The error message generally occurs because of your game files, interference of third-party antivirus programs, corrupted Steam download cache, and more. We will list several methods below that you can use to resolve the error message on your system.
1. Change Steam Avatar and Name
When starting to troubleshoot the error message, your first step should be to change the avatar and name of your Steam account. In some rare cases, the issue can occur when you have special characters in your Steam name or specific profile pictures. As such, changing your profile name, or sometimes, your profile picture, should help eliminate the error message and VAC will be able to verify your game session. To change your profile name and Steam avatar, follow the instructions below:
2. Run Steam as Admin
One of the reasons the error message can occur is when the game process does not have sufficient permissions to run correctly in your environment. This can happen when third-party processes interfere with the game, leading to the game session being unverified by the anti-cheat system. In such a scenario, you will have to run the Steam client with administrative privileges. As such, when you open CSGO on your computer, it will also inherit elevated permissions, preventing the intervention of background processes. To run Steam as admin, follow the instructions below:
3. Relogin to Steam
In some scenarios, the issue can be related to an inconsistency with the connection to the Steam servers. When this happens, you will be able to overcome the problem by logging out of your account. Logging back into your account will establish a new link to the Steam servers which should resolve the issue. To do this, follow the instructions down below:
4. Disable Third-Party Antivirus
The third-party antivirus program on your computer can also trigger the error message in question. This happens due to the interference of the antivirus program with the game process which causes VAC to not verify your game session. Antivirus programs are often known to cause such issues with various games due to a false positive, and in most cases, you are able to resolve the issue by disabling the antivirus program. If disabling your antivirus program fixes the error message, you can whitelist the CSGO process in your antivirus settings to continue using it without any issues. If disabling your antivirus program does not resolve the issue, move to the next method below.
5. Clear Steam Download Cache
Steam uses a local cache on your computer to store different game content. When downloading a new game or updating an existing one, the files are stored in the Steam cache at first. In some scenarios, corruption in the Steam download cache can cause your games to throw various errors. The VAC error can also occur because of this which is why you will have to clear the Steam download cache to mitigate the issue. Clearing the Steam download cache is safe, so you do not have to worry about losing anything. However, this will log you out of your current Steam account, thus, you will have to log back in. Follow the instructions below to clear your Steam Download Cache:
6. Force Download Current Game Patch
In some instances, you can mitigate the error message by re-downloading the current game patch. This will renew the game version files on your computer which should resolve any issues caused by game file conflicts. To do this, you will have to opt into a beta version of the game. After the game has downloaded the beta version of the game on your computer, you can leave the beta to download the current game version. Follow the instructions below to do this:
7. Verify Game Files
Another reason the issue in question can occur is due to the game files. If there is damage or corruption to the game files on your computer, or specific files are missing from the installation, the VAC error can appear. If this scenario is applicable, you will have to repair your game via the Verify integrity of game files feature. This will scan the game installation for any missing files or corruption and repair it. Follow the instructions below to do this:
8. Allow Steam Through the Firewall
In some scenarios, the VAC error can occur when the game is not able to establish a connection with its servers properly. This can happen when the Windows Defender Firewall, responsible for managing any incoming and outgoing network requests, blocks the game’s requests. If this case is applicable, you will have to allow the game through the firewall to ensure it is able to link with its servers. Follow the instructions below to do this:
9. Opt Out of Steam Beta
If you are using a beta version of the Steam client on your computer, that can also cause the error message in question. If this scenario is applicable, you will have to opt out of the Steam beta to resolve the issue. Follow the instructions below to leave Steam beta:
10. Perform a Clean Boot
Finally, if none of the methods above has resolved the error message, it is likely caused by the interference of a third-party program with the game. There are various common apps that interfere with a game process on our computer, from Discord to GeForce Experience, and the list goes on. You can verify the suspicion in such a scenario by performing a clean boot. Clean boot will start your computer with only Windows services running in the background. This means third-party services will not be started automatically on bootup. If the problem goes away in clean boot, it will be evident a third-party app is causing the issue. In this instance, you can enable the services one by one to find the culprit. Follow the instructions below to perform a clean boot:
