Fix Marvel Rivals Not Launching - Steam Stuck on Playing

You click Play on Steam, the status changes to 'Running,' but then nothing happens or the window just flashes and vanishes. You are likely dealing with a hung background process from a previous failed launch attempt or corrupted game files that need to be re-validated.

Why this happens

The game engine often hangs during initialization if a previous instance didn't close properly, or if an update left behind corrupted files. Overlays from third-party apps like Discord or NVIDIA can also conflict with the game's anti-cheat launcher.

Steps

1. 01
   Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and type 'Marvel' into the search bar at the top.
2. 02
   Right-click any process labeled 'Marvel Rivals' or 'Marvel Rivals Launcher' and select 'End Task' to ensure no hidden instances are running.
3. 03
   In your Steam Library, right-click 'Marvel Rivals' and select 'Properties', then 'Installed Files', and click 'Verify integrity of game files' to repair any corrupted data.
4. 04
   Navigate back to 'Installed Files' and click 'Browse' to open the game folder, then right-click the 'MarvelRivals.exe' file.
5. 05
   Select 'Properties', go to the 'Compatibility' tab, and check both 'Run this program as an administrator' and 'Disable full-screen optimizations' before clicking 'Apply'.
6. 06
   Open your Discord and NVIDIA GeForce Experience settings, locate the 'In-Game Overlay' options in both, and toggle them to 'Off' to prevent hooking conflicts.

Still not working?

If the game still fails to launch, check your Event Viewer under 'Windows Logs > Application' to see if a specific DLL file is throwing an error. This often points to a missing Visual C++ Redistributable, which you should download and reinstall directly from the official Microsoft support page.

Frequently asked questions

Will these steps delete my game progress or settings?

No, these steps only affect how the game launches and verifies its own files; your saved progress and account settings remain untouched.

Why does the game keep saying 'Playing' when I closed it?

This usually happens when the game process crashes silently in the background but fails to release its hold on the Steam client, requiring a manual kill via Task Manager.