Troubleshooting the Steam-Origin Dilemma: A Frustrating Gaming Experience

Hello, fellow gaming enthusiasts!

Today, I want to share a rather perplexing challenge I’ve encountered with my gaming setup involving both Steam and Origin. While this isn’t a critique of the brands themselves—both Steam and EA have commendable customer service representatives—my experience with tech support has largely been unhelpful, leading me to seek solutions from the community.

The Conundrum

Recently, I purchased three new games via Steam, all of which are compatible with my system. However, instead of running directly through Steam, the games require the Origin client to launch. This, in itself, wouldn’t typically be a major issue, but the Origin client fails to recognize that I’ve already installed the games via Steam. Instead, it insists that I need to download the games—a cycle of confusion has ensued.

Encountering this dilemma has forced me into an endless loop:

1. If I attempt to download the game through Origin, it informs me that installation must be completed through Steam.
2. If the game is already installed, it refuses to download and prompts me to try again.

This bizarre situation leaves me stuck, unable to enjoy the games I’ve purchased. In my quest for resolution, I turned to EA’s customer support. While the representatives were friendly and sympathetic, the standard uninstall/reinstall suggestions didn’t yield any positive results. After going through this process, I was left waiting for days due to slow download speeds associated with my internet connection here in Australia.

Some progress was made when another EA representative suggested I troubleshoot from Steam’s side. Following their recommendations, I cleared my download cache and repaired the library folders on Steam. With hope, I launched the games once more—success! Origin finally acknowledged the installations. However, the victory was short-lived. Every time I tried to launch a game, nothing would happen; Origin would reset back to its homepage, leaving me without access to my games yet again.

Seeking Solutions

Frustrated, I reached out to Steam support, only to be told that they couldn’t assist me. Their response was essentially a directional shrug, telling me to contact EA for further help or consider a refund. Unfortunately, my previous attempts at requesting refunds were rejected due to the delayed download times causing me to miss the eligibility window. This experience raises a larger question: why can we even purchase these games on Steam if they are bound to run through Origin?

If anyone