LaunchBox Error When Attempting To Download Video Media From Steam
Summary
Users may experience a crash with the error:
“Object reference not set to an instance of an object.”
App: LaunchBox Version: xx.xx Theme: Default Plus Type: System.NullReferenceException Site: System.String GetTrailerVideoUrl(Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows.SteamGame) Source: Unbroken.LaunchBox.Windows
This occurs when LaunchBox attempts to fetch trailer videos from Steam, triggered by specific actions like editing game metadata or importing Steam storefront media.
Cause
We identified a recent change with Steam in the way that their trailer videos are served via their backend. LaunchBox’s current video query system for Steam games is no longer compatible, resulting in a NullReferenceException when a trailer is requested.
Symptoms
Crash when selecting Media > Videos > Download Media while editing a PC game
Crash during Download Metadata & Media Wizard if “Steam Trailer Video” is selected
Crash during Tools > Scan for Storefront Games if trailers are prioritized
Crash on startup if Automatic Storefront Imports is enabled and Steam videos are requested
Temporary Workarounds
To avoid triggering the crash:
✅ Disable Automatic Storefront Imports under Tools > Manage > Storefronts
✅ Avoid selecting Steam Trailer Video when using the Media Import Wizard
✅ Do not manually open Download Media > Videos for Steam or PC games
✅ If scanning for storefront games, temporarily change media priorities to exclude trailer videos
Status
⚙️ Under Investigation — We’ve confirmed the root issue is due to a Steam-side change and are actively working on an update to restore compatibility.
We’ll update this post as we have more information
- Affected Product
- OS Version
- Windows 11
- LaunchBox Version
- Plugins
- NA
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Comments18
Jan 27
PinnedHi Everyone,
With the release of LaunchBox 13.25 today, this fix is now available to all users, you can update to the latest versions to receive this fix, and downloading media from Steam should work normally again for all users.
Thanks for bearing with us while we got this sorted.
Cheers,
Dec 8, 2025
PinnedHi everyone,
We’ve just released a new beta version of LaunchBox that restores Steam trailer downloads and resolves the related crashes. You can get the fix by updating to the latest beta (currently 13.25 beta-3).
To learn how to update to a beta build, check out our guide here:
🔗 LaunchBox Beta Versions
If you’d prefer not to update to a beta build, don’t worry, this fix will be included in the upcoming official 13.25 release.
Thank you for your patience while we worked to resolve this issue. Please let us know if anyone is still experiencing issues.
andyo3412
Nov 29, 2025
Having the exact same issue, It just randomly started but I’m glad its a known issue.
sacredbone
Nov 29, 2025
Hey guys, is there a workaround or a way to avoid the crash?
cleverest
Nov 30, 2025
Same issue. Thanks for reporting this. I hope it gets fixed soon.
Postototo
Dec 2, 2025
It gives the error Object reference not set to an instance of an object with any Steam import attempt for every title in my case. I didn’t try anything nor change any configuration. Only way to import now is to exclude Steam Trailer, one months ago, it happened only for certain titles, but it was always able to import automatically excluding the trailer. Now you have to exclude it manually for every title on Steam, otherwise zero title import and error.
HEADBANGA666
Dec 2, 2025
Sounds like Steam may still be making changes 😔
Tape_Worm
Dec 4, 2025
At the very least, release a hotfix that disables the video download functionality for Steam, at least until it can be sorted out.
The application should not shit the bed because it can’t get the data and/or metadata from Steam. In these cases, at worst, we should see an error message stating that you can’t download the data from the server right now, and let the application continue on its way. When it crashes like this, the chance of data corruption skyrockets (no matter how remote you think it is - especially in a multithreaded application).
sacredbone
Dec 4, 2025
I would appreciate a hotfix very much. For the reason mentioned, I am currently not using the application and am eagerly awaiting a patch.
scottvf
Dec 5, 2025
There should be an option to uncheck “Download from steam” ect to control where it downloads info from
GameAeed
Dec 22, 2025
😡
scottvf
Dec 5, 2025
The only workaround I found is to manually add a game. Click Add from the bottom and from the launch icon select properties and copy the steam://rungameid and paste it. Then if you want any box art just google the name of the game with box art after it and then save the image in a folder in launchbox directory. I use Pics for mine since I have games that no images can be found for.