How To Fix Elden Ring Not Launching on Windows 11/10 PC?

Is it the Easy Anti Cheat or the graphics drivers causing the launching problem? Here is the solution.

Are you facing a frustrating launch error that’s keeping you from exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring? You’re not alone. Many players on Windows 11/10 are encountering issues like Elden Ring not launching, not responding, getting stuck on loading screens, or abruptly crashing.

Whether you’re encountering a black screen, infinite loading, or the game simply won’t start, don’t despair! This comprehensive guide will walk you through several effective solutions to get Elden Ring running smoothly on your PC.

We’ll cover common culprits like outdated drivers, software conflicts, and compatibility issues, addressing specific errors like Steam Overlay problems and Windows 11-related glitches.

Ready to embark on your Tarnished journey? Let’s dive into the troubleshooting process and get you back into the game!

How to Fix Elden Ring Not Launching on Windows PC?

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.

Rollback Windows Update

For some players the issue of Elden Ring not launching is caused by the Windows update. Resetting their PC to the original version resolved the problem, allowing them to play Elden Ring online again.

It happened because of the preview build update of Windows 11, which updated the kernelbase.dll involved in the Easy Anti Cheat (EAC) crash. The EAC of the game did not receive an update to accept the new kernelbase.dll as an original file. Hence the game struggled at launching.

Update Graphics Driver

The Elden Ring not launching issue can also be linked to the outdated or incompatible graphics drivers installed on your PC. You should check your PC and update graphics drivers.

However, if you don’t have the time or 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 This tool instantly scans your PC to find any outdated software. After the scan, it presents a list of outdated drivers you simply need to press the update button and it will install the latest version of the driver on your PC.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.

Tweak Easy Anti-Cheat

The easy anti-cheat can also be the culprit so do some experiments to bypass EAC.

First, try to Uninstall EAC from the control panel, ensuring the “EasyAntiCheat_EOS” folder is removed from both the Program Files and the game directory.

Then reinstall and open services.msc, to locate the Easy Anti Cheat (Epic Online Services) service. Ensure it is set to log in as the “local system account.”

You can also try to run the game without EAC. As a test, create a text file called steam_appid in the game folder and type 1245620 inside. Run eldenring.exe without Steam to bypass EAC. this way you can only play ER in an offline mod.

Add Launch Argument in Steam

If you’re experiencing issues with Elden Ring not launching and encountering a problem where the launcher initializes but nothing appears afterwards, the following steps might help resolve the issue:

Step 1: Right-click on Elden Ring> Select Properties > Add this command to launch arguments : VKD3D_FEATURE_LEVEL=12_0 %command%

Step 2: Right-click on Game > Select Properties… > Click on Compatibility on the left-hand side > Force Steam Play to use GE-Proton-7-49.

Step 3: On the menu bar click Steam > Click Settings > Click Shader Pre-Caching > Disable shader pre-caching.

Step 4: Right-click on Game > Select Properties… > Click on Local Files on the left-hand side > Verify the integrity of game files.

Run Elden Ring in Compatibility

If Elden Ring is not launching on Steam and you suspect compatibility issues, follow these steps to disable compatibility mode:

  1. Right-click on the Steam shortcut.
  2. Select “Properties” from the context menu.
  3. Navigate to the “Compatibility” tab.
  4. Uncheck the box next to “Run this program in compatibility mode.”
  5. Make sure (set to Windows 8) to apply the changes.

Close MSI Afterburner

If you have MSI Afterburner running and encounter issues with Elden Ring, consider closing MSI Afterburner:

  1. Locate the MSI Afterburner icon in your system tray.
  2. Right-click on the MSI Afterburner icon.
  3. Choose the option to exit or close the application.
  4. Attempt to launch Elden Ring again.

ByPass Easy Anti Cheat

When launching Elden Ring the game will attempt to load briefly, then stop. No error message comes up. In that case, follow these steps to fix the launching issue:

  1. Go to your game folder. For most, this will be C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ELDEN RING\Game.
  2. Right click start_protected_game.exe > Properties > Compatibility.
  3. Check the box to run as administrator > Apply.

Now if you run start_protected_game.exe the game should launch. This will not fix launching the game via Steam since Steam will try to launch eldenring.exe it instead. Follow the steps below to fix that.

  1. Launch Steam and go to your library
  2. Right-click on Elden Ring > Properties> General
  3. Under launch options, enter this: "path to start_protected_game.exe" %command%. Example: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ELDEN RING\Game\start_protected_game.exe" %command%

Change Steam Game Mode Settings

Ig you are playing in Desktop mod then change it to Steam Game mode and then follow the below steps:

  1. Change the game resolution: Native
  2. Delete Proton Cache from Steam game mode > Elden ring > developer > …
  3. Steam Deck settings > System > OS Channel: main version and client version: Steam Deck Stable. Forced this update changing to beta and returning to stable. Steam Deck will update proton version 7.0-6
  4. You need a good internet connection
  5. Removed unnecessary deck plugins and Restart the deck

Disable Steam Overlay

Most of the time users enable Steam overlay to enhance game performance on PC. The overlay can mess 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.

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.

Disable Antivirus Software

If you have installed antivirus software on your PC then you might have to deal with Elden Ring not launching problem. It’s 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.

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 keep this game updated under the Automatic updates field.

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