How to fix Social Club code 1 “Incomplete installation”?

Error Social Club code 1 “The Social Club failed to load due to an incomplete installation” occurs during the launch of the Rockstar Games Launcher (RGL) client. It is important to note that the error may appear before players with different codes, such as code 4 and code 9, nevertheless, they are essentially the same problem. Most often this error is encountered by Grand Theft Auto 5 and GTA Online players.

The reasons behind the error

There are several reasons for the error:

• malfunctions on the Rockstar Games servers;
• unstable network connection;
• Windows Security prevents the normal operation of the RGL and Social Club services on the player’s computer.

Possible fixes for Social Club code 1 error

Solution #1 Check Social Club services

The first thing to do is to check if everything is normal with the RGL and Social Club services on the official Rockstar Games website. If everything is fine on the service status check page, then the problem is clearly somewhere elsewhere – move on to the next step. If you see that some of the services are inactive or restricted in access, you have nothing else to do but to wait for the developers to solve the problem. Within a day the services should be back up and running normally.

Solution #2 Check your network connectivity

In some cases RGL and Social Club may deny a user an access. To fix potential Internet problems, do the following:

• press WIN+S to bring up the search engine;
• type a command line query, click on the result found and select “Run as administrator”;
• at the console, run the following four commands:
  • netsh winsock reset
  • netsh int ip reset all
  • netsh winhttp reset proxy
  • ipconfig /flushdns
• restart your PC.

Now go to the Speedtest website and check the speed of your network connection. Then open RGL again and check for Social Club code 1.

Solution #3 Deactivate Windows Security features

Windows Security (antivirus and firewall) can prevent Rockstar Games software from working properly. You need to go into your system settings and deactivate some of its security features. Do the following:

• press WIN+I to open the system settings;
• go to “Antivirus protection” and select “Manage settings”;
• deactivate the “Real-time protection” option;
• go back a bit and go to “Firewall and network security”;
• turn off the firewall for the domain, private and public networks.

That’s it, Windows Security has been (partially) deactivated. This time RGL could start without any errors.

Solution #4 Launching RGL via VPN

Some players claim that they were able to bypass Social Club Code 1 by running RGL through a VPN. True, this is not really a solution to the problem, rather a workaround, but it only needs to be done once. Run RGL via VPN and the error will disappear. Probably.

Authordman