# Migrating cracked game to Steam



## pokemoner2500 (Apr 27, 2015)

So I plan to buy GTA V from Steam and I have the cracked version as of now, when I do buy I don't want to have to redownload EVERYTHING so I was wondering if it was possible to move the cracked game over to steam when I buy it. Currently it is in this directory.

C:\Games\Grand Theft Auto V

(If your going to complain about me pirating a game please do not comment unless you wish to help thx.)


----------



## jonthedit (Apr 27, 2015)

pokemoner2500 said:


> So I plan to buy GTA V from Steam and I have the cracked version as of now, when I do buy I don't want to have to redownload EVERYTHING so I was wondering if it was possible to move the cracked game over to steam when I buy it. Currently it is in this directory.
> 
> C:\Games\Grand Theft Auto V
> 
> (If your going to complain about me pirating a game please do not comment unless you wish to help thx.)


 
Move the Grand Theft Auto V folder into \SteamApps\common\

Delete cracked 3DM files, and GTA V.exe/any root .exe
files
they are small. The big stuff is the content packs.


----------



## migles (Apr 27, 2015)

savegames will work as if. (usually they are saved on documents folder or something like that.
as for the game itself.
start the download of gta iv. and then pause it.
shutdown the steam client (check on task manager if its still open. close all steam processes)
copy the contents of the installed game into the steam folders (usually C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps )
you will probably find a folder grand theft auto v in there
then open client. go on the game properties and verify integrity. you will only need to download some replaced files (like the .exe)

edit, was ninjad. but i made it more complete, you will want to shutdown client, or he will try to fuck up xD and yes, delete all crack files (or extra files) and verify integrity under steam game properties


----------



## Pedeadstrian (Apr 27, 2015)

migles said:


> savegames will work as if. (usually they are saved on documents folder or something like that.
> as for the game itself.
> start the download of gta iv. and then pause it.
> shutdown the steam client (check on task manager if its still open. close all steam processes)
> ...


 
Depending upon the team who did the crack, the save could be in various locations, including AppData, My Documents, and Saved Games, so chances are the game save won't work without having it be moved.


----------



## pokemoner2500 (Apr 27, 2015)

jonthedit said:


> Move the Grand Theft Auto V folder into \SteamApps\common\
> 
> Delete cracked 3DM files, and GTA V.exe/any root .exe
> files
> they are small. The big stuff is the content packs.


 

Alright, do you know which exact files are 3DM or just all the exe?



migles said:


> savegames will work as if. (usually they are saved on documents folder or something like that.
> as for the game itself.
> start the download of gta iv. and then pause it.
> shutdown the steam client (check on task manager if its still open. close all steam processes)
> ...


 

Ok



Pedeadstrian said:


> Depending upon the team who did the crack, the save could be in various locations, including AppData, My Documents, and Saved Games, so chances are the game save won't work without having it be moved.


 
The save file I have is a public 100% so I know where it goes, it was in 
C:\Users\Name of User\Documents\Rockstar Games\GTA V\Profiles\random digits.


----------



## Pedeadstrian (Apr 27, 2015)

pokemoner2500 said:


> Alright, do you know which exact files are 3DM or just all the exe?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Just delete all .dll and .exe files in the root folder.


----------



## pokemoner2500 (Apr 27, 2015)

Pedeadstrian said:


> Just delete all .dll and .exe files in the root folder.


 
Alright, once I get the game I'll give it a go


----------



## Pedeadstrian (Apr 27, 2015)

pokemoner2500 said:


> Alright, once I get the game I'll give it a go


 
Oh, and I doubt it'd make a difference, but you might wanna delete the 3DM .ini file as well.


----------



## pokemoner2500 (Apr 27, 2015)

Pedeadstrian said:


> Oh, and I doubt it'd make a difference, but you might wanna delete the 3DM .ini file as well.


 
alright thanks


----------



## endoverend (Apr 27, 2015)

Delete the Launcher.exe, 3dmgame.dll, and 3dmgame.ini and copy to steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto V. Should work fine.


----------



## Tom Bombadildo (Apr 28, 2015)

What end said. And then, of course, you'll want to verify the game cache as well just in case any other files might have been modified.


----------



## reimiux (Jul 16, 2017)

migles said:


> savegames will work as if. (usually they are saved on documents folder or something like that.
> as for the game itself.
> start the download of gta iv. and then pause it.
> shutdown the steam client (check on task manager if its still open. close all steam processes)
> ...



OK so i did all of this and when i go on gta iv properties on steam> local files it says: Disk usage: none and when i try to verify integrity of game same thing: disk usage none. Please help. Should i make a new thread about this??


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

reimiux said:


> OK so i did all of this and when i go on gta iv properties on steam> local files it says: Disk usage: none and when i try to verify integrity of game same thing: disk usage none. Please help.


this is the process:

start the download process in the steam client (select the game, start download)
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOWNLOAD, close the steam client totally.
find the steam game instalation (usually C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps )
REPLACE THE FILES FROM THE CRACK VERSION INTO THE STEAM VERSION
restart steam and let the download complete\verify, in the end press verify integrety of game files....

the reason it says "disk usage, none" very likely you didn't start the download OF THE GAME in the steam client.. you need to start the download process and then replace the files while the steam is shutted down

PS: like endo said, delete teh files related to the crack, like the 3dm game files


----------



## reimiux (Jul 16, 2017)

migles said:


> this is the process:
> 
> start the download process in the steam client (select the game, start download)
> IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DOWNLOAD, close the steam client totally.
> ...



So, i did this again but same doesnt work.. it just downloads the game (13gb). Thanks for your time anyway . So i will have to redownloadit once again..


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

reimiux said:


> So, i did this again but same doesnt work.. it just downloads the game (13gb). Thanks for your time anyway . But i will have to redownloadit once again..


i just had to install a game and it appears steam now downloads the stuff into the "downloading" folder in steamapps.
you might want to paste the pirated game into this downloading folder, keep in mind, inside that folder, the games are listed through numbers and not the game name
the easiest way to check which is the gta, is go into the steam store page of gta, and look a the url..

you have to replace the contents


----------



## reimiux (Jul 16, 2017)

migles said:


> i just had to install a game and it appears steam now downloads the stuff into the "downloading" folder in steamapps.
> you might want to paste the pirated game into this downloading folder, keep in mind, inside that folder, the games are listed through numbers and not the game name
> the easiest way to check which is the gta, is go into the steam store page of gta, and look a the url..
> 
> you have to replace the contents



Same thing maybe now its impossible, maybe steam only recognizes games backups? Thanks for your help anyways man.


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

reimiux said:


> Same thing maybe now its impossible, maybe steam only recognizes games backups? Thanks for your help anyways man.


i will test with a game and come back later with pictures


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

@reimiux
it appears i was giving wrong information... (my method is outdated, worked before the temp\downlaoding folders stuff)

i did this method with another game and it works wonderfully:
unninstall gta in the steam games list.
copy the "cracked" version into the steamapps\common folder (in my case: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common)
click to install the game, the window to install will appear, make sure the directory is correct (in my case is C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam)
the steam client will start a process of discovering the files. if you putted it in the right place with right names, it will do it's job and find the games.

the cracked files will be marked as "corrupted" and the steam client will re-downloading theese "missing files"


----------



## reimiux (Jul 16, 2017)

migles said:


> @reimiux
> it appears i was giving wrong information... (my method is outdated, worked before the temp\downlaoding folders stuff)
> 
> i did this method with another game and it works wonderfully:
> ...



I tried this yesterday because i thinked that it will work but it didnt. I tried with name: Grand Theft Auto IV. I know its the right name because then i start to download it the steam creates folder with exact name. Why isnt this working? Maybe the files are different in the pirated game?? I can record my screen if u want while i do all the stuff.


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

reimiux said:


> I tried this yesterday because i thinked that it will work but it didnt. I tried with name: Grand Theft Auto IV. I know its the right name because then i start to download it the steam creates folder with exact name. Why isnt this working? I can record my screen if u want while i do all the stuff.


because you very likely doing something wrong...
when you install a game, steam verifies if you got any of the files so you don0t have to download them again...

btw,
i am confused, it's grand theft auto V or IV ?


----------



## reimiux (Jul 16, 2017)

Ok, so after i  do all of this and when i press install it just downloads it (13gb). Its gta iv. I was always using this method on other games like cs go, unturned, gta v ages ago so i know how to do it.. But why doesnt it work on gta iv I cant figure it out.


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

reimiux said:


> Ok, so after i  do all of this and when i press install it just downloads it (13gb). Its gta iv. I was always using this method on other games like cs go, unturned, gta v ages ago so i know how to do it.. But why doesnt it work on gta iv I cant figure it out.


ok, if it's gta IV (the 4th one) i have it and i will go ahead, download and try it..


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

@reimiux i think i may had found your problem


C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto IV
this is the default path.
inside that there are 2 folders, one named GTAIV, other installers.
so the actuall game files are located inside C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV
i think the problem you got is basically, you where copying the game files inside the "Grand Theft Auto IV"


so basically you will find the GTAIV.exe file here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Grand Theft Auto IV\GTAIV\GTAIV.exe


----------



## Pacheko17 (Jul 16, 2017)

Start download, move files of pirated game over, restart Steam, wait for some files to finish downloading, verify integrity of game files and done.
I did that with GTA IV.


----------



## migles (Jul 16, 2017)

Pacheko17 said:


> Start download, move files of pirated game over, restart Steam, wait for some files to finish downloading, verify integrity of game files and done.
> I did that with GTA IV.


read my post the page before, that method doesn't kite work anymore, you have to put the files before the install, steam before installing now checks if you got the files in the place
i did tried that method you said, doesn't kite work, it will keep downloading lol


----------



## reimiux (Jul 17, 2017)

Good job man! Yesterday i tried naming it GTAIV cuz it is called GTAIV while u are downloading the game in steam but it didnt worked, never thought that it could be like that. Thanks a lot! Maybe someone will need this! You just saved us 29gb of internet and a lot of time! And if anyone wanna do this with episodes from liberty do the same thing but first create a folder named Grand Theft Auto IV Episodes from Liberty City and inside create a folder named EFLC and then paste all the files inside of EFLC folder.


----------



## Jayro (Jul 17, 2017)

Can anyone tell me how to make a working shortcut in Steam for the "_Windows 10 Edition_" of Minecraft? Nothing works for me.


----------



## reimiux (Jul 17, 2017)

Jayro said:


> Can anyone tell me how to make a working shortcut in Steam for the "_Windows 10 Edition_" of Minecraft? Nothing works for me.



Dont ask questions not related to this post but i will tell you how.
1.Open C:\Users<USERNAME>\AppData\Local\Packages
2.Find the package name of the app you want to open (it should be Microsoft.MinecraftUWP_8wekyb3d8bbwe)
3.Open either C:\Program Files\WindowsApps<APP TO OPEN> Or <DISK>:\WindowsApps<APP TO OPEN>

First go to yours start menu and find minecraft win 10 edition. Right click it and press create shortcut. Then go to steam and press Add game in bottom left of ur screen. Then press add non steam game.

Ok forget it i cant find the answer either. Just play normal mc on steam or whatever. We should delete our posts. Not related here. Create your own thread.


----------



## migles (Jul 17, 2017)

Jayro said:


> Can anyone tell me how to make a working shortcut in Steam for the "_Windows 10 Edition_" of Minecraft? Nothing works for me.


minecraft 10 edition is an "app", apps are kite different... specially when the desktop refuses to give you links and doesn't let you acess the apps folder
search on google "windows app shortcut in steam"  there are several workarounds... for example creating .bat and launch this bat..

i created a shortcut for the calculator in my desktop, in steam added a random app, then edited the properties to this shortcut, while it works, it nags you with a "failled to launch" message


----------



## dicamarques (Jul 17, 2017)

The trick here is to make steam think you already downloaded the full game
First start your download so you know where the game files go.
Search in google for "game name" app_manifest, place it in the "steamapps" folder.
Cancel the download, close steam. 
Copy your game (yes copy! because if files are corrupted steam will delete them) to the correct folder in "steamapps"
Open steam, try to download the game and steam will begin verifing the cache and download any missing files
Sauce: living with a 128kb/s internet for 4 yrs


----------



## migles (Jul 17, 2017)

dicamarques said:


> The trick here is to make steam think you already downloaded the full game
> First start your download so you know where the game files go.
> Search in google for "game name" app_manifest, place it in the "steamapps" folder.
> Cancel the download, close steam.
> ...


read posts above, op already solved it, it was just a case where OP was copying to the wrong folder
that's no longer necessary. you don't require "any trick"
all you have to do is copy the game folder into the right folder and select to install the game, steam will automatically enter in discovering files mode where it checks if the files you got are correct

and actually, i never needed to use the app_manifest... before i just had to pause the install, paste files over and check to verify
unless, you used the app_manifest to skip every checks?


----------



## styxwretch (Mar 4, 2022)

migles said:


> because you very likely doing something wrong...
> when you install a game, steam verifies if you got any of the files so you don0t have to download them again...
> 
> btw,
> i am confused, it's grand theft auto V or IV ?


this still works for elden ring, it start discovering file
you need to have the spaces for the cracked files, and required spaces for steam to initiate install elden ring,
Copy the file to commonapps/gamefile location, then initiate install


----------



## styxwretch (Mar 4, 2022)

migles said:


> @reimiux
> it appears i was giving wrong information... (my method is outdated, worked before the temp\downlaoding folders stuff)
> 
> i did this method with another game and it works wonderfully:
> ...


I followed this and it started discovering files and downloading start at 70%, thank you!
Before starting you need to place your files in common apps folder where you want to install the file, like the other game location, you need extra space to initiate the installation


----------

