When the Rockstar Games Launcher gets stuck showing "A game is currently running" while RAGE Plugin Hook is sitting on "Launching game...", it usually means a background "ghost" process of GTA V or Social Club is locked up, or RPH is unable to trigger the game startup sequence directly through the new launcher. The steps to resolve this include: 1. Clear Zombie Processes via Task ManagerPress Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager. Look for any active instances of GTA5.exe, Rockstar Games Launcher, or SocialClub.exe. Right-click and select End Task for all of them. Try launching again via RAGEPluginHook.exe. 2. Use the "Hook Into Running Game" WorkaroundIf launching directly via RPH continues to trigger the launcher error: Launch GTA V normally through Steam, Epic Games, or Rockstar Launcher. As soon as the game opens and starts loading into Story Mode (or while you are on the main menu), press Alt + Tab. Go to your GTA V folder and double-click RAGEPluginHook.exe. RPH will detect the active GTA5.exe instance, hook into the game directly, and load LSPDFR normally. 3. Check Executable Compatibility/Admin SettingsIf GTA5.exe or PlayGTA5.exe is set to "Run as administrator" but RAGEPluginHook.exe is not (or vice versa), the permissions mismatch prevents RPH from communicating with the Rockstar Launcher. Right-click GTA5.exe, PlayGTA5.exe, and RAGEPluginHook.exe $\rightarrow$ Properties $\rightarrow$ Compatibility. Ensure "Run this program as an administrator" is toggled ON for all three files (or toggled OFF for all three if you encounter permission overrides). 4. Adjust RPH Plugin Timeout (!)Launch RAGEPluginHook.exe while holding Left Shift until the settings menu opens. In the General tab, change Plugin Timeout Threshold from 10000 to 60000. Under Plugins, set it to "Load all plugins on startup" (or load none at startup and load them via the F4 console using LoadPlugin "LSPD First Response.dll" once in-game). 5. Clear your temporary files Press Win + R, type %temp%, hit Enter, and delete all the files in that folder (skip any files if Windows says they are currently in use). Temporary file conflicts in AppData can often cause launch issues with RPH and the Rockstar Launcher.