Many players report a “Failed to initialize Steam” error arises when they try to play Marvel Rivals on Windows PCs. For example, this is what one player had to say on Reddit, “Hi, I’ve been trying to play Rivals since its release but can’t. I have an issue that no matter what I try Steam fails to initialize.” This is how you can fix the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error on a Windows PC.
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End the Steam Client WebHelper Task and Run Steam as Administrator
A widely confirmed way to fix the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error is to run the game with admin rights. However, restarting Steam by ending the Client WebHelper process in Task Manager is also recommended. You can apply this potential fix as follows:
- Start your Steam program.
- Right-click a part of the Windows 11/10 taskbar to select a Task Manager shortcut.
- Select Steam Client WebHelper on the Processes tab.
- Click End task to close the Steam Client WebHelper process.
The Steam Client WebHelper process
- Steam should not automatically restart; when it has restarted, close Steam again.
- Access the tool for file searching by pressing the Windows logo + S keyboard shortcut.
- Enter Steam in your search box.
- Click Steam’s Run as administrator option within the search tool.
The Run as administrator option
- Try playing Marvel Rivals after starting Steam with admin rights.
Start Marvel Rivals From its Folder
Running Marvel Rivals directly from its folder might resolve the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error for some players. This is how you start Marvel Rivals from its folder:
- Active a File Explorer window by clicking Explorer’s pinned taskbar shortcut.
- Open the Marvel Rivals installation directory in File Explorer.
- Double-click the MarvelRivals_Launcher file to start the game.
Log Out and Back Into Steam
Some players confirm logging out and back into Steam can resolve the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error. Make sure you have your Steam login details handy before logging out. You can log out and back into Steam like this:
- Bring up the Steam software window.
- Click on the Steam menu.
- Select the Sign Out option.
The Sign Out option
- Click Confirm when prompted.
- Reopen Steam and log back in.
Set a Windows User Admin Account
The Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error can occur for players with non-admin Windows user accounts. Players also confirm applying this potential fix has worked for them. This is how you can set a Windows user admin account to resolve this error:
- Click on Start with your mouse’s right button and select Run from there.
- Input netplwiz into Run and click OK.
- Select your account shown in the User Accounts window.
- Click Properties to bring up a new window.
- Select the Group Membership tab.
- Click the Administrator radio button.
The Administrator radio button
- Select Apply to save the new admin setting for your account.
- Click OK to close account settings.
- Select Yes when prompted to sign out.
- Sign back into your administrator account.
Install Marvel Rivals With Epic Games
If none of the resolutions above work for you, try installing Marvel Rivals with Epic Games Launcher rather than Steam. Marvel Rivals is a freely available game, and this error won’t arise for Epic Games. This is how you can install Marvel Rivals with Epic Games.
- First, bring up Steam to select its Library tab.
- Right-click the Marvel Rivals game on the left of Steam to select Manage and Uninstall.
The Uninstall option in Steam
- Next, click Install on Windows on this Epic page.
- Double-click the EpicInstaller-18.1.3.msi file downloaded and go through the setup wizard to install Epic Games Launcher.
- Open your Epic Games Launcher software.
- Type Marvel Rivals into the search box to find that game.
- Click Get for Marvel Rivals.
The Get option for Marvel Rivals
- Then, click the Marvel Rivals game in your Library to select the Install option.
Other Ways to Fix the Marvel Rivals “Failed to Initialize Steam” Error
There are also some additional potential ways to fix the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error. Try applying these possible solutions for that error if the ones above aren’t enough:
- Temporarily disable third-party security apps on your PC before starting Marvel Rivals.
- Enable Steam through the Windows Defender Firewall by selecting Enabled and Allow the connection. You can do this by double-clicking Steam in Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security for inbound and outbound rules and selecting those options on the General tab.
- Go through the steps on this Steam page to verify the Marvel Rivals game files.
The potential resolutions covered above have resolved the Marvel Rivals “Failed to initialize Steam” error for most players. Running Steam with administrator rights often resolves this gaming issue. Try contacting the NetEase Games or Steam support services if you need to more potential fixes for this gaming issue.
