Username bug thwarts Grand Theft Auto 5 update for some PC players

By Kris Wouk April 14, 2015

grand theft auto 6 in development 5 pc — Image used with permission by copyright holder

After multiple delays, Grand Theft Auto V has finally arrived on the PC, and as expected, gamers jumped on the title immediately. But while many buyers of the game may be happily playing even as you read this, others weren’t so lucky.

The launch has generally been smooth, which is a boon given the rough start its predecessor had on the PC, but all is not well. An issue with the game and special characters in Windows usernames is keeping certain buyers of Grand Theft Auto V from updating the game or even installing it at all.

“We have identified an issue where players with Windows usernames that include characters not found in the table at the bottom of this page will likely run into difficulties when attempting to download, install, or play GTAV. We are currently working on a fix for this issue,” reads a related Rockstar support page.

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As long as a user account name only uses characters included in letters A to Z, a to z, or numbers 0-9, the game installs and updates as intended. For buyers who would rather not wait for a fix, creating a new user account with administrator privileges will allow them to install the game without issue. This has to be a new account– renaming your existing user account is not enough to fix the problem.

There is no ETA on when a fix for the bug will be released, though Rockstar claims that the support page for the issue will be updated with information on “expected timing of a fix and whether you will be able to transfer progress on the newly created Windows username over to your original Windows user account.”

Though this is the largest issue the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V is facing at launch, it isn’t the only issue. Players moving their GTA Online characters from PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 versions of the game are losing vehicles in certain instances, and Windows Media Player isn’t being properly detected on some systems.

For fixes to this and other issues, see Rockstar’s support page for Grand Theft Auto V.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…

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