The validation process is the game’s way of checking your or in-game mod subscriptions for updates. The most common reasons for it getting stuck include:
official Age of Empires website . If you are looking for a "review" of how this system performs, here is the breakdown of the user experience based on common player feedback: The "Review": How it Works Purpose: The game checks which mods (UI skins, small trees, grid lines, etc.) you’ve "subscribed" to on the workshop and ensures they are downloaded and active. The Experience: For most, it's a 2–5 second loading bar. For power users with dozens of mods, it can occasionally hang or feel like a bottleneck. Common Praise (The "Pros") Seamless Sync: If you play on multiple PCs, "validating subscriptions" ensures your exact UI setup and mods follow you automatically once you log into your Xbox/Microsoft account. Automatic Updates: When a mod creator updates a "Small Trees" mod to fix a bug, the validation process pulls the new version without you needing to manually hunt for files. Common Complaints (The "Cons") Startup Delays: If the servers are sluggish, you might get stuck on the "Validating Subscriptions" screen for a minute or two, preventing you from reaching the main menu. The "Infinite Loop" Bug: A well-known issue where the game gets stuck in a loop. Players often have to manually delete the aoe2 validating subscriptions
Steam version does validate a subscription—it only verifies ownership via Steam DRM once. The validation process is the game’s way of
Whether you're playing the 2013 HD Edition or the Definitive Edition , here is a comprehensive guide to understanding and fixing the "validating subscriptions" error. Why is AoE2 stuck on "Validating Subscriptions"? The Experience: For most, it's a 2–5 second loading bar