[Responded] Cannot launch game...A game instance is currently running

I was playing the game earlier today, then closed it down. When I came back to play again, I was unable to launch the game. When the launcher opens, then checks for updates and finds everything up to date, I click on the "PLAY" button, I get the following:

A game instance is currently running. Please close it and try again.



I have gotten this message in the past when I had the game playing in a window, and then clicked the launcher by accident. Now, I get it without the game playing at all. I have restarted the computer several times. The game is not listed in the Task Manager process list, and I have no idea what to do now.

I am using Windows 10 on an ASUS ROG G72 with 24 Gigs of RAM, NVIDEA GTX 980 with 4GB RAM. CPU is Intel i7-4720HQ @ 2.60 GHz

 

Additionally, I do not play through Steam.

 

Check your antivirus is not blocking or erroring the app.

 

Thank you for the reply. I had already tried that. AV is disabled.

 

You said though its not in task manager? Hmm that does seem odd. What exes do you have in the sota folder?

 

If NO sota processes are running (including the launcher) this is a first for me.
The first thing I would try is a clean install.

@Fleshcarver

 

Have you tried turning it off and on again?

 

he did say he had restarted a few times

I was wondering if his av had maybe eaten the games exe or its corrupt and so it cant launch it and the launcher is lying then about the issue.. hence I asked about how many exes