How To Verify Game Files On PC [All Game Clients]

Validate Game Files to Prevent Crashes and Glitches

Is your game crashing or glitching constantly? Maybe some of the game files are missing. When you validate game files, your gaming platform checks if all the files needed for a game are present. If they are not present, then you don’t have to go through the hassle of deleting and re-installing your games. Simply follow along with our article and solve the problem.

A corrupted game file can be one of the reasons why your game tends to crash. To tackle this issue, most game launchers have an inbuilt feature that allows you to validate the integrity of your files. 

Key Takeaways
  • Most of the errors and crashes happen when your files mysteriously either get deleted or get corrupted
  • Instead of having to reinstall the entire game, it’s best to simply validate your game files
  • This process happens through your game clients like Steam, which scans your local game directory and checks for missing or damaged files. Once the scan is complete, it effectively replaces those files with new ones. 
  • This process helps you eliminate any errors or random crashes you’re facing.
  • The process of validating game files can take a while, depending on the size of your game and your storage drive speed.

How to Validate Game Files On Different Clients

Steam

Steam is the most popular gaming platform on the internet. It has a plethora of the most famous games like Grand Theft Auto V, League of Legends, Minecraft, and a lot more.

But if for some reason, you can not play the game smoothly, you can use Steam’s Verify Integrity of Game Files feature to solve the issue. It is recommended that you try this method with your antivirus software disabled. This is because sometimes antivirus software can mistake new files for malicious ones and prevents them from being installed.

Follow the steps below to validate game files:

  1. Launch Steam and open your game Library tab on the top.
  2. Right-click on the game that is misbehaving and choose the Property option.
  3. In the Properties menu, select the Local Files option.
  4. Click on Verify Integrity of game files.
Local Files: Verify Integrity of game files
Verify the integrity of files

Now Steam will validate your game files by comparing them to ones on its server, and replace any that are corrupted or missing. All this happens automatically and may take a few minutes.

EA Play

EA Play’s game file validation system works almost exactly like Steam’s Verify Integrity of Game Files feature. It will automatically repair and replace your damaged or missing files. 

Here is how you will run this feature on EA:

  1. First, open the EA Desktop app.
  2. Then press the ‘My Collection‘ option.
  3. Finally, click on the three dots of the problematic game and then choose the ‘Repair‘ option.
EA File Repair
My Collection: Repair Files

And that’s it for EA, after the process is completed, close EA Desktop and restart the app.

Xbox Windows App

Like the previous two, the Xbox app for Windows will do all the work for you. All you have to do is follow the steps below:

  1. Start by opening your Xbox Desktop app.
  2. Next, select the game you’d like to repair.
  3. Then, press the three dots for more options and click ‘Manage‘.
    Xbox app: Manage files
    Manage files
  4. Now a new window will be opened. Here, you must move to the Files tab.
    Verify/ Repair Files GOG app
    Verify/ Repair Files
  5. Finally, press the Verify And Repair option.
    Verify and Repair files on the Xbox app
    Verify and Repair files
  6. This will open a warning box that warns you that your game files are being relocated to a different destination for installation. Simply press ‘YES‘ to start your game file validation.
    Confirmation for repairing files
    Confirmation

GOG

GOG Galaxy is a renowned platform where you can add all your favorite games and friends onto a single library. 

The following steps will take you through how to fix problems with games on GOG Galaxy :

  1. Start the GOG Galaxy app on your PC and click on Owned Games tab.
  2. Next, you should right-click on the game you’re having problems with and then move your mouse to the Manage Installation option.
  3. This will open more options, so select Verify/ Repair option.
Verify/ Repair Files GOG app
Verify/ Repair Files

When you have completed the above process, GOG Galaxy will repair your game files and hopefully fix them. Lastly, you will exit and restart the GOG app.

Battle.Net

Validating game files on Battle.net from Blizzard Entertainment is extremely simple but don’t miss any steps along the way:

  1. Start Battle.net and press the All Games option on the top of the screen.
  2. Then, locate and click on the My Games option on the left.
  3. Press on the game that is giving you trouble.
  4. Following this, click on the gear icon on the right of the Play or Update box. This will show you a few options from which you will select the Scan and Repair option.
Settings: Scan and repair
Scan and Repair

5. Finally, a popup will appear, prompting you to Begin Scanning or cancel the operation. From the two choices, select Begin Scan.

Begin validating files on Battle.Net
Scan Files on Battle.Net

This will repair any missing or corrupted game files and allow you to enjoy the game without facing any issues.

Origin

Origin is an online gaming platform where you can create a library for all your favorite games; not only does it provide you with the option to collect games, but also verify and repair them in case crashes, errors, and glitches become common.

Follow these steps to verify and repair your game:

  1. Firstly, open the Origin launcher on your PC and click on the My Game Library tab
  2. This will show you a list of all your games from which you will press on the game you want to fix.
  3. Finally, press on the gear icon under the Play button and click the Repair option to validate your game files.

Ubisoft Connect

Ubisoft Connect is one of the most popular gaming platforms where you can connect with friends, create a library for your games, and earn rewards. If you are a part of the Ubisoft Connect community, then you must learn how to validate game files to ensure smooth gaming.

Verify Files on Ubisoft Connect
Files Verification on Ubisoft Connect

In the following steps, we will take you through the process of verifying your files.

  1. Firstly, start by opening your Ubisoft Connect app on your system.
  2. Then, click on the Games tab in the top bar.
  3. Lastly, right-click on the game that is having issues and choose the Verify files option.

Once the repair process is complete, you can enjoy your game without any bugs.

Epic Games

Epic Games may as well be one of the most popular gaming platforms out there; as such, you must learn how to verify game files on Epic Games. 

Follow these steps to repair your game on Epic Games:

  1. Open the Epic Games launcher.
  2. Go to your Library, located on the left of the screen.
  3. Then, from the list of all your games, locate the one giving you problems.
  4. Now, press on the three dots option next to that game and press the Manage option.
  5. Finally, click on Verify on the right of Verify Files option.
  6. After a while, your game files will be repaired, and you can test them out by playing them.

Summarizing It

Corrupted game files can be a frustrating thing to deal with when you are trying to relax and game. But it has a very simple solution: verify game files; this will find missing/ damaged files and then install fresh files to replace them. From EA to Ubisoft Connect, we have covered all of the top gaming apps so you can play your games without worry.

FAQs

Why do I need to validate game files?

To put it simply, validating game files will remove all previously corrupted or missing files that may be causing your game to bug out.

Is there any other way to fix my games?

Although there are many ways to fix your game, validating game files should be your priority for any glitch or bug in your game since it is a simple and effective way to check if your game files are at fault.

What if validating game files does not fix my problem?

In case this happens, you can always try other methods, such as checking your internet connection, disabling your antivirus software, or running your game as an administrator.

Will validating my game files delete all previously saved progress?

Validating game files does not delete your progress because it creates backups and copies of your files in case any issues occur. But to be on the safe side, it is always a good idea to back up your game before repairing it.

Check out other Error Guides that we’ve covered on eXputer

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Ayyoun Ali


Ayyoun is a passionate technology and gaming enthusiast who loves to help others experience the same enthusiasm through his content. With over 4 years of professional writing experience and 15 years of gaming experience, he's always in search of the next best thing people want to know about. He's mostly into the horror genre and his favorite games include Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Hunt Showdown...the list goes on friends. Better save your stash of coffee cuz he might gulp it down before you could say "Expelliarmus".

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