How to Get Rid of Gamesquest.co (Browser Hijacker/PUP)

What is Gamesquest.co? And how does it function?

Gamesquest.co is a browser extension for Google Chrome browser. This extension is developed by a Chinese company named “FirstGate Mobile Limited”. Gamesquest.co may appeal to users who are fond of online games as this extension claims to provide “New and Trending” games online. As fun and exciting this extension may look like it is actually categorized as a browser hijacker and a potentially unwanted program by security researchers that can also be installed on your Google Chrome browser without you knowing. Because of its infiltration tactic, some users refer to this extension as “Gamesquest.co virus”. Although it isn’t really a malicious threat and does not cause direct harm to the computer it’s installed on, it still poses a threat as it exposes the computer to other harmful threats.
Once Gamesquest.co is installed in the computer, a lot of changes will be made to your Google Chrome settings such as the alteration of the default home page, search provider, and even new tab URL so that whenever you use your Chrome browser, you will be redirected to http://www.gamesquest.co/yhs/search?q=. It can also install other extensions in Chrome on a whim – some of which might be of the same caliber as Gamesquest.co.
Another concerning behavior of this hijacker is its ability to redirect users to some suspicious and shady websites such as survey sites or even phishing websites that would try to coax your personal information. Aside from that, it will also bombard you with tons of annoying ads – some of which are intrusive to the point where it pops up on any website you visit. This is annoying as hell and definitely ruins your browsing experience. It’s safe to say that Gamesquest.co gets most of its revenue by displaying various sponsored contents to its users.
How is Gamesquest.co distributed online?
Gamesquest.co has its own official website where users can download it and it is also available in the Chrome Web Store. What has security experts shaking their heads with this extension is that some users suddenly got this extension installed in their PCs even though they did not install it. This means that Gamesquest.co also spreads as an optional component in software bundles offered on free sharing sites. To avoid getting hijacked by this kind of unwanted program again, make sure that when you install any free software packages you do so use the Custom or Advanced installation mode and not the quick or standard one.
Be sure to follow the removal instructions below as a reference to get rid of Gamesquest.co from your computer.
Step 1: Tap the Win + R keys to open Run and then type in appwiz.cpl to open Control Panel to uninstall any suspicious program related to the browser hijacker.
Step 2: Look for Gamesquest.co under the list of installed programs. Once you’ve found it, uninstall it.

Step 3: Close the Control Panel and tap the Win + E keys to open File Explorer. Navigate to the following directories and look for the hijacker’s installer like the software bundle it came with as well as other suspicious files and delete them.

%USERPROFILE%\Downloads
%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
%TEMP%

Step 4: Close the File Explorer and empty your Recycle Bin.
Step 5: Launch the Google Chrome browser and click the wrench icon. Afterwards, click on Tools from the drop-down menu and select Extensions.

Step 6: Under the Extensions tab, select Gamesquest.co extension and other suspicious browser extensions related to it and then click on the Trash icon.

Step 7: Click on Remove button from the confirmation dialog box.

Step 8: Reset Google Chrome. To do that, click the three stripes icon located at the upper-right corner of your screen. And then select Settings.

Step 9: under Settings, look for Show advanced settings at the bottom of the page and click on it.

Step 10: Then click on the Reset browser settings button.

Step 11: After that, a dialog box pops up, click the Reset button to Reset Chrome.

Step 12: After you reset Chrome, enable the Phishing and Malware Protection in Chrome to prevent browser hijackers like Gamesquest.co extension from infecting your computer again in the future. To do that, click Settings once again.

Step 13: Select the Show advanced settings again.

Step 14: Go to the Privacy section and check the Enable phishing and malware protection option.

Step 15: Restart Chrome.
Follow the advanced steps below to completely get rid of Gamesquest.co and any files it may have created in your computer upon its installation.
Perform a full system scan using SpyRemover Pro. To do so, follow these steps:

Turn on your computer. If it’s already on, you have to reboot
After that, the BIOS screen will be displayed, but if Windows pops up instead, reboot your computer and try again. Once you’re on the BIOS screen, repeat pressing F8, by doing so the Advanced Option shows up.

To navigate the Advanced Option use the arrow keys and select Safe Mode with Networking then hit
Windows will now load the SafeMode with Networking.
Press and hold both R key and Windows key.

If done correctly, the Windows Run Box will show up.
Type in explorer http://www.fixmypcfree.com/install/spyremoverpro

A single space must be in between explorer and http. Click OK.

A dialog box will be displayed by Internet Explorer. Click Run to begin downloading the program. The installation will start automatically once a download is done.