While playing Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V), you may sometimes encounter an error message that says “Unable to detect Windows Media Player on your system. Please Install Windows Media Player, then retry the installation.” This is a popular error message that has stopped GTA V players from playing and launching the game.
The problem can also happen when trying to install GTA V app on PC. This variation of the error message appears on the screen: “Unable to detect Windows Media Feature Pack on your system. Please Install Windows Media Feature Pack, then retry the installation.”
Why does the GTA V Unable to Detect Media Player Error Occur?
Below are some of the most common possible causes for this type of gaming error on Windows 10/11 PC. Check out each one to see where you’ll be focusing your troubleshooting technique to resolve the problem.
Missing Windows Media Player
If your computer has Windows Media Player turned off from the system settings, then that might be the culprit after all. If you’re looking to launch and play the GTA V game, make sure the latest version is installed.
Outdated Game Version
Sometimes, the version of GTA V installed on your computer may have a contributing factor to this issue. Try initiating an update to see if it changes anything.
Outdated Version of Windows OS
If you’re running a version of Windows 10 or 11 that isn’t supported by the game, it might lead to an error in establishing a connection with GTA V servers. Therefore, it’s important to download and install important updates to your OS and get the latest version.
How to Troubleshoot & Fix Unable to Detect Windows Media Player on your System Issue in GTA V PC Game
There are a few viable solutions to troubleshoot and fix the ‘Unable to detect Windows Media Player on your system’ PC gaming issue found in GTA V for Windows. You can either update or install Windows Media Player, upgrade the game to the latest version, install updates for your PC or simply restart your computer.
Solution #1 – Updating the GTA V Game
Steam
You should initiate a game update if you’re facing this issue as the specific version you have may have been fixed with a patch from Rockstar Games. Here is the process:
- Launch your Steam client and head to the Library
- Right-click on GTA V and click on Check for Updates
- Let your Steam Client check and download the update once it’s available
- Restart your PC and allow these changes to take effect
- Launch the game and check if your error is resolved
Epic Games Store
- Open the Epic Games Launcher
- Go to your Library in the left panel
- Click on the game and if there’s an Update, and it will begin to download
- Let it install and launch the game
Solution #2 – Install or Enable the Windows Media Player Program
The root cause of this error is supposedly Windows Media Player, so if you don’t have it installed or enabled, you should make an attempt to see if doing so will fix the error. Sometimes, your Windows Operating System disables Windows Media Player automatically. You’ll need to enable it by yourself if you want to access it. Follow these instructions:
- Right-click on your Start icon and go to Settings
- In Settings, click on Apps and go to Apps & Features
- From here, click on the optional features
- Click on the Add a feature option
- Scroll down and check the Windows Media Player box and select Install
- Wait for Windows to install the program
- Launch the game and see if your issue is resolved
Solution #3 – Restart your Computer
This is a fairly obvious one. Just initiate a system reboot in case the error is a result of a glitch or bug that can be quickly resolved by turning your device off. After the restart, launch the game again and see if it works.
- Go to Start
- Right-click on the Power icon
- Click on Restart
The Unable to Detect Windows Media Player Error on GTA V is quite frustrating if you’re excited to launch and play the game, but any of the steps above should be helpful enough to avoid dealing with it in the future.
