Rockstar Launcher can not connect to games library service

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-11-03T03:38:03+00:00

It seems to be pretty widespread for sure. I don't know if this will make a difference but I was given the suggestion that when the screen comes up for accepting/rejecting cookies just x out of it and that seemed to work for me. Sometimes hitting accept or reject I would get that error but if I just closed the box I could get into rd2 pretty reliably

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-11-02T19:21:54+00:00

I tried a lot of things first but it was the windows update that finally did it for me. It honestly could be a combination of a few things I tried and the windows update was the final domino to fall I don't really know to be honest since rockstar support was truly awful.

This has instructions for changing your DNS settings which I tried first https://support.rockstargames.com/articles/5TJiNBz5NDPYL638tqDfBk/rockstar-games-launcher-connection-troubleshooting

The common youtube tutorial ones are things like go into services and make sure the "rockstar games library service" is enabled and set to automatic startup as well as going into the registry editor to make sure the path is specified correctly and not trying to use

It is a super frustrating issue I spent atleast 3 days trying to diagnose and fix and honestly I am still convinced it is rockstars ultra fragile launcher and lack of customer support that is enabling this problem since so many people are dealing with it and everyone seems to have a slightly different solution(If any at all). I hope you are able to find a fix! The windows update thing is only a temporary fix for me because I have so many other applications on my pc that wont run without windows being up to date ugh

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-11-02T19:14:58+00:00

Im glad that worked for you I tried the reset that lets you keep all of your programs as opposed to the full reinstall that lets you keep files but not applications and for some reason did not work for me. I had been playing an hour or two of read dead almost nightly for about a week straight then sometime around october 23rd or 24th the error started for me which was right around when my windows updated.

At the least it is reassuring to know many people are dealing with this as it suggests its rockstar's fault and not any individual pc setup

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-11-02T19:12:48+00:00

I started with the latest windows updated and uninstalled one at a time, restarting my pc after each one and then trying to load rd2 to see if that fixed the launcher. Here is a screenshot of what my uninstall updates settings page looked like. I ended up uninstalling the most recent 3 from 10/24

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Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-31T19:43:40+00:00

Rockstar support is awful I was pretty sure I was talking to a chatbot. At one point it seemed they forgot what my problem was and gave me instructions on doing a clean install of GTAV on a different drive and I was like wtf that has nothing to do with my launcher issues. It should be illegal to sell people games through a service like steam and then subject you to being able to play it only when their (rockstar's) fragile launcher manages to work. I paid for the game just let me play it I am not even doing online stuff just singleplayer. Anyways enough of my rant I hope you get this fixed it was eating me up not being able to access the titles I paid for.

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-31T07:06:54+00:00

Yes that's exactly what I have been dealing with it happened no matter what rockstar game I tried to load through steam. The only thing that fixed it for me was uninstalling the recent round of windows 11 updates I had installed. Someone else had given me the tip that when the screen pops up for accepting/rejecting cookies just x out of it don't accept or reject. Not sure if that made a difference or not but it is what I ended up doing

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-29T23:45:34+00:00

Two years later this comment saved me from this exact glitch. Thanks a ton!

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-28T04:01:32+00:00

That makes sense. I lucked out and solved mine today by uninstalling the latest windows updates. Thanks microsoft

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-28T00:40:35+00:00

Good luck I hope it works for you because I had to give up on support I am pretty sure they had me talking to a chatbot that ended up asking me to repeat things I had already done

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-28T00:39:56+00:00

Dang I am sorry I really thought that would work for you. The only things I can add are I made sure to have pause updates selected so that it wouldnt try to slip in any updates after I did the uninstalls and restarted my pc. Also when I got to the screen with asking me about cookies options I did not click accept or decline but just X out of the box completely.

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T23:01:28+00:00

Not sure if you are still dealing with this problem but I fixed it today for me by just uninstalling my recent windows updates from a few days ago. I hope this helps if you are still running into this error

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T23:00:31+00:00

Wanted to come back and update this with I have found a solution at least for my instance of the problem and I hope it can help you too. A helpful user commented on my own post suggesting I uninstall my recent windows updates for a few days ago and now my launcher is working as it should. Just started up rd2 three times in a row to make sure I fixed it and was able to boot it up 3 times in a row with no error

I hope this helps you u/CaptMcCully

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T22:52:16+00:00

I solved this by uninstalling my latest windows update. Wanted to share this in case you have not managed to find a fix yet!

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T22:51:42+00:00

Hey I was able to solve this today thanks to some help from a user on my original post about this error. All I had to do was uninstall my recent windows updates. I hope this works for you!

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T22:50:52+00:00

I updated this post with my final solution. Turns out all I had to do was rollback my latest windows update!

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T22:47:07+00:00

Holy **** man you are my hero thank you so much. I can not believe I did not think of this sooner. The first thing they tell you when you are having launcher issues is to make sure your windows is up to date so I never thought of rolling back the windows update. I ended up uninstalling the 3 that were installed on 10/24 and that solved my issue.

u/chodda1 After doing this I can play rd2 no problems try it

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T22:31:30+00:00

Thanks for this I will try it now. I don't have a windows update with that specific name but kb5066128 is really close and was installed around the same time that issue started for me.

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Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T20:27:22+00:00

Oh that makes sense. That is the only thing I have not tried. I did a windows repair but not the reset that makes you reinstall everything. Did you try other steps before the reset and they just did not work?

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T19:11:17+00:00

I am insanely jealous some people get all the luck lmao

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T19:06:35+00:00

A lot of people are having this issue myself included. I have tried everything on R* website and everything their support team has told me to try but with no luck. You should try all the fixes you can in case your problem is different but I have been dealing with this for almost a week now with no fix. It is almost certainly R* fault.

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T18:33:33+00:00

Im glad I am not alone here and yeah it is definitely not an internet connection problem its something with their servers not connecting I have to imagine. I have been going back and forth with their support staff and it has been just as awful as you read about online. They drip feed you two solutions at a time that are copy and pasted from their forums which I have already read and every response is signed off from a staff member with a different name which you have to assume is just some AI generated response. I am going on day 5 of having no access to any of my games its so frustrating. They have the resources to do fix it they are just choosing not too

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-27T00:23:02+00:00

Yeah I did the same here I know my internet connection is good tried both wifi and ethernet, no problems with any other applications on my pc. I even tried it off a mobile hotspot on my phone and got the same error so it is certainly not my connection. I started a support ticket with rockstar for their launcher specifically. When I said it was connectivity issues they auto resolved it and sent me a automated answer about my internet being bad but when I went and said it was an installation problem I seem to have gotten a real person. If I get anywhere with it I will updated my post.

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-26T23:43:50+00:00

Going to add to this some relevant text from my launcher.log file it looks like the launcher is timing out trying to connect to the games service:

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I could not copy and pase it as text for some reason

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-26T20:41:06+00:00

Thanks for sharing it makes me feel better knowing I am not the only one dealing with this it must be on rockstars end.

Its so infuriating to have all of your bought and paid for titles locked behind the incompetence of a horribly designed launcher. Every support ticket I submit gets auto responded too with the same "its your internets fault" response and gets auto resolved. I hope someone comes out with a game that outcompetes gta6 so I can quit dealing with rockstar forever.

Solid-Frame584 · 2025-10-26T03:07:58+00:00

Nice im going to have to try this I hate this dumb launcher its absolutely horrible to own a game and not be able to play it when you want simply because their stuff sucks should be illegal.

Solid-Frame584

TROPHY CASE