How To Reinstall Game In Steam

How to Reinstall a Game in Steam

Okay, so your favorite game on Steam is acting up? Maybe it’s not starting, or maybe it’s just glitching like crazy. Sometimes the easiest fix is to just reinstall it. Don’t worry, it’s not as scary as it sounds! It’s like giving your game a fresh start, wiping away any problems it might have picked up along the way. This guide will show you exactly how to reinstall a game on Steam, step by step, so you can get back to playing in no time. We’ll also cover some common reasons why you might need to reinstall a game and what to do if things get tricky.

Why Reinstall a Game? Common Reasons

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s talk about why you might need to reinstall a game in the first place. There are quite a few reasons why this might be the best solution:

• Corrupted Game Files: Sometimes, the files that make up your game can get damaged. This can happen because of a power outage, a computer crash, or even just random glitches. Corrupted files can cause all sorts of problems, like crashes, errors, or the game not starting at all.
• Installation Errors: If the game didn’t install correctly the first time around, it can cause problems. Reinstalling can fix errors that happened during the initial setup process.
• Mod Conflicts: If you’ve been adding mods to your game, sometimes they can clash with each other or with the game itself. Reinstalling can get rid of all the mods and give you a clean, vanilla version to start with.
• Troubleshooting Game Issues: When you’ve tried other fixes for a game problem and nothing else works, reinstalling can be a simple way to rule out many issues and get back to a working state.
• Freeing Up Space: While reinstalling doesn’t usually free up space (unless you’re installing on a different drive), if you had some corrupt data or other bad game files, it might help with saving space, or you can choose to install to a different drive with more space.
• Updated Game Versions: Occasionally, a game update might go wrong. When that happens, reinstalling can help fix things and get you on the proper updated version.

Steps to Reinstalling Your Game on Steam

Now, let’s get to the good stuff. Reinstalling a game on Steam is pretty simple, and I’ll break it down into easy steps.

Step 1: Opening Steam and Finding Your Game

First things first, open the Steam application on your computer. Once you’re in, you’ll need to find the game you want to reinstall. You’ll see a list of games on the left side of the Steam window, this is called your library.

If your game isn’t in the list, use the search bar at the top of the screen to find it. Just type the name of the game, and it should pop up.

Step 2: Initiating the Uninstall Process

Once you’ve located the game in your Steam library, right-click on the game’s name. A menu will show up. In that menu, find the “Manage” option. Click it. Then, click on “Uninstall”.

Steam will ask you to confirm that you want to uninstall the game. Confirm your decision by clicking ‘Uninstall’ again in the pop-up window. Don’t worry, your game data (save files, mostly) are sometimes not deleted by this process, but we’ll talk about that a bit later.

Step 3: Starting the Reinstallation

After the game has finished uninstalling, you’ll notice that in your library the game will show as if it’s uninstalled. Now that it’s uninstalled, click the game’s name in the library again. This will take you to a screen where you can install the game. Click the “Install” button.

Step 4: Selecting Installation Options

After clicking install, a window will appear asking where to install the game. You can select your drive here. If you have a fast drive like an SSD, it’s better to install the game there to speed up game loading times.

Once you’ve picked your location, you can also select if you want to create a shortcut and other things. Once done, hit “Next”. Steam will then download the necessary files for the game. It may take some time, depending on your internet speed and the size of the game.

As the download progresses, you can see the download progress in the ‘Downloads’ section of your steam application, generally found at the bottom of the screen, or you can pause the download if needed.

Step 5: Launching Your Reinstalled Game

Once the download is complete, you’ll be able to play the game again. If the game does not launch automatically, you can start playing by pressing the “Play” button on the games library page.

What About My Save Files?

A very important question when reinstalling a game is what happens to your game saves. Typically, when you uninstall a game through Steam, your local save files are usually not deleted. Steam games saves are saved in different locations, some use Steam cloud, others are saved locally on the hard drive, and a small amount are saved on the game’s own servers.

Steam Cloud Saves

Many modern games use Steam Cloud to store your saves. This means your game progress is stored on Steam’s servers. When you reinstall a game that uses Steam Cloud, your saved games will usually download and sync automatically. This is usually a hands-off process that you don’t have to worry about.

Local Save Files

Some games don’t use Steam Cloud, so their saves are stored on your computer, usually in the game’s install directory, or in a folder like “My Documents” or “Appdata”. These will sometimes be deleted when you uninstall the game. While that is usually not the case, they can sometimes be removed. Here are some locations on windows where save games are often stored:

• My Documents: Look in your “Documents” folder for a folder with the game’s name or publisher’s name.
• Appdata: In the file explorer, type %appdata% and hit enter. Find a folder for the game, or publisher.
• The Games install Directory: Look in the directory where the game was previously installed for a “save”, “saves” or “data” folder.

If you’re worried about losing your save files, it’s a good idea to back them up manually before uninstalling the game. Simply copy the save folder to a safe location, such as a USB drive or external hard drive. You can copy it back to it’s original location once the game has been reinstalled, but this is generally only needed for games that do not use Steam Cloud.

Server Side Save Games

Some online games store their save data on the game’s servers, this means that your saves will be safe no matter what you do to the game or your computer. You don’t have to worry about loosing your saves for those types of games.

What If Reinstallation Doesn’t Work?

Sometimes, even after reinstalling a game, you still have problems. If this happens, don’t worry, there are still more things you can try. Here are some common issues and how to address them.

Checking System Requirements

First, double-check that your computer meets the game’s minimum system requirements. Sometimes games will cause issues if your computer hardware isn’t powerful enough to play the game. If your computer does not meet the requirements of the game, you might have to upgrade or try to play the game at lower graphical settings, or a lower resolution.

Updating Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers can also cause problems. You should make sure that you have the latest graphics drivers installed for your graphics card. You can usually download these from your graphics card manufacturers website like Nvidia or AMD.

Verifying Game Files

Steam has a built-in tool to check the game’s files for any errors, this tool will try to redownload and fix any corrupt files that were missed in the reinstallation process. To do this, right-click on the game in your library, select “Properties,” go to the “Local Files” tab, and click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files.” This will tell Steam to check the games files, and correct anything that is wrong.

Running Steam as Administrator

Sometimes, running Steam as an administrator can help fix problems. To do this, close Steam completely, right-click on the Steam shortcut, and select “Run as administrator.”

Checking for Conflicting Software

Some programs running in the background can interfere with games. These programs could be anything from anti-virus, to some other game launcher that are running in the background. Try closing unnecessary applications before you launch the game.

Checking Your Firewall

Firewalls are often needed, but sometimes they can interfere with some applications or games. Make sure that the game you are trying to play is allowed through the firewall, or that your firewall is not blocking steam completely.

Seeking Help From Game Forums or Steam Support

If none of the above fixes the problem, it might be a unique issue with that game, or your specific computer. You might be able to find solutions online for that specific issue, so it’s a good idea to check the game’s forums on Steam, Reddit, or other sites. If you’re still stuck, you can also reach out to Steam Support for help. They have people who can help you with technical issues.

Important Tips for a Smooth Reinstallation

To make the reinstall process go as smoothly as possible, here are some extra tips:

• Close other programs: Before uninstalling and reinstalling, close down other programs that may be using up resources. This will make the process faster and smoother.
• Check your internet connection: Make sure you have a good internet connection. A fast internet connection will make the reinstallation process faster.
• Don’t Interrupt the Process: While Steam is downloading and reinstalling the game, don’t pause the process, or shut down the computer. Let it complete without interruption to avoid errors.
• Be Patient: Depending on the game’s size and your internet speed, the download and installation may take a while. Just be patient, and let the process finish.

Reinstalling a game is a great way to fix many of those annoying game issues. By following these simple steps and tips, you should be able to reinstall any game on Steam and get back to playing in no time.

Hopefully this guide has helped you! Now go get back to playing those games!