‘LA Noire: VR’ Fans Blame Rockstar For DRM Authentication Issue

Many fans of “L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files” have been giving the game a lot of negative reviews over Steam and slamming the virtual reality game’s developer due to its DRM authentication issue.

Just recently, reddit user u/loudyankeemike started a thread that complains about “L.A. Noire: VR” being completely inaccessible for days because of a DRM issue. According to the redditor, every time he tries to launch the game he is prompted to enter the product key even though he has already activated it. When he purchased the game, he was able to play a few sessions because the problem surfaced last week.

The reddit user noted that re-entering the key will simply display an error that says, “This activation code is already in use.” Therefore, the game won’t progress past the launcher. Upon checking, he learned that the problem is not only on his end. Many others are experiencing the same thing. He also stumbled upon a workaround, which required him to start Steam in administrator mode. This worked the first time, but it failed to work in the succeeding attempts he did.

The wrath of other players can also be felt on the “LA. Noire: VR” Steam page. The game at present has “Mostly Negative” reviews on the platform due to the authentication problem. “My legitimately bought activation key no longer works due to Rockstar DRM saying my one-time activation code has already been used. I know it has, I used it when I first bought and played the game. Despite it being linked to my account, I can’t play it,” one customer wrote.

Many fans are blaming the DRM issue on Rockstar Games, since the same problem was present in the developer’s other games, including the “Max Payne” game and “GTA” games. Most of the complaints against Rockstar are published in a separate reddit thread. “If you’ve ever played any Rockstar game on PC, you would already know their DRM is terrible,” user samprasfan stated. “Steam DRM is the worst DRM available for developers. When it comes to cracking, it can be done the day the game releases,” user anduin1 opined.

It’s understandable why “L.A. Noire: VR” fans are annoyed by the authentication issue. When they launch the game, they will be prompted to activate the code via Rockstar Social Club. When they do activate their account, the game will relaunch and an error will be displayed on their screen. What’s worse is when they check their Games Collection on their account, the “L.A. Noire: VR” game is present and accounted for, as pointed out by Twinfinite.

Rockstar has yet to provide an official statement or address the authentication problem.