If you have no moral or technical objection to Steam, simply install it, create a free account, and leave it running in the background. Launch the game. Even if the game was purchased elsewhere, the Steam client’s presence satisfies the check. You do not need to buy the game again on Steam.
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is widely praised as a tight, stylish arcade-style FPS. However, players—especially those who purchased the game through third-party retailers like GOG or Humble Bundle—often encounter a frustrating roadblock: a pop-up message declaring, “Steam is required in order to play.” This message appears even when the game was bought from a supposedly DRM-free store. Understanding why this happens and how to fix it is essential for any gunslinger wanting to ride into the sunset. The Root Cause: A Launcher Leftover The problem is not a conspiracy to force Steam on everyone. Instead, it is a technical artifact. The version of Call of Juarez: Gunslinger sold on most platforms (including older physical copies) was originally built to launch through Steam’s DRM (Digital Rights Management). Even when a storefront like GOG lists the game as DRM-free, the executable file ( CoJGunslinger.exe ) may still contain a hardcoded check that looks for a running Steam client. If you have no moral or technical objection
If you bought the game on GOG, ensure you downloaded the offline backup installers, not the Galaxy client version. Reinstall using those, and apply any latest patches from GOG. Modern GOG versions no longer have the Steam check. Conclusion The “Steam is required” error in Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a minor but irritating ghost of cross-platform distribution. It does not mean you must buy the game twice or surrender to DRM. By running Steam in the background, adding the game to Steam’s library, or—best of all—installing a patched DRM-free executable, you can bypass the restriction entirely. Once fixed, the game rewards you with one of the most inventive narrative shooters of its era, free from launcher walls. Draw, fix, and fire. You do not need to buy the game again on Steam
If you launch the game and Steam is not installed or not running, the executable throws the error and closes. This is particularly common after using a cracked or modified executable from a non-Steam source, or when the game was installed via a disk that assumed Steam would be present. Fortunately, resolving this does not require advanced hacking. There are several reliable solutions. Understanding why this happens and how to fix
The most elegant solution is to replace the game’s launcher with a version that removes the Steam requirement. Reputable sources like PCGamingWiki provide official patches or links to modified executables (often from the GOG version, which eventually released a truly Steam-free build). After backing up the original .exe , replace it with the patched one. The game will then launch directly.
In Steam, go to Games > Add a Non-Steam Game to My Library , browse to CoJGunslinger.exe , and add it. Launching from within Steam often bypasses the error because Steam is explicitly running.