How To Fix Destiny 2: Lightfall Crashing at Startup or Launch on PC

With the newly released DLC Destiny 2: Lightfall, once again players are dealing with crashing issues on startup on Windows PC. For most players, the game won’t even run on launch. However, if you do get past the launch Destiny 2: Lightfall shows the “Hit enter to start” screen. When users do press enter the game goes in an indefinite loop of ultimately crashes.

In most cases when games like Destiny 2: Lightfall crash on launch it’s because of outdated drivers, unnecessary tasks running in the background, corrupted game files or cache, or due to overheating PC.

Until the Bungie developers release a new game patch, if you are consistently dealing with Destiny 2: Lightfall crashing issues on startup on Windows 10 or 11 PC then apply the below-mentioned solutions.

How to Fix Destiny 2: Lightfall Crashing at Startup or Launch on PC

First make sure that you have updated Windows, and restarted the game and PC. Also, try to run the game in Compatibility Mode with administrative access. If nothing helps then apply the below fixes.

1. Check System Requirements

Start by ensuring that your PC supports the system requirements to play the game.

2. Update Graphics Drivers

Most of the time Destiny 2: Lightfall crashes on startup on PC due to an outdated graphics driver. Make sure you have updated your GPU drivers to their latest version.

Although, NVIDIA and AMD release game-specific updates that you can download and install on your PC it takes time.

Also updating the graphics card drivers is a time-consuming task, and if you are a newbie you can end up installing the wrong drivers.

So we recommend downloading Driver Easy software on your PC. This program is a professional system driver updater that automatically scans a PC’s old driver and updates them instantly.

The Driver Easy is an N0.1 software updater tool in its field and for 12 years users are using it to fix their PC errors.

So download Driver Easy and let it deal with all the system drivers.

3. Users having MSI motherboard

If you have an MSI motherboard, you’ll need to disable the XMP, and game boost in the bios, also delete the dragon center SDK, and Dragon Center programs if you have them installed on your computer.

4. Close Background Running Tasks

When experiencing crashes on the startup of Destiny 2: Lightfall, it’s possible that unnecessary background tasks or programs are consuming a significant amount of system resources, such as CPU or memory usage, which can ultimately lead to reduced system performance.

To solve the crashing problem use Task Manager to End Task any programs that are unnecessary.

5. Set High Priority in Task Manager

Setting high priority in Task manager gives the certain task to use more resources than usual. It’s another way to fix the startup crashes. You can read our guide on How To Set CPU Process Priority for Applications in Windows 11

6. Reinstall Latest DirectX & Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

If Destiny 2: Lightfall crashes on startup without any error then try running it via the game installation folder. This way there are chances of getting the error code.

If the error message does appear and it is related to DLL files then you need to update Direct X and Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime. You can visit the Microsoft official website to get the latest version.

In case you already have the latest DirectX then use Steam client to forcefully run DirectX 11. Follow these steps:

• Launch the Steam client > Go to LIBRARY.
• Right-click on the Destiny 2: Lightfall game.
• Click on Properties > Select GENERAL from the left pane menu.
• Type -dx11 under the Launch Options.
• Now, go back and launch the game. If prompted, click on the radio button next to the Play option of Destiny 2: Lightfall.

7. Disable Windows Firewall or Antivirus Program

In most cases, it is the Windows firewall or third-party antivirus software that considers game files a threat. You need to either disable all of them temporarily or add the game file to the exception list. (Read Also: How To Fix Avast Won’t Let Me Run A Program)

8. Clear Destiny 2: Lightfall Cache

If you are experiencing game corruption or crashes during gameplay, it is possible that the cache files of your game launcher are causing the issue. To address this problem, you should consider clearing the cache from the client or server. Here are the steps you can follow:

1. Open the Steam client on your computer.
2. Go to the Steam tab located at the top left corner of the screen.
3. Click on Settings from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Download tab.
5. Click on the Clear Download Cache button.
6. Once the cache has been cleared, log back into your Steam account and relaunch the game.

9. Perform a Clean Boot

If you are experiencing interference with Destiny 2: Lightfall on your Windows PC, it may be helpful to perform a clean boot. This process can help identify any incorrect processes that may be causing issues with the game. Here’s how you can do it:

1. Press the Windows key + R to type “msconfig” and press Enter.
2. In the System Configuration window, select the Services tab.
3. Check the box next to “Hide all Microsoft services“.
4. Click on the “Disable all” button.
5. Click Apply > OK
6. Restart your PC and launch Destiny 2: Lightfall.

10. Try Disabling Overlay Apps

Discord, Steam, and other similar apps that have built-in overlay features can also crash games on startup. So it’s best to either disable or uninstall these apps from Windows PC.

11. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

It helps you fix corrupt game files.

• Launch Steam and click on Library.
• Right-click on Destiny 2: Lightfall from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties and go to Local Files.
• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer.

12. Disable CPU or GPU Overclocking

While utilities like MSI Afterburner can be useful for optimizing your gaming performance, it’s important to be aware that they can have both positive and negative effects on your system. Overclocking can help improve your gaming experience by increasing your system’s performance, but it can also cause your system to overheat and potentially cause damage.

13. Reinstall Destiny 2: Lightfall

Lastly, if the problem persists simply reinstall the game on PC. Before that completely remove traces of the game using Control Panel or app data then install a fresh copy.