How to Fix Social Club Failed To Initialize With Error Code 17 in GTA V

Grand Theft Auto V is an action-adventure-based video game that was developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It’s available for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox Series X, and Microsoft Windows platforms. The Social Club application starts with the GTA V launch, and if there is any issue with the Social Club app, then your game won’t run. Even the game won’t load into the main screen. If you’re also facing issues with the Social Club failed to initialize with error code 17 in GTA V, check this troubleshooting guide.

Rockstar Games has introduced the Social Club app that offers Rockstar Games members in-game and online benefits. Users will get exclusive access to member-only cars, weapons, wardrobes, haircuts, statistics, etc. Plenty of GTA V players have recently reported that the “Social Club failed to initialize. Error code 17” error message randomly appears whenever they trying to run the game. Are you one of them? Don’t worry. We will get you covered with some of the possible workarounds below.

How to Fix Social Club Failed To Initialize With Error Code 17 in GTA V

Here we’ve provided a couple of the workarounds that you should follow properly. Now, without further ado, let’s get into it.

1. Change Steam Username

It’s worth mentioning that the Steam username changing can fix this particular issue for most of the users. It’s pretty awkward to say this but yes, it’s possible. You can also change the username with some of the special characters that can uniform a unique username.

• Open Steam client > Click on the username/email-id from the top right corner on your PC.
• Click on View My Profile > Next, select Edit Profile.
• Here you can change your username. (Only use letters)
• Now, launch GTA V and check for the issue.

2. Add An Exception to Antivirus

Make sure to add an exception to the antivirus of your Social Club folder from the installed game directory. For most of the users, the following directories can be applicable and need to be added to antivirus. If you’ve installed the GTA V game on any other drive or folder,, do it accordingly.

C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club

C:\Program Files (x86)\Rockstar Games\Social Club

It’s pretty easy and necessary to fix the error code 17 issues on your GTA V game.

3. Verify Game Files

• Open Steam > Library.
• Right-click on the GTA V game.
• Click on Properties > Go to the Local Files tab.
• Select Verify integrity of game files…
• Once done, restart your Steam client and try running the game.

4. Rename Config file

• Open the File Explorer > Go to Documents.
• Head over to the PC username folder of the current user account.
• Go to the Rockstar Games folder and open it.
• Launch the GTA V folder.
• Locate the ‘settings.xml’ file > Rename it to Settings.old.
• If prompted, click on Yes.
• Now, you will need to open the ‘Profiles’ folder inside the GTA V folder.
• Head over to the folder after the profile folder that contains multiple random codes.
• Then locate the cfg.dat and pc_settings.bin files.
• Rename both these files.
• Restart the PC and it will automatically create new ones.
• Open the Steam client and launch the GTA V game.

5. Run as Administrator (Social Club App)

• Open File Explorer > This PC.
• Go to the installed GTA V directory. Usually, the C drive is applicable.
• Open C drive > Head over to the Program Files (x86) folder.
• Open the Rockstar Games folder.
• Now, head over to the Social Club folder inside the Rockstar Games folder.
• Open it and go to the subprocess.exe file and right-click on it.
• Then click on Properties > Head over to the Compatibility tab.
• Next, check the box of ‘Run this program as an administrator’.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Launch the Steam client and run the GTA V game.

6. Reinstall Social Club App

• Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it from the search result.
• Go to the Uninstall a Program option under Programs.
• Head over to the Social Club > Click on it to select > Click on Uninstall.
• If prompted, click on Yes and follow the on-screen instructions in the wizard menu.
• Social Club app has been removed from your PC.

Steps to Reinstall:

• Head over to the Rockstar Games website > Download the Social Club app.
• Install it in the same directory where it was previously installed. For instance, Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club.
• You’re good to go once you log into the same Social Club account you’re using.

That’s it, guys. We assume that you’ve found this article helpful. If you’ve any queries, you can comment below.