Instructions to fix VAC authentication error in CSGO

Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) ensures matches are as fair as possible in CSGO. However, some players were misunderstood by the system and not allowed to join the official server. Here is a guide to help you fix authentication errors.

Getting a VAC authentication error in the middle of the game makes you extremely uncomfortable. It happens in the worst case scenario, and can leave you competitive for hours, days, and sometimes weeks.

And when you get this error, you will almost always see it again. It happens so often that players have to stop playing CSGO to avoid this error.

However, the VAC authentication error appears for a reason. They make sure the server is always ‘clean’, and the game is fair. The most common problem is caused by “third-party software that affects games or Steam”, but sometimes logging back into Steam doesn’t solve the problem.

However, Vavle also offers some workarounds for you to fix this error. Therefore, if you are having trouble getting into CSGO, follow these steps, and hopefully you will be back in the game soon.

Restart the computer

This is the most obvious way, but the article still added it just to be sure. Restarting your computer, then running the game might be what you need to fix this.

Reinstall Steam and CS:GO

Sometimes, deleting and reinstalling both Steam and CS:GO can fix any problem.

If you don’t want to have to re-download huge amounts, you can ‘verify integrity of game files’ on Steam.

Right-click CSGO in the game library, go to Properties > Local Files, and select ‘Verify Integrity Of Games Files…’, so that Steam can check the game’s files and be able to fix the authentication error.

Repair Steam Service

If that still doesn’t work, you can fix Steam. An error file in the Steam Service may prevent you from accessing a server belonging to the VAC.

Run the repair command and restart Steam, the problems should be fixed. It will take a few minutes, but it’s better than hours of sitting idle.

If using Windows, here’s how you can repair the Steam Service:

• Exit Steam
• Cick Start > Run (Windows Key + R)
• Type the following command: “C:Program Files(x86)SteambinSteamService.exe” /reapir
• Open Steam and check if the error is still there

Note: the path to SteamService.exe may differ depending on where you have Steam installed on your computer.

Restore boot configuration to default

If restarting the computer does not solve the problem, nor does the Reapir game file. The problem may be deeper in the computer’s startup configuration, possibly affecting all applications.

Restoring the boot configuration to default can remove any parameters that are not compatible with VAC. Here are the steps to do this.

• Exit Steam
• Click Start, then All Programs, Accessories.
• Right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
• In the command prompt, type the following commands and press Enter after each command (after each comma a new command): bcdedit /deletevalue nointegritychecks, bcdedit /deletevalue loadoptions, bcdedit /debug off, bcdedit /deletevalue nx
• Restart the computer.
• Run Steam and check for errors.

If you get an error with the following line “The value is protected by Secure Boot policy and cannot be modified or deleted”, your boot configuration has returned to default.

Repair system files

Finally, the most advanced way you can do it yourself is to repair the entire operating system. There may be some corrupt files that VAC detects, preventing you from accessing the server.

To run repair, follow these steps:

• Exit Steam
• Click on Start, All Programs, Accessories
• Right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
• In the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter: sfc /scannow
• Once the process is complete, reboot the machine, run Steam and check for errors again.

Send email to Valve

If the above doesn’t work, Valve always checks email. CSGO developer John McDonald says you can email the team so they can fix this, not just for you but for all the other players.

“If there is an error, send an email to [email protected] titled “VAC Authentication Error,” he wrote on Reddit.

“Remember to include the link to your Steam profile, how long the problem affected you, and what steps you took to fix the issue.”

Tutorial:

News: