Rockstar Reveals Quick Fix For Grand Theft Auto V Installation Issues
If you can't get the just-launched Grand Theft Auto V game installed on your PC despite meeting the hardware requirements, you're not alone, as both Rockstar Games and Valve Software have provided a quick fix for a specific installation issue for those not wanting to wait for an official patch.
Both companies currently report that the installation problem stems from the use of specific characters in the customer's Windows User Account username.
"We have identified an issue where players with Windows usernames that include characters not found in the table at the bottom of this page will likely run into difficulties when attempting to download, install, or play GTAV. We are currently working on a fix for this issue," Rockstar reported.
Both posts state that players having the installation issue are likely experiencing two errors: the game freezing up when it's trying to download an update, and/or a message stating that "the Rockstar update service is unavailable (code 1)."
To possibly fix the installation issue, PC gamers are encouraged to create a new Administrator User Account on Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1. The name must include letters A to Z, a to z, and/or numbers 0-9. The characters must also be pulled from the basic Roman alphabet, Rockstar's update stated.
Rockstar and Valve point out that PC gamers can't simply rename their current Windows User Account to fix the issue: a new account must be created using the characters referenced above. Alternately, customers can use a Windows User Account that already has the supported characters in the name. For those who are creating a new User Account, they must reboot and login to that account to download, install and play Grand Theft Auto V without issues.
"We will update this support article with any new information as soon as we have it, including expected timing of a fix and whether you will be able to transfer progress on the newly-created Windows username over to your original Windows user account," Rockstar's report said.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
As a refresher, the minimum hardware requirements for Grand Theft Auto V include an Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 processor clocked at 2.40 GHz or an AMD Phenom 9850 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5 GHz. The specifications also include an Nvidia GeForce GT 9800 with 1 GB of VRAM or an AMD Radeon HD 4870 with 1 GB of VRAM, 4 GB of memory, a DirectX 10-compatible sound card, a DVD drive and 65 GB of hard drive space.
As for the recommended specifications list, PC gamers will need at least a quad-core Intel Core i5-3470 processor clocked at 3.2 GHz or an AMD eight-core X8 FX-8350 CPU clocked at 4 GHz. Also required is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 with 2 GB of VRAM or an AMD Radeon HD 7870 GPU with 2 GB of VRAM, 8 GB of memory, 65 GB of internal storage, a DVD drive and a DirectX 10-compatible sound card.
Grand Theft Auto V launched on Windows PC today and includes the Rockstar Editor for recording and sharing gameplay footage from within the game.
Follow Kevin Parrish @exfileme. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
jwl3 What a joke - delaying the game multiple times ostensibly to "tailor it to PC users. "Reply
This is not the first time a game company has reamed PC users in the but while claiming that they're giving them a superior experience. And some of you imbeciles believe it. Particularly the ones that say "good that they delayed the game, I'd rather have a perfect game than a glitchy one." Looks like you got the delayed, glitchy version.
Rockstar is not getting another dollar from me ever again. Screwing PC users for 2 years to milk the console crowd is unacceptable. EA did that back then; look where they are now. Meanwhile, 2k went the opposite route this year with NBA 2k15 and made a fortune on the PC crowd. -
alidan this game also has a heavy cpu bottleneck, you arent getting 60fps even if you are a fair bit above the minimum specReply -
vmem ReplyRockstar is not getting another dollar from me ever again. Screwing PC users for 2 years to milk the console crowd is unacceptable. EA did that back then; look where they are now. Meanwhile, 2k went the opposite route this year with NBA 2k15 and made a fortune on the PC crowd.
While I wish us PC gamers aren't getting screwed by just about every company out there, dropping PC users in favor of console profits have not hurt any company over the past decade. EA is still the largest gaming publisher in the world, and while they're hated by almost all gamers, they have remained significantly more profitable than most other companies. The same can be said about Ubisoft, who will continue to gain high profits as long as they don't botch game launches across the board. Meanwhile, you say 2K is making a killing off of NBA 2k15, their stock has actually gone down since the beginning of the year.
-
Achoo22 Rockstar is pathetic, and I'm not at all surprised that the game is having launch issues. And, re the fix: why in the heck would I need to be an administrator to install/run the game? What the heck? And why is the game trying to download patches instead of letting Steam do it?Reply -
ykki You know shit about to go down when a company releases a patch for INSTALLATION issues! What has the gaming industry come to now?Reply -
Alec Mowat Game problems with simple fixes?Reply
Not good enough.
Bring on the complaining. Generation Entitlement, I choose you, go! -
berton83 I completed all of the above, but when I start the installation process I accept user agreement - then the blue loading shoots to the end in 5 seconds installs direct x components - try's to load through social club then says rockstar games services are unavailable please try again later - it's obvious the game didn't even install properly as it's 60gb and it takes longer then 3 seconds - any help offered would be much appreciated - I'm completely stuck!!Reply