Steam doesn’t recognize installed games
Below is the list of all the effective workarounds that you can try if Steam doesn’t recognize the installed games. So, let’s check out all these solutions in detail.
1] Reinstall the Game without downloading
Reinstalling the game is one of the easiest ways by which you can fix the problem. Don’t worry, we are not asking you to download the game again. If by any chance Steam doesn’t recognize any of the games, the probability is high that the game hasn’t been installed. However, once you have downloaded the game, its data will be stored in the Steam apps folder. To make Steam recognize the game, you will have to force install the game. Here are the steps you need to follow. Now Steam will use the stored game files to forcefully install the game. Once done, restart Steam, and check whether your game is listed or not.
2] Choose New Installation Drive
Steam will fail to install the game if the default installation drive doesn’t have free space. Thankfully, you can change the Steam default installation location manually. Here are the steps you need to follow. Note: We’ll make E drive our new steam installation location. You can change the location at your convenience. That’s it. Relaunch Steam and check if the problem is fixed.
3] Force recognize Games using .acf Cache
If Steam is not recognizing the game, even if you have manually installed it using the above method then you will have to use the Steam cache data to recognize the games. Here are the steps you need to follow. That’s it. Open Steam and go to the Games library section. Tap on the resume update option on all the games that you paused before. Once the update process is complete, you will see the game listed on Steam. Read: Steam Tips and Tricks.
4] Reconfigure the Library Folders
If you changed the default installation folder, it’s no surprise you are facing the problem. Follow the below steps to configure the new library path. That’s it. Check if the game is being recognized in that location or not.
4] Reinstall Steam
If non of the above-mentioned workaround helped you in solving the problem, the last thing you can try to solve the problem is to reinstall Steam. The probability is high that there is some temporary bug that is causing the issue. So, reinstall Steam, log in with your credentials, and check if you can see the installed game on the library or not. TIP: You might want to take a look at Steam Library Manager too. It lets you Backup, restore, move Steam games.
Why Steam doesn’t recognize Installed games?
There are multiple reasons why Steam is not able to recognize the installed games. To name a few, Steam will not recognize games if .acf’ files are faulty, or missing. Additionally, if the default installation location has run out of space then also you will face the problem. Read: Steam Cleaner will delete Steam cache & data left behind by gaming engines
How won’t Steam detect my external hard drive?
Steam will fail to detect the hard drive if there’s a problem with the connection. In such a case, you can re-plug the hard drive to fix the problem. Damaged connecting cables will cause the issue. Repair or use a new connecting cable to get rid of the issue.
Can you play Steam games on the external hard drive?
Yes, you can access your Steam games library from the external hard drive. You can use a USB HDD or SSD. However, you’ll have to adjust to the limited performance – the faster the driver, the faster will be the loading time. Read Next: Fix Steam Missing Content Manifest error on Windows PC.
