The error from the absence of the steam_api64.dll file occurs after starting the game, which is located in the client library of the Steam digital distribution store. The following information can be found in the error message:
The reason behind this error? In fact, you already know the reason – it’s the steam_api64 dynamic library. If you see messages about the absence of this file, it means that something happened to it – for example, it could be damaged, changed or deleted.
Fortunately, fixing this error is extremely easy.
How to fix an error with the steam_api64.dll file?
Method # 1 Reinstalling the game
The steam_api64.dll file is required to run the game you want. If it is not present in the game folder or has been modified / damaged in some way, then the game will not be able to start. The obvious solution is to reinstall the game. Go to the Steam library, right-click on the game and select “Manage → Uninstall”, then select the game and press the “Install” button. After reinstalling, the error should be gone.
Method # 2 Checking the integrity of the game files
Checking the integrity of game files is an alternative to a full reinstallation of the game. If the toy is small, then you can safely use the first method. But what if the game weighs under 30, 50 or even 100 gigabytes? In this case, there is no question of any reinstallation – we check the integrity of the files. The time it takes to complete the process will depend solely on the size of the game itself.
To run a file integrity check, do the following:
- open Steam and go to your games library;
- right-click on the game you need and select “Properties”;
- go to the “Local files” tab;
- click on the button “Check the integrity of game files …”.
Wait until the files are checked, then start the game. The steam_api64.dll error should be gone.
Method # 3 Checking antivirus quarantine
In some cases, the modified steam_api64.dll may be part of a group of files designed to hack video games. Have you encountered a similar error when trying to launch a pirated copy of the game? In this case, the DLL file you need is probably in the quarantine of your antivirus. Go to quarantine, return the file to its place and add it to the list of exclusions.
Here’s how to do it for Windows 10’s built-in antivirus:
- right-click on Start and select “Options”;
- select the “Update and Security” section;
- go to the “Windows Security” tab;
- click on the item “Protection against viruses and threats”;
- click on “Protection Journal”;
- click on the recently blocked LMB file and select “Actions → Allow”;
- go back to “Virus and threat protection” and click on “Manage settings” in the “Protection against viruses and other threats” section;
- go down to the very bottom and click on the “Add or remove exclusions” item in the “Exceptions” section;
- click Add Exception and select the steam_api64.
That’s it, no more errors should occur.
It is worth warning right away: do not download steam_api64.dll from the Internet in order to register it in your operating system. Reinstalling or checking files are two reliable methods for resolving this error. In the case of pirates, we get the file from quarantine and add it to the exceptions or completely reinstall the game if the antivirus has destroyed the file.
