How to Completely Uninstall GTA 5 Social Club [Solved]

Key Takeaways:

• Rockstar Games Social Club is hard to fully remove from your computer
• Common issues include errors, missing files, and leftover processes
• The recommended way is to use a third-party uninstaller tool
• Manual steps involve rebooting to Safe Mode, uninstalling via Control Panel, and deleting leftovers

Dealing with programs that don’t uninstall properly can be frustrating. And Rockstar Games Social Club is one such program that many gamers struggle to remove completely from their systems.

What is Rockstar Games Social Club?

Social Club is a digital rights management and online multiplayer service created by Rockstar Games. It’s required to play many of their popular titles like Grand Theft Auto V.

While it allows you to track stats, join crews, and enable multiplayer, many users find Social Club annoying and bloated. It runs in the background and can conflict with other programs if not removed properly.

Why is Social Club So Hard to Uninstall?

There are a few reasons why uninstalling Rockstar Social Club can be such a headache:

• The program is still running so Windows won’t let you remove it
• You get vague errors from Rockstar about not being able to uninstall
• Windows can’t locate the default uninstaller for the program
• Key program files or registry entries are missing or corrupted
• Social Club processes keep running even after you “uninstall” it

If you try the regular uninstall routine and it fails, getting rid of those lingering files and registry keys is an uphill battle. But don’t worry, there are ways to nuke Social Club from orbit!

Using a Third-Party Uninstaller Tool (Recommended)

The easiest way to completely remove stubborn programs like Social Club is to use a dedicated third-party uninstaller utility. These are specially designed to hunt down and remove every trace of an application safely.

One of the most popular uninstallers is Total Uninstaller. Here are the steps to use for removing Rockstar Games Social Club:

1. Download and install Total Uninstaller
2. Launch the program and select Rockstar Games Social Club from the list
3. Click the “Run Analysis” button
4. Once it scans all components, click “Complete Uninstall”
5. Confirm to start the uninstall process and follow any prompts
6. After uninstalling, click “Scan Leftovers” then “Delete Leftovers”
7. Click Yes to approve deleting any remaining files/registries

Using an automated tool saves you a ton of time and hassle compared to manually tracking down Social Club’s leftovers scattered across your system.

Manually Uninstalling Social Club

If you don’t want to use a third-party utility, you can try to manually remove Rockstar Games Social Club. It involves a few more steps but it’s doable.

Entering Safe Mode

The first important step is to restart your computer into Safe Mode before uninstalling. Safe Mode loads only the bare essential programs and drivers.

This prevents any Social Club processes from automatically running in the background and interfering with the uninstall. Here’s how to boot into Safe Mode:

For Windows 10:

1. Go to Start > Power > Hold down Shift and click Restart
2. After restarting, select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Startup Settings
3. Click Restart again
4. After restarting again, you’ll get a list of options – select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking by pressing the corresponding number key

For Windows 7:

1. Go to Start > Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools
2. Double-click on System Configuration
3. Go to the Boot tab and check the “Safe boot” option
4. Click OK and it will prompt you to restart into Safe Mode

Don’t forget to undo these changes and restart normally after you finish uninstalling!

Uninstalling via Control Panel

With Safe Mode enabled to prevent Social Club from running, you can try the standard uninstall through the Windows programs list:

1. Search for “Control Panel” and go to Programs > Uninstall a program
2. Locate Rockstar Games Social Club in the program list
3. Right-click on it and select Uninstall/Change
4. Follow the prompts in the uninstall wizard to remove Social Club

Some users recommend using Social Club’s uninstaller file called “uninstallRGSC.exe” located in the installation folder like “C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Social Club”.

Removing Leftovers

Even after running the uninstaller, there will likely be some leftover registry keys, files, and folders that didn’t get removed. You’ll need to manually find and delete these:

For Registry Leftovers:

1. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog and type “regedit” to open Registry Editor
2. Use the Find tool (Ctrl+F) to search for “Rockstar Games” and Social Club entries
3. Carefully delete any keys or values you find related to Social Club

For File/Folder Leftovers:

1. Open File Explorer and click the “View” tab
2. Check “Show hidden files, folders and drives”
3. Navigate to common leftover locations like “C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games”
4. Manually delete any remaining Social Club files/folders you find

Be very careful when deleting files and editing the registry. It’s easy to make mistakes that can cause other issues on your system if you’re not careful.

Other Tips

• Create a full system backup or restore point before uninstalling
• Check for any pending Windows updates that could reinstall Social Club files
• Use a registry cleaner tool to scan for any other lingering entries
• Run a malware scan after uninstalling to ensure nothing malicious is left

FAQ

How do I completely remove Social Club?

The best way is to use a dedicated third-party uninstaller program like Total Uninstaller. It will automatically scan and remove every trace of Social Club from your system.

How do you get rid of Social Club on GTA 5?

Uninstalling Social Club will remove the components required for GTA 5 multiplayer. To reinstall just for GTA 5 single-player, you’ll need to download the Rockstar Games Launcher.

How do I Uninstall GTA Rockstar?

To uninstall the Rockstar Games Launcher itself, run the uninstall.exe located in the installation folder like “C:\Program Files\Rockstar Games\Launcher”

How do I delete my Rockstar Social Club account?

Log into the Rockstar Games website, go to Account Settings > Account and click “Close Membership”. This will permanently delete your Social Club account.

How do I install the Rockstar game launcher?

You can download the Rockstar Games Launcher from https://rockstargames.com/launcher. Install it and it will detect any previously installed Rockstar games.

Conclusion

Using a professional uninstaller utility is the easiest way to completely remove it.

But you can also manually uninstall Social Club by rebooting to Safe Mode, running the standard uninstaller, and carefully deleting any leftovers from your registry and hard drive.

While it takes some effort, completely purging problem programs like Social Club helps keep your gaming PC running smoothly and avoids bizarre errors down the line. Just be cautious when manually editing system files and registry.