I had this exact same problem after a fresh w 7 install even hoppo didnt figure it out . Try installing upgrading all tout drivers , install the latest DotNet framework , do all the windows updates , I did all that and it didnt work so I gave up , a few days after that it worked magically I tried everything I could , really , even downloading multiple windows iso , installing on multiple hdd , steam online config on off , path without special character , copying an existing save . ini from someone else , trying with a cracked version of the game , etc . Just in case thats not the same problem as me try disabling steam sync check your game path for weird characters launch the game with admin rights <| sep |> You should get a multitool knife . Way more handy than a gun .