PoE client (Steam) cannot be launched again after being closed or crashing.

Platforms: Win8.1, Win10, Win 11.

Issue is identical in description and causes to: https://www.pathofexile.com/forum/view-thread/1578808/page/1

It's a heizenbug, it cannot be reproduced 100% because it is caused by external reasons.


It's a well known issue with some games on steam platform, but usually ithappens becuase of cloud service misuse or slow connection: game appears running while synchronizing save files, etc. Albeit in that case there is actual process active.

What is main issue that usually suggestedsolution is to: run Steam client as Administrator. NEVER do that.

It could appear to work but functionality in uestion is offered by Steam service which is already runnign with required elevated rights. Running Steam client (a custom web browser by nature) as Administrators is a security risk and can cause more problems, becuas eevery processand every files it creates will have elevatd rights as well.

Known to work:

1. (temporal solution) Restart Steam. It will "freeze" for few seconds trying to stop PoE but it should exit normally. PoE may launch normally after that but situation will repeat.

2. Check if there are pending Windows updates downloading or being installed or were installed recently without reboot. Let them finish if any are going. Reboot computer. Some security updates can interfer with Steam service and with cloud functionality.



Why PoE (and few other older games) display this problem while majority don't is beyond me as I didn't try anything that can infringe GGG's IP (e.g. researching program's behaviour).

if above didn't help, check stat of AV software. Research Internet if your antivirus got known conflicts with PoE or check logs had flagged Steam or PoE for some reason.

I repeat: never suggest to run Steam as an administrator. If that solution works it means that it already was launched that way before and problems caused by that had to be fixed.