Elden Ring not launching or Elden Ring not responding on launch instead shows you EasyAntiCheat Failed to Initialize Launch error when you play it on Steam. Sometimes the game is stuck on a white or black screen with only the cursor moving.
Are you playing Elden Ring and are dealing with not launching or not responding issues. When you double-click on it to play, nothing happens till 10-15 seconds, and then again returned to Steam.
Then read this article as we have the best solutions to fix Elden Ring not launching issues on Steam.
You can also read our related articles if you are dealing with Elden Ring Black Screen on Startup Elden Ring Stuttering Elden Ring Multiplayer Not Working on PC, or Elden Ring Crashing on PC
Tip – To solve Elden Ring Black Screen, leave the game running when an issue occurs and press Windows key + Ctrl + Shift and then press B. It will reset your graphics drivers.
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How To fix Elden Ring Not Launching on Steam
If you have tried restarting your PC and updating the game and Windows OS yet the Elden Ring won’t launch, then apply the below-mentioned fixes.
Fix 1. Update graphics driver
The Elden Ring won’t launch if you have outdated or incompatible graphics drivers installed on your PC. You should check your PC and update graphics drivers. NVIDIA has already launched the game-ready driver for Elden Ring which pretty much resolves the issue.
However, if you don’t have the time and skills to update the graphics drivers then we suggest you download driver updater software on your PC.
The best driver updater tool that we have used so far is Driver Easy. This tool instantly scans your PC to find any outdated software. After the san it presents a list of outdated drivers you simply need to press the update button and it will install the latest version of the driver on your PC.
Give it a try and Download Driver Easy trial Version For Free.
Fix 2. Disable Steam overlay
Most of the time users enable Steam overlay to enhance game performance on PC. Thes overlay messes with the game files causing a not launching problem on PC.
All you need is to disable Steam Overlay and then replay the game. If you also activated Discord overlay or something like that then disable it as well.
Fix 3. Uninstall the Epic game launcher
Many users who have Steam and Epic game launcher installed on their PC face the Elden Ring not launching issue.
If you also have an Epic Game launcher on your PC then first try to update it and play the game using it. In case the problem persists then uninstall the epic game launcher and only play games with the updated Steam client.
Fix 4. Play game using start_protected_game using the game folder
A user on Reddit fixed the Elden Ring not launching issue by running the game from the game folder instead of the Steam client.
You need to close Steam completely and use the Task Manager to end task all Steam processes. Then go to the game folder on your PC and open start_protected_game with admin access.
For that right-click on start_protected_game and choose run as administrator.
Fix 5. Play Elden Ring in offline mode
This solution will let you launch Elden Ring and play it in offline mode. You can’t remain online. The Wifi should also be turned off to work this through.
Follow these steps:
- Make a new text file called steam_appid.txt.
- Open the file and put “1245620” without quotes as the text.
- Put this .txt file where your Elden Ring.exe is.
- Launch the Elden Ring exe directly, don’t launch it via steam.
- Elden Ring should disable online mode and EAC will also be disabled.
Fix 6. Close unnecessary background programs
If you are playing Elden Ring along with multiple programs up and running with it. You might see performance-related issues or the game simply won’t launch.
It’s because maybe anyone of these programs causes conflict so you need to close all these unwanted processes using the Task Manager.
Fix 7. Verify the integrity of game files
The Elden Ring Won’t launch if the necessary game files are missing or corrupted. You need to verify the integrity of the game file using the Steam client.
During this process, Steam will scan any corrupted game file and update it with the new one.
Follow these steps:
- Open your Steam client. Under LIBRARY
- Right-click your game title and select Properties.
- Choose the LOCAL FILES tab. Then click on the Verify integrity of game files.
- Now, wait for the scan to complete.
Fix 8. Disable antivirus software
If you have installed antivirus software on your PC then you might have to deal with Elden Ring not launching problem. Its because these tools cause conflict by thinking of these tools as a threat to your system.
To fix this issue you can temporarily uninstall the antivirus software from your system and then play the game.
Fix 9. Update Steam and Elden Ring
You need to make sure that you are playing the latest version of Elden Ring on your PC. The developers regularly release the new game patches install them and then play the game.
Follow these steps to update the game in the Steam client:
- Open the Steam client.
- Click on the Steam Library tab.
- Find Elden Ring then right-click it.
- Click Elden Ring Properties.
- Click Updates.
- Make sure to select always keeps this game updated under the Automatic updates field.