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CS2 is a newer version of CS:GO and since the update only came in September 2023, a lot of bugs and issues still plague the game. One of them is the "VAC was unable to verify your game session" error. VAC stands for Valve Anti-Cheat which is meant to prevent players from cheating in the game.
Usually, the error appears when a player is suspected of using cheating software. However, there have been numerous instances where this was not the case, and yet, the error still appeared. So, what is the fix?
Possible ways to fix the 'VAC was unable to verify your game session' error in CS2
A VAC ban
Perhaps the first step in the process is ensuring that the player has not been VAC banned. To check, first open Steam and then go to 'Steam' > 'Settings' > 'Account'. Here, check the VAC Status of the profile. It should say “No VAC Bans on account”, if not, perhaps there is a CS2 VAC ban on the profile.
Game files
Another method is verifying the integrity of the game files. To do this, go to Steam and right-click on CS2. This will open up a panel for Counter-Strike 2. The next step is to go to Properties > Installed Files. Once here, a 'Verify integrity of game files' button will appear, clicking on it will begin the process. Once finished, restart the game.
Restart/Reinstall
Restarting the game is a rather simple yet often effective way of clearing out any errors that may have appeared initially. If the issue persists, returning to Steam and uninstalling the game is a good alternative. Reinstallation often helps get rid of the error and many other CS2 bugs too.
Change Steam profile details
Going to Steam and editing basic profile information is another way of resolving the VAC issue in Counter-Strike 2. To accomplish this, access your profile from the application by clicking on ‘Edit Profile’.
Next, change the name and avatar under the 'General' and 'Avatar' tabs respectively.
Opt for the newest Beta patch
As mentioned before, Counter-Strike 2 is still a relatively young game, which means Beta patches can help get rid of issues such as the VAC verification bug. To deal with the situation via Beta patches, right-click on CS2 in Steam.
From here, the 'Properties' tab should lead you to the 'Betas' option where a list of Beta patches is available. Select the latest patch and update the game. Next, open Counter-Strike 2 and then later, opt out of the Beta to see if it worked.
These were some ways to deal with the 'VAC was unable to verify your game session' error in Counter-Strike 2. The recent CS2 April 26 patch has fixed some bugs but many still remain. If none of the steps work, contacting Steam Support may help.
