disabled Startup item, then click Enable. After that, close Task Manager.
16) Click OK and then click Restart.
17) Open your game and check to see if it’s able to run normally. If it is, repeat step 13 to 16 until you find out the startup item that causes the error.