Fix CS:GO: The VAC Was Unable to Verify Your Game Session Error

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is a popular team-based action game. It was released back in 2012, it is still running sturdy, and hundreds and thousands of players enjoy it daily. Since its launch, developers have released several new updates to keep the game fresh. Still, it seems that after a new update, it also brings several bugs and errors like matchmaking unavailable error or crash at startup, and many others. Lately, many players are receiving – VAC was unable to verify your game session error. It is one of the most common and frustrating errors in CS: GO. If you want to eliminate this error message, read on as we have covered a few potential solutions to fix the issue.

How to Fix CS:GO: The VAC Was Unable to Verify Your Game Session Error

VAC means “Valve Anti Cheat.” If you are receiving the “VAC was unable to verify your game session” error, that doesn’t mean your account has been banned from CS: GO, but issues with the anti-cheat program running properly. So nothing to worry about; check out this guide as we will give you a few very easy and simple steps to fix it. 

Re-Login into or Restart Your Steam Client

Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective. If you encounter the “VAC Was Unable to Verify Your Game Session” error, try these steps:

1. Log out of your Steam account.
2. Close the Steam client.
3. Log back into your Steam account.
4. Restart the Steam client.

This process often resolves minor connection issues and can potentially rectify the error.

Restart Your PC

A common troubleshooting step for various issues, including the VAC error, is to restart your PC. A reboot can help reset system components and clear any temporary glitches. After restarting, launch CS:GO and see if the error persists.

Verify the Game Files

Corrupted or missing game files can lead to errors. To verify and repair the integrity of your CS:GO game files:

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on CS:GO and select “Properties.”
3. Navigate to the “Local Files” tab.
4. Click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files.”

Steam will scan your game files and replace any that are corrupted or missing.

Update Your Device Drivers

Outdated or incompatible drivers can cause various issues, including the VAC error. Make sure your graphics card drivers and other essential drivers are up to date. Visit the official website of your hardware manufacturer to download and install the latest drivers.

Repair the Steam.exe via Command Prompt

If the Steam client itself is causing the error, you can attempt to repair it using Command Prompt:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type “cmd” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to open Command Prompt with administrative privileges.
3. Navigate to the directory where your Steam.exe is located. This is usually “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam” for 64-bit systems.
4. Type the following command and press Enter:arduinoCopy codesteam://repair/

This command initiates the Steam client repair process. Restart your Steam client afterward.

Disable Your Antivirus Temporarily

In some cases, third-party antivirus software can interfere with VAC’s operation, triggering the error. Temporarily disabling or uninstalling your antivirus can help determine if it’s the cause of the problem. Be cautious when disabling your antivirus, and remember to re-enable it afterward.

Repair the Steam Client

If the issue seems to be tied to the Steam client itself, you can perform a more comprehensive repair:

1. Close Steam completely.
2. Navigate to your Steam installation directory (usually “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam”).
3. Locate and run the “SteamService.exe” file.
4. Follow the prompts to repair the Steam client.

Even after trying all these methods, if you are still experiencing the same error message, there must be some problems with the servers and not in your game. In that case, wait until the developers fix the issue from their end.

That’s everything you can try to fix CS:GO: The VAC could not verify your game session error.

Read more: How to fix CS: GO crash at startup, in-game or random crash, and Disk Read error.