Navigating the Frustrating Loop of Steam and Origin Game Compatibility

Hello, dear readers!

Today, I find myself in need of sharing a rather frustrating experience I’ve encountered while trying to enjoy some recently purchased games on Steam. I assure you this isn’t intended as a grievance against any companies involved, but rather a plea for understanding from those who might have faced similar challenges. For clarity’s sake, I want to commend the courteous customer support representatives I interacted with during this ordeal, even though their assistance ultimately fell short of resolving the issues.

Here’s the dilemma: I bought and installed three new games on Steam, and my computer can run them without a hitch. However, these particular games require the Origin client to operate, as EA has chosen to bypass Steam’s internal functionality for their titles. When attempting to launch a game from Steam, it automatically redirects me to Origin. Normally, this bias against seamless integration would simply be an annoyance, but it escalated into a conundrum: the Origin client won’t recognize that the games are actually installed.

The situation quickly spiraled into frustration. When I attempt to download the game through Origin, it provides me with two possible outcomes:

1. If the game is not installed, it will initiate a download via Steam.
2. If the game is already installed, it replies that the download failed, urging me to try again.

This creates a rather inescapable barrier to enjoyment. After explaining my predicament to an EA representative, I was guided through standard uninstall and reinstall protocols, which—predictably—did not yield success. Instead, I found myself waiting three days for the download to complete due to my notoriously slow Australian internet.

Subsequently, another customer service agent at EA helped me troubleshoot on Steam’s side. They suggested clearing my download cache and repairing the Steam library folders. After following these steps, I was met with mild success: Origin acknowledged that the game was installed. However, triumph was fleeting, as I soon discovered that clicking “Play” led to… nothing. The screen processes what seems like a first-time setup, only to crash right back to the Origin homepage.

Reaching out to Steam support brought no resolution either; they directed me back to EA with a frustratingly unhelpful shrug. Refund? Not an option, as I previously encountered issues with my connection that prevented me from completing downloads within the refund window. It raises the question of why these games are even purchasable via Steam when the system