[2022] Steam Stellaris doesn't launch the launcher; auto-installed launcher doesn't see Stellaris.

From what you say here, the issue is with the launcher and not the game.


Please try this:

- uninstall Paradox Launcher v2 from the Windows "Apps and features" utility, if still present.

Delete the following folders if still present:

- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Roaming/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

- exit the Steam app entirely
- run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user
- run the game from the PLAY button in Steam


IF that doesn't help, in this folder are some .log files:
C:/users/{userName}/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
Please attach them here.  

Those logs look okay, but was there no cpatch.log in the same place?


Does this file physically exist?
C:/users//AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2022.14/paradox launcher.exe

If so, what happens if you run in manually from File Explorer?  

This is a weird one, we really have nothing to go on! What happens if you set bootstrapper-v2.exe to run as the Windows Admin user then run it manually?  

Right click on the .exe , properties, compatibility. Tick the "run as Admin" box, untick everything else, Apply and exit that dialog.  

Garr Incorporated said: That launcher, as before, doesn't see Stellaris.

That is expected; standalone mode is meant for users who don't want to use Steam, so it does not see your Steam installation. We're trying to diagnose and fix your launcher issue here which is unrelated to that situation.

As the launcher has run, there should be a cpatch.log now?  

Garr Incorporated said: Could it be because of some weird way the launcher interacts with Steam being installed in a drive different from C:? I keep thinking about this being a thing despite it being very unlikely. Wish I could easily test it out without literally removing everything.

That is a normal situation; I have the launcher on C: and the game on D: and it works fine.  

Looks like we still have a permissions issue here. What antivirus app do you use? You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:

stellaris.exe and dowser.exe (in the Steam Stellaris folder)
C:/users//AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2022.14/paradox launcher.exe (or whatever version is now latest there)
C:/users//AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe

IF that doesn't help, also set each of those .exe files (EXCEPT stellaris.exe !) to run as the Windows Admin user.

Then the game should run from Steam/our launcher, and enable all the DLCs.