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@user98085 Maybe you're right. If so, Steam is a steaming turd. I have the same problem, and that dialog hangs there for easily an hour each boot. There should be a way to disable the verification/update. This is my second great effort into solving this annoying and atypical behavior. Last time, I found a thread that suggested deleting a wide variety of files from my Steam folder; it achieve nothing. I've also turned off the automatic game updates as described here: help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/71AB-698D-57EB-178C#
It is still relevant, although a week is definitely a long absence. It's hard for me to say definitively since I didn't work on that game, but I'm guessing that after the code failed to find a safe return for him for some time, it triggered the "companion wandered off to a safe place" code. Usually this means you find them back at your apartment, but it may have chosen Craterside because it was closer.