You've finally got your hands on the invite or decided to dive into NetEase’s chaotic hero shooter, but there’s a massive roadblock. You hit "Play" on Steam or the Epic Games Store, and instead of Dr. Strange or Iron Man appearing on your screen, you get a tiny, stubborn window. It says Marvel Rivals running install script. And it just sits there. For five minutes. Ten minutes. Maybe an hour. It’s incredibly frustrating because everything else on your PC seems fine, yet this one little command-line process is gatekeeping your climb up the competitive ladder.
The reality is that this isn't usually a "broken" game. It’s a communication breakdown. When you see that message, Steam is essentially trying to talk to Windows to ensure your DirectX, C++ Redistributables, and anti-cheat drivers are all playing nice together. If one of those handshakes fails, the script loops. Or it hangs. It just waits for a response that never comes.
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Honestly, it’s a classic PC gaming headache that’s been amplified by the sheer volume of players trying to squeeze into the Marvel Rivals servers at once.
What is Actually Happening Under the Hood?
When you launch a modern title like Marvel Rivals, the "install script" isn't just a formality. It’s a series of checks. First, it looks for the Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) setup. Because Marvel Rivals is a competitive, team-based shooter, the anti-cheat is non-negotiable. If the script can't verify that EAC is installed correctly at the kernel level, it won't let the game execute. This is a common point of failure.
Sometimes the issue is much simpler: permissions. If Steam doesn't have "Administrator" privileges, it might not have the right to write the final registry keys needed to finish the setup. You’re essentially watching a worker try to unlock a door without the key. They’ll stand there forever until you give them the key.
There's also the "first-time setup" ghost. Even if you've played the playtests before, the full release or a major patch might trigger a fresh script run. If files from a previous beta are lingering in your SteamApps folder, the new script might get confused by the old manifest files. It tries to overwrite something that's currently "in use" by a background process, and boom—you're stuck on the loading bar.
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The Most Effective Fixes for the Marvel Rivals Running Install Script Loop
Don't just sit there hoping it'll resolve itself. It won't. If it’s been longer than five minutes, something is snagged.
Kill the Process and Force a Re-run
The first thing you should try is the "brute force" method. Open your Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc). Look for anything labeled "Steam Client Service" or "Microsoft Register Server." End those tasks. Sometimes, simply killing the secondary process that the script triggered allows Steam to realize the "hook" is dead, and it will try a cleaner execution when you hit play again.
The Administrator Shuffle
This sounds like "IT Support 101," but it's vital for Marvel Rivals. Close Steam completely. Right-click your Steam shortcut and select Run as Administrator. By doing this, you're giving the install script the "Master Key" to your Windows registry. Often, the script is just waiting for a Windows User Account Control (UAC) prompt that’s somehow hidden behind your main window. Running as admin bypasses that friction.
Verify Game Files (The Old Reliable)
If the script is stuck because a file is corrupted, no amount of waiting will help.
- Right-click Marvel Rivals in your Library.
- Select Properties.
- Go to Installed Files.
- Click Verify integrity of game files.
Steam will cross-reference your local data with the server. If it finds a 0KB file where a 100MB file should be, it'll redownload it. This often resets the "install script" flag, forcing the game to try a fresh configuration launch.
Dealing with the Easy Anti-Cheat Barrier
Since Marvel Rivals relies heavily on EAC, a lot of the "running install script" hangs are actually EAC setup failures. If the game won't launch, go into the game's installation folder. You can find this by right-clicking the game in Steam > Manage > Browse local files.
Look for a folder named EasyAntiCheat. Inside, there’s usually an executable called EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe. Run it. Choose Marvel Rivals from the dropdown menu and hit "Repair Service." This manually does what the install script was failing to do. Once it says "Repair Successful," try launching the game again. It usually skips the script check entirely after a manual repair.
Why Your Antivirus Might Be the Villain
We have to talk about Windows Defender and third-party suites like Bitdefender or Norton. They hate install scripts. To an antivirus, a script that tries to modify registry keys and install kernel-level drivers (like anti-cheat) looks exactly like a Trojan.
If you're stuck, try disabling your "Real-time Protection" for just sixty seconds while you launch the game. If the script finishes instantly, you know where the problem lies. You'll need to add the Marvel Rivals folder and the Steam folder to your "Exclusions" list so you don't have to keep turning off your protection every time there’s a patch.
The Nuclear Option: Deleting the Manifest
Sometimes Steam thinks it's still installing something when it isn't. To fix this, you have to go into your Steam folder—usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps. Look for "appmanifest" files. These are small files that tell Steam what state a game is in.
Marvel Rivals has a specific AppID. You can find this ID by looking at the URL of the game's store page. Delete the manifest associated with that ID (while Steam is closed). When you restart Steam, it will think the game isn't installed. Don't panic. Point it to the same install folder, and it will "discover existing files." This process re-scans everything and usually clears any hung install scripts because it generates a brand-new manifest file from scratch.
Hardware and Driver Nuances
Don't ignore your GPU drivers. If you’re running an NVIDIA or AMD card with drivers from six months ago, the Marvel Rivals install script might be hanging while trying to compile shaders or check for DirectX 12 compatibility.
Specific to Marvel Rivals, there have been reports that players on Windows 10 versions older than 22H2 struggle with the installation scripts because the game expects certain updated Windows libraries. Check your Windows Update. If you're hanging on an "Optional Quality Update," that might actually be the missing piece of the puzzle.
Also, check your drive space. It sounds silly, but if you have 100MB left on your SSD, the install script will hang indefinitely because it can't create the temporary "swap" files needed to unpack the game's assets. Ensure you have at least 10-15GB of breathing room beyond the game's actual size.
Actionable Next Steps to Get Back in the Game
If you are staring at that "running install script" box right now, follow this exact sequence to stop wasting time:
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- Force Quit: Kill Steam via Task Manager and restart it as an Administrator.
- Repair EAC: Go to the local files and run the EasyAntiCheat setup tool manually.
- Clear the Cache: In Steam settings, go to "Downloads" and click "Clear Download Cache." This logs you out but flushes temporary files that cause script hangs.
- Check Windows Updates: Ensure you are on at least Windows 10 22H2 or Windows 11.
- Wait (But Only Once): If it's a major patch day, give it exactly 10 minutes. If it hasn't moved, use the "Verify Integrity" tool.
Most players find that the "Run as Administrator" trick combined with the manual EAC repair fixes the issue 90% of the time. Once that script clears once, it rarely comes back until the next major seasonal update. Get those fixes in place so you can stop looking at a progress bar and start picking your team.