FIX: VAC Was Unable to Verify Your Game Session

If you're reading this, you've probably received the following error: "VAC was unable to verify your game session". We've got some good news, and some even better news for you. The good news? You haven't been VAC banned! The better news? There's an easy fix that works in 2025!

Fix #1, which is outlined below, works for about 95% of people, so chances are it will work and solve your error. In the unlikely case that it doesn't, we've provided some other fixes that definitely will!

Fix #1: Restart Counter-Strike 2

Sometimes all that's needed to fix this issue is to simply restart the game. If this hasn't solved the issue, move onto fix #2.

Fix #2: Verify Integrity of Game Files and Restart PC

To perform this fix, open up Steam, go to Library, right click Counter-Strike 2, and then click "Properties":

After opening up the properties window, head to "Installed Files" and click "Verify integrity of game files":

Wait for this to complete, and then restart your computer.

After completing the above, your CS2 should be working fine, and the "VAC was unable to verify your game session" error should be gone. If, however, it's still occurring, continue reading Fix #3 below.

Fix #3 Run Steam as Adminstrator

To run Steam as an Adminstrator, first press on the Windows key, and search for Steam. You'll then need to right click Steam, and click on Open File Location:

Next, right click Steam, and click on Properties:

Next, click on the Compatability tab, tick the Run this program as an adminstrator box, and then click OK:

Fix #4: Repair the Steam Service

Repairing the Steam service is recommended by Valve here. To do this, all you need to do is:

Close Steam. Do this by right clicking Steam in your System Tray (bottom right hand corner) and clicking "Exit":

Open your Start Menu, search for "Run" and open the file named "Run":

Enter the following into the text box and press "OK":

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\bin\SteamService.exe" /repair

An empty terminal should then pop up. Wait for this to close and re-open Steam - your issue should be fixed.

If your error isn't fixed, continue reading for Fix #5.

Fix #5: Change Firewall Settings

To change your firewall settings for Counter-Strike 2, press the Windows key, and search for "firewall". You'll then need to click on Firewall & network protection:

Next, click on Allow an app through the firewall:

Next, you'll need to click the Change Settings button at the top of the menu. Once ticked, scroll down until you find either cs2 or csgo, and tick both the Private and Public boxes:

You'll then need to click OK at the bottom of the menu:

Fix #6: End svchost.exe

Another fix you can try out is to end the process tree of svchost.exe in the task manager. To open task manager, you'll need to press CTRL + SHIFT + ESC simultaneously. Next, you'll need to head to the Details tab (you can find this at the top of the task manager for Windows 10 users, and at the left for Windows 11).

Next, scroll down until you find svchost.exe, right click it, and click End Process Tree. It should look something like this:

Fix #7: Completely Reinstall CS2

If the fixes outlined above haven't worked, your issue is likely one that won't be resolved by changing a setting or restarting your computer. Whilst we recommend you search the web to see if there is anything else that might work for you, chances are, you're going to save time by reinstalling CS2. Reinstalling the game will get the issue fixed quickly, and will save you having to try lots of different fixes (that probably won't work).

To reinstall CS2 completely, go to your Library in Steam, right click "Counter-Strike 2", hover over "Manage", and click "Uninstall":

On the window that pops up, click "Uninstall":

Then you'll need to reinstall CS2. You can do this at https://store.steampowered.com/app/730/CounterStrike_2/. After reinstalling CS2, the "VAC was unable to verify your game session" error should be fixed!

If you're still experiencing issues after trying all of the above four fixes, send us a Tweet @Total_CSGO and we'll do our best to help!

If you play Roblox and you're experiencing issues with your game, check out these Roblox error guides for help.