Rockstar Games Error Code 17
Last Updated: May 31, 2024
Question: What can I do about the following error when trying to launch Grand Theft Auto V on PC?
Rockstar Games failed to initialize. Error code: 17
Answer: This error occurs whenever Rockstar Games services fail to load while launching a Rockstar Games title. You can resolve it by manually resetting your GTAV settings or by exempting Rockstar Games from your firewall/antivirus.
Note: Resetting your GTAV settings will roll back all your settings to default including settings for Graphics, Sound, Controls, and Story Mode Cloud Save settings.
Resetting your GTAV Settings
Close Grand Theft Auto V
Navigate to C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTAV
Rename the settings.xml file to “settings.old"
Navigate to the Profile folder for your game
It will be named using a series of capital letters and numbers and be located at C:\Users\[USERNAME]\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTAV\Profiles\[PROFILEFOLDER]
Rename cfg.dat to “cfg.old”
Rename pc_settings.bin to “pc_settings.old”
Launch Grand Theft Auto V
Make an Exception to your firewall or antivirus
Depending on your firewall software, you may be able to add the folder below to your firewall’s list of Exceptions, allowing Rockstar Games to communicate with Rockstar servers without being flagged as malware.
C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club