Cyberpunk 2077 is available on Steam. Try adding a steam_appid.txt file with the AppID number (1091500) to the content directory? Although that'll probably still fail if you don't own the game on steam.
I did try that before reporting, but it just replaces the non-steam library entry with the steam game entry and requires to purchase on Steam.
Also tried on my another linux install where I use steam via flatpak. Same issue.
@TTimo What's the status of this issue?
I get the same error when I try to launch a freshly installed game (Added via "non-Steam game" option). Strangely the installer works without the steam_appid.txt file, but as soon as you try to start the game executable Steam wants the app id - why is this suddenly a requirement? I buy my games on GOG and I would like to play them like before. This worked in the past. The error message is also misleading:
Either launch the game from Steam, or put the file steam_appid.txt containing the correct appId in your game folder
I launched the game with steam, and putting the file into the directory isn't a solution, since I don't own the game in Steam.
Somehow I got The Witcher 3 working, by moving the installation directory directly into my home directory, so it's no longer in the steam specific proton/wine "container". This hasn't worked for any other games and I am not sure anymore if this really fixed the issue. It's a little bit frustrating that there are no official docs / FAQ that can help with this kind of issues.
Hello,
A valid license is required for any game trying to initialize the Steamworks API.
Presumably titles that are sold on third party stores do not actually need the Steamworks API for any core functionality. There may be something different about running as a non-steam app that incorrectly triggers the title to attempt a Steamworks initialization when it shouldn't and subsequently abort though.
Would you mind uploading a set of logs (tar -zcvf ~/Desktop/steam-logs.tar.gz ~/.steam/steam/logs) and clarifying which game(s) you are having this issue with?
Hello TTimo,
thanks for your fast reply. I can share the game log file, created with PROTON_LOGS=1
~steam-17355333943993303040.log~
The game is Farming Simulator 2025. I bought it directly from the producer.
Output of Steam if started via console:
chdir "/home/gamer/Farming Simulator 2025/x64"
Game Recording - would start recording game 17355333943993303040, but recording for this game is disabled
Adding process 23980 for gameID 17355333943993303040
ERROR: ld.so: object '/home/gamer/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/gameoverlayrenderer.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32): ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object '/home/gamer/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/gameoverlayrenderer.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32): ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object '/home/gamer/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_64/gameoverlayrenderer.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS64): ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object '/home/gamer/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/gameoverlayrenderer.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32): ignored.
ERROR: ld.so: object '/home/gamer/.local/share/Steam/ubuntu12_32/gameoverlayrenderer.so' from LD_PRELOAD cannot be preloaded (wrong ELF class: ELFCLASS32): ignored.
Adding process 23982 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 23983 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24120 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24121 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24122 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24123 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24124 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24125 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24128 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24130 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24133 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24142 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24154 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24160 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Adding process 24183 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Game Recording - game stopped [gameid=17355333943993303040]
Removing process 24183 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24160 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24154 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24142 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24133 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24130 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24128 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24125 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24124 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24123 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24122 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24121 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 24120 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 23983 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 23982 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Removing process 23980 for gameID 17355333943993303040
Thanks but I don't really mean the proton game log, I mean the steam client logs. This is where we may get details on how the steam client sets up the runtime environment for launching the title.
To be honest I don't feel comfortable to share those logs, as they contain a lot and I can't say for sure if they contain something I would consider sensitive (e.g. steam user id). I know you try to help and this may seem stubborn, and I'm sorry for being cautious and complicating things.
after another test, I can confirm I get the same error message when starting The Witcher 3, but the game runs well, so I think the failing API call might not be the problem actually.
You can email them to me directly [email protected] if you prefer.
er i play ppg on gamehub im on android it have the steam cracked files but the game says steam is not initialized
PROTON_LOGS=1`x1 2025-01
Your system information
Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:
Trying to launch a windows game added as a non-steam game but it fails to start because Steam API is attempted to be initialized and fails doing so.
Stdout gist: https://gist.github.com/JohnTheCoolingFan/cfb49740a6a85ade1d90cae219d1c0d7
Steps for reproducing this issue: