Record the build and what actually happens

Write down the device/operating system, Steam, itch.io, App Store or Google Play, premium versus demo/Lite, and the installed game version if it is visible. Record the exact error and whether the game never opens, opens then closes, stays marked running, or loads with missing objects.

If the store says your device is incompatible or the product is unavailable, start with official downloads and requirements. A puzzle that is waiting for an ingredient belongs to its walkthrough checkpoint, unless a previously collected item has actually vanished.

The horse and carriage outside the estate in Servant of the Lake.
Official Steam carriage image; product and arrival context. Steam source (opens in a new tab)

Check the dated game-fix notices first

Check your store’s available update before following an old workaround. Rusty Lake’s August 19 Steam 1.6.3 hotfix addressed a GPU startup crash introduced by 1.6.2; its August 16 1.6.2 notes also covered Steam getting stuck on Playing or Stopping. These are historical, symptom-specific notices, not a statement that 1.6.3 is today’s latest version on every platform.

Let the store finish an available update, then try one fresh launch. If it still fails, keep the version and error for the branch below.

Steam opens the game and it immediately closes

  1. Restart and confirm the minimums

    Restart the computer and Steam. Compare the operating system, processor, memory and storage with the official requirements. Use the normal operating-system or device-maker route for driver updates, as Steam’s general guidance recommends.

  2. Verify this game’s files

    In Steam Library, right-click Servant of the Lake → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. Allow the process to finish; run it for one game at a time.

  3. Try once more and record the result

    Launch again. If it still closes, capture the exact message or behavior and use the support route below.

    Checkpoint: Verification completion is a check result, not proof the launch problem is fixed.

This is Steam’s general installed-file procedure. It can repair a missing or changed installed file; it does not prove that an individual save is intact. Do not replace random DLLs or disable security software because a broad troubleshooting list mentions them.

Steam says the app is already running

Steam documents this symptom when a game process has not closed properly. Try closing the game normally first. If its window is gone but the process remains, restart the computer; on Windows, Steam also describes ending the identified game process through Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc). Force-closing can discard unsaved progress, so do not end unrelated processes.

After the process closes, reopen Steam and launch once. If the same stuck-running state returns on an updated build, record it for support rather than repeating unrelated reinstall attempts.

An iPhone/iPad app will not open

  • iPhone/iPad: Apple’s documented order is to close and reopen the app, restart the device, then check for app and operating-system updates. Check the specific premium or Lite App Store entry.
  • Before deleting an app: Apple warns that deletion/redownload can lose stored data. Save preservation and recovery for this game are not established by that general step; contact Rusty Lake before deleting a progress-bearing installation.
  • Android: use the actual premium or Lite Google Play listing to check device availability and an offered update. The iOS instructions above are not a claim about Android settings or a diagnosis of your device. For a persistent crash, send the Android version, device model, store and game build to Rusty Lake.

Missing objects or a damaged save

Rusty Lake’s August 14 Steam notice tells players with disappearing items/save-load trouble to update and contact support without resetting the game. Preserve your current state and note the last completed task and exactly which object vanished. Do not assume an empty inventory at the attic lantern is another hidden box solution.

File verification and a fresh install are not a documented universal save-recovery method. The developer has offered assistance with affected progress, but this page cannot promise recovery for a particular platform or save.

When to stop and contact support

Stop after the relevant update/restart/check if the failure repeats, or immediately if progress has disappeared. Use [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or the official Rusty Lake Discord (opens in a new tab), linked in the developer FAQ (opens in a new tab). This page does not send a message for you.

  • Include device model and OS version, store, premium/demo/Lite product, and installed build.
  • Give the exact error or what appears before the app closes; include a screenshot if available.
  • For a save issue, name the day/time/task and the missing object; say whether you have reset, reinstalled or changed devices.
  • List the checks already tried and their outcomes so support does not need to repeat them.