XCOM: Enemy Unknown: Fixing the Updating Executable error

Inside of the Steam Client:
File -> Exit

Right-click steam.exe -> Choose Run as Administrator

Navigate to your library -> Right-click XCOM EU -> Properties -> (General tab) Enter the following Launch Option (at the bottom)

No worries. Check out the Steam documentation to confirm for yourself. https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/7D01-D2DD-D75E-2955

Sends output to a console.log file. When stuff happens, it’s recorded.

It should not work.

To add info to the console log file.

I think console.log is made if the game launches. Since your game didn’t launch, instead you’re looking at the console log for the Steam Client (steam.exe) instead.

Having a record of what is happening is incredibly helpful.

You should probably (hopefully) see something like the following, after doing step 4. Here’s what mine looks like

Close the console file -> Hit the play button for XCOM -> Wait about 15 seconds -> Open the console file. If you’re clicking around in the Steam Client it will record all of the different things you’re doing. Don’t make extra noise. You’ll see a bunch of other junk around it, but you should see something like this. Check the timestamps against whatever computer clock says.

You should be able to ctrl+f for AppID 200510 and hone in on that area.

You and me both!

This is just to confirm that there is some kind of issue going on with AppID 200510 (i.e. XCOM EU). If you see some other type of error message with that AppID, you might need to troubleshoot it yourself. This is simply what I see for my install. If you see this same kind of error, this fix will probably…? hopefully…? work for you.

Again, no clue!

I did notice the “UpdatingDRM” failure thing, but have no idea. I think it’s related to the 2K launcher being removed in Nov 2024, somehow.

Pretty image. Ooooh.

You should be using Windows 8. Not Windows 7. I hated Windows 8.

I thought that using Windows 7 would make more sense, since it was more popular around the time that XCOM came out, but for whatever reason, Windows 8 worked and Windows 7 didn’t. I have no idea why.

You must use Windows 8 for compatibility mode!

Boom!

The game should launch.

There are a few other things you should do before you close out this guide.

• Close out the Steam client: File -> Exit
• Open Steam in the normal fashion
• Launch XCOM normally.
• (Assuming that works) Close XCOM. Again.

  Here’s the output of my console file after I got everything working correctly:

  [2024-12-08 18:56:40] GameAction [AppID 200510, ActionID 2] : LaunchApp changed task to WaitingGameWindow with “”
  [2024-12-08 18:56:40] GameAction [AppID 200510, ActionID 2] : LaunchApp changed task to Completed with “”
  [2024-12-08 18:56:41] Game process updated : AppID 200510 “”C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\Binaries\Win32\XComGame.exe” -condebug”, ProcID 7404, IP 0.0.0.0:0
  [2024-12-08 18:56:42] Loaded Config for Local Selection Path for App ID 200510, Controller 0: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam/controller_base/templates/gamepad_fps.vdf
  [2024-12-08 18:56:45] GameOverlay: started ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\GameOverlayUI.exe’ (pid 17292) for game process 7404
  [2024-12-08 18:56:47] Loaded Config for Local Selection Path for App ID 413080, Controller 0: controller_base/desktop_steamcontroller_gordon.vdf
  [2024-12-08 18:56:49] Loaded Config for Local Selection Path for App ID 200510, Controller 0: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam/controller_base/templates/gamepad_fps.vdf
  [2024-12-08 18:57:13] Loaded Config for Local Selection Path for App ID 413080, Controller 0: controller_base/desktop_steamcontroller_gordon.vdf
  [2024-12-08 18:57:14] Game process removed: AppID 200510 “”C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\Binaries\Win32\XComGame.exe” -condebug”, ProcID 7404
  See how condebug is still showing on that last line?

  Lets go ahead and keep that from sticking around.

  Right-click XCOM -> Properties -> General (tab) -> Launch options -> Remove -condebug

  

I already did (on 8 DEC 2024). I have sent off a trouble ticket with 2k and informed them of the workaround for this. Hopefully they can work with Steam to get this fixed up for everyone. This just makes it so you don’t have to twiddle your thumbs and wait.

Update: I got a response back pretty soon after that reads as follows:

> Hey there,
>
> Thank you for reaching out to us at 2K Support! [name] here to assist you today.
>
> Thank you so much for sending us this workaround for the “Updating Executable” issue when launching the game!
>
> We really appreciate this, and will take it into inconsideration.
>
> If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
>
> Best regards,
> [name]

That’s either a really good sign, or a really bad sign. It’s always hard to tell with Customer Support.

• My immediate guess is that your on Windows 11. I’m on Windows 10. If you don’t have Win8 as an option…do you have Win10 as a compatibility option? Maybe that will work?
• You’re welcome to add a comment to see if there is something we can do to help.
• I would encourage you to talk to 2K support too, though. https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

  Good luck, everyone. I’ll do what I can to help with this. Let’s keep this community strong! 🙂