Verifying game files is the launcher’s built-in repair. It checks every installed file against the launcher’s record and re-downloads the ones that are missing or damaged. It fixes a large share of crashes, launch failures and missing-texture problems, and it takes a few minutes.

This guide has the exact steps for Steam, the Epic Games Launcher, Battle.net and the EA app, then covers what to do when verifying finds nothing. It is one step in the wider process in our PC game troubleshooting guide.

What does verifying game files do?

Verification is a comparison. The launcher works out a checksum for each file on your drive, compares it with the checksum it expects, and replaces any file that doesn’t match.

A checksum is a short value calculated from a file’s contents. If a single byte changes, the checksum changes, which is how the launcher finds damage without downloading the whole game again.

Files get damaged in a few common ways:

  • A download or patch was interrupted.
  • The PC lost power or crashed while the game was writing to disk.
  • Antivirus software quarantined or altered a file.
  • A mod replaced an original file.
  • The drive has a fault.

Verification does not touch saves, settings or screenshots. It also can’t fix problems outside the game’s folder, such as drivers or Windows components.

Launcher steps at a glance

Launcher Where to click
Steam Library → right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files
Epic Games Launcher Library → three dots on the game → Manage → Verify
Battle.net Select the game → gear icon next to Play → Scan and Repair → Begin Scan
EA app Library → three dots on the game → Repair

Menu names are correct as of 2026. Launchers move them occasionally, so look for “verify” or “repair” if a label has changed.

Before you start on any launcher, close the game fully and pause other downloads.

Steam

  1. Open your Library.
  2. Right-click the game and choose Properties.
  3. Select the Installed Files tab.
  4. Click Verify integrity of game files.

Steam’s support page lists these steps under “Verify Integrity of Game Files”. A progress bar runs, and Steam then reports either that all files validated or that some failed and will be reacquired.

If files are reacquired, Steam queues a small download. Let it finish before you launch the game. A message that a few files failed to validate is the check working as intended.

Epic Games Launcher

  1. Open your Library.
  2. Click the three dots on the game’s tile, or right-click it.
  3. Choose Manage.
  4. Click Verify next to Verify Files.

The game’s tile shows “Verifying” with a percentage. When it finishes, the button returns to Launch. Anything that failed is downloaded automatically.

Battle.net

  1. Select the game from the top of the launcher.
  2. Click the gear icon next to the Play button.
  3. Choose Scan and Repair.
  4. Click Begin Scan.

Battle.net may download a patch after the scan. If the Play button is replaced by Update, click it and wait.

EA app

  1. Open Library.
  2. Click the three dots on the game’s tile.
  3. Choose Repair.

The EA app checks the files and replaces any that fail. For EA games bought on Steam, verify through Steam first, since Steam manages the files.

Other launchers

  • Ubisoft Connect: open the game’s page, then Properties → Local files → Verify files.
  • Xbox app: right-click the game, then Manage → Files → Verify and repair.
  • GOG Galaxy: select the game, click the settings icon next to Play, then Manage installation → Verify / Repair.

What if verifying doesn’t fix it?

If the check passes and the game is still broken, the game’s files are fine and the cause is somewhere else. Work through these in order.

  1. Restart the PC and the launcher. A stuck background process can keep a repaired game from starting.
  2. Remove mods and leftovers. Verification restores original files but doesn’t delete extra ones a mod added. Move the mod folder out and test again.
  3. Check your security software. If antivirus keeps quarantining the same file, verification will keep replacing it. Add the game’s folder as an exclusion, for games from an official launcher only.
  4. Update the graphics driver. A driver fault looks like a game fault. The steps are in our guide to updating your graphics drivers.
  5. Repair Windows system files. Microsoft’s guidance is to run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and then sfc /scannow from an administrator Command Prompt.
  6. Reinstall the game on a different drive if you have one.

When the same files keep failing

If verification finds damaged files every few days, something is corrupting them repeatedly. That points to the drive, the RAM or an unstable overclock, not to the game.

Check the drive with its manufacturer’s diagnostic tool and run Windows Memory Diagnostic by searching for it in the Start menu. Turn off any CPU, GPU or memory overclock while you test.

When the game still closes at launch

A game that passes verification and still exits immediately is usually missing a runtime or being blocked. Those causes are covered in how to fix PC games crashing on startup.