He tried running the game as Administrator. Nothing. He verified the integrity of the game files. 100% validated. He restarted his computer. The loading screen felt like an eternity. He opened Steam. He clicked play.
Repeat this exact process for the game executable. Navigate to your DmC folder ( Steam\steamapps\common\DmC Devil May Cry\Binaries\Win32 ) and set DevilMayCry.exe to run as an administrator. Step 6: Launch Steam first, then try launching the game. 2. Verify Integrity of Game Files He tried running the game as Administrator
The error "Steam must be running to play this game" is a ghost—a software lie caused by a broken handshake between an old game and a modern OS. By forcing Proton (on Deck), bypassing the launcher, or fixing admin permissions, you can exorcise this ghost in under two minutes. 100% validated