How to Fix Elden Ring Won’t Launch or Not Loading
In Elden Ring, you will immerse yourself in an action role-playing game set in an expansive open world. Developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, the game is available on Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The captivating setting of the game is the Lands Between, where you have the opportunity to create your own character and embark on a quest to retrieve the Great Runes, ultimately aiming to become the Elden Lord.
However, if you are facing issues with Elden Ring not launching on Steam, there could be various factors contributing to this problem. It is possible that you have a corrupted game file or outdated graphics drivers.
Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to resolve this issue. Continue reading to discover the solutions.
Contents
- 1 Fix Elden Ring Won’t Launch or Not Loading on PC
- 2 Open Steam by Using Admin Access
- 3 Close Unnecessary Programs
- 4 Whitelist Steam Launcher + Elden Ring Executable
- 5 Update Steam Client
- 6 Disable Screen Overlay Feature
- 7 Install Missing DirectX Dependencies
- 8 Update GPU Drivers
- 9 Verify Elden Ring Game Files
- 10 Conclusion
Fix Elden Ring Won’t Launch or Not Loading on PC
Before proceeding with troubleshooting, it is important to ensure that your computer meets the minimum requirements to run the game. If your computer falls short of the specified requirements, you may encounter significant issues regardless of any troubleshooting efforts.
Here are the minimum requirements for Elden Ring:
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3 GB or AMD Radeon RX 580 4 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB of available space
- Sound Card: Windows Compatible Audio Device
Assuming you have already verified that your PC meets these requirements, the following tips will assist you if your PC is still unable to launch Elden Ring.
Open Steam by Using Admin Access
If you encounter issues launching Elden Ring through Steam due to a permission problem, it can often be resolved by running Steam with administrator rights. Many Steam users have reported success with this solution. Follow these steps to fix the issue:
- Right-click on the Steam executable in the installation folder.
- From the context menu, choose “Run as Administrator.”
- Launch Elden Ring through Steam again, and it should work properly.
To avoid having to repeat these steps every time you launch Elden Ring, you can configure the Steam executable to always run as an administrator. Here’s how:
- Close Steam and ensure that no related processes are running.
- Open My Computer or File Explorer and navigate to the location where Steam is installed. The default installation location is usually “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.”
- Right-click on “Steam.exe” and select “Properties” from the context menu.
- In the Properties window, click on the “Compatibility” tab.
- Under the Compatibility tab, click on “Settings” and check the box that says “Allow this program to run as an administrator.”
- Click “Apply” to save the changes permanently.
- Open Steam by double-clicking it normally, and it will have administrative rights.
If, despite configuring admin permissions, Elden Ring still fails to launch, you may need to try other methods to resolve the issue.
Close Unnecessary Programs
If you’re experiencing issues launching Elden Ring due to depleted system resources caused by running too many programs in the background, especially memory-intensive ones, you can resolve this problem by closing non-essential programs before launching the game on Steam. Follow these steps:
- Press the Windows logo key and R simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.
- Type “taskmgr” in the box and press Enter.
- In the Processes tab, select the programs you no longer need.
- Click “End Task” for each selected program until you have closed all unnecessary applications.
- Once you have closed the non-essential programs, start your game launcher again.
By closing unnecessary programs, you will free up system resources, allowing Elden Ring to launch successfully.
Whitelist Steam Launcher + Elden Ring Executable
If you are still unable to launch Elden Ring despite trying the previous methods, it is possible that a firewall component is causing interference. This is a common issue reported by Elden Ring players.
If you are using an older Steam build, your Steam connections may be blocked. This can happen when using a third-party firewall solution or even Windows Firewall.
Please note the following important points:
- Running multiple firewall components simultaneously is not recommended. Remove them one by one.
- The steps to create a Steam whitelist rule may vary if you are using a third-party firewall.
If Windows Firewall is your default security suite, you need to whitelist the Steam launcher and the ports used by Elden Ring.
Ensure that Elden Ring’s connection to the game servers is not being blocked by following these steps.
Follow these steps to ensure that Elden Ring can be launched without any interference from the firewall:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type ‘control firewall.cpl’ in the box and press Enter to open Windows Firewall. Grant admin access by clicking Yes in the User Account Control window.
- Click on the left-hand side of the main Windows Defender Firewall menu and select “Allow an application or feature through Windows Defender.”
- Click the “Change settings” button in the Allowed apps menu. When the User Account Control (UAC) prompt appears, click Yes.
- Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select “Allow another app” from the list.
- Click on the “Browse” button and navigate to the game’s installation location.
- Select the Steam executable and click OK to save the changes, ensuring that both Private and Public options are checked.
- Once you have completed step 7, return to the firewall menu. Select “Advanced System Settings” from the left-hand menu and grant administrator access by clicking Yes when the UAC prompt appears.
- In the next step, click on “Inbound Rules” from the left-hand menu, followed by “New Rule” in the right-hand pane.
- The “New Inbound Rule Wizard” will appear. Select “Port” when asked about the rule type and click Next.
- Choose TCP and select “Specific Local Ports” from the next screen.
- Copy and paste the following ports into the box to prevent any TCP ports used by Steam from being blocked: 27015–27030 27036 27015
- Whitelist the UDP ports by creating a second rule called “UDP toggle.” Click on “Specific Local Ports” and paste the following ports: 27015–27030 27000–27100 27031-2703 4380 27015 3478 4379 4380
- Click Next and select the “Allow connection” option in the Action Prompt menu. Press Next once more.
- Save your changes by clicking Finish and restart your computer.
- Launch Steam after your computer restarts and check if Elden Ring can be opened. If the issue persists, proceed to the next method.
Update Steam Client
Many Elder Ring players have reported that the game may not launch if you are using an outdated Steam client. This typically happens if you have disabled Steam’s auto-update feature in the past.
It’s important to note that Steam now has the ability to update itself automatically without requiring any user intervention. However, this automatic update doesn’t always occur, especially after a Windows 10 update.
To ensure that your Steam client is up to date, follow these steps:
- Restart the Steam application, as it will automatically update itself in most cases.
- If the update doesn’t happen automatically, you can force the update by following these additional steps:a. In the top ribbon bar of the Steam application, click on “Steam”. b. From the drop-down menu, select “Check for Steam Client Updates”.
This will prompt Steam to check for any available updates and install them accordingly. After the update is complete, try launching Elden Ring again.
Disable Screen Overlay Feature
If you don’t have any use for the overlay feature or if it’s causing conflicts, you can simply uninstall it. Follow these steps to uninstall the potentially conflicting overlay tool:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box. Type ‘appwiz.cpl’ in the box and press Enter. This will open the Programs and Features window.
- From the list of programs, scroll through and find the overlay software you want to uninstall.
- Right-click on the overlay software and select Uninstall from the context menu.
- Follow the instructions on the uninstallation screen to complete the process. Afterward, restart your computer.
Once your PC has restarted, launch Elden Ring again and check if the issue still persists.
If you don’t have an overlay feature or if disabling it didn’t resolve the problem, you can proceed to the next troubleshooting method.
Install Missing DirectX Dependencies
To ensure that Elden Ring functions properly, it’s important to have up-to-date DirectX 12 dependencies. Sometimes, certain dependencies may not be automatically included in Windows 10 or Windows 11, leading to potential issues. To resolve this, you can follow these steps to update DirectX 12:
- Visit the DirectX download page, where you can find the DirectX End-User Runtime environment.
- Choose your preferred language on the home page and click on the “Download” button.
- On the download page, you may encounter recommendations for Microsoft bloatware. Uncheck these options by clicking “No thanks.” Then, proceed to click the “DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer” button.
- Once the dxwebsetup.exe installer is downloaded, run it and follow the on-screen instructions to install any missing DirectX versions.
- After the installation is complete, restart your computer.
Once your PC has restarted, try launching Elden Ring again to see if the problem has been resolved.
If the issue persists, you can proceed to the next troubleshooting method.
Update GPU Drivers
If Elden Ring is not functioning properly on your PC, it could be due to outdated GPU drivers or a missing physics module. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t provide helpful error messages to guide you in resolving the issue. To address this problem, follow the steps below to uninstall your current GPU drivers and reinstall the latest versions:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
- Type ‘devmgmt.msc’ in the text box and press Enter to launch Device Manager.
- In Device Manager, navigate to the Display Adapters section and expand it.
- Locate the GPU driver you want to update, right-click on it, and select “Update driver” from the context menu.Note: If you have both dedicated and integrated GPUs, make sure to update drivers for both.
- Choose the option to automatically search for newer driver software.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install the latest GPU driver identified by the scan.
- After the installation is complete, restart your computer.
Upon restarting, try launching Elden Ring again to see if the issue is resolved.
If Device Manager is unable to find a newer GPU driver version, you can also update your graphics drivers using the proprietary software provided by your graphics card manufacturer. Here are the software names for different GPU manufacturers:
- Nvidia: GeForce Experience
- AMD: Adrenalin
- Intel: Intel Driver
Download and install the respective software for your GPU manufacturer, then follow the instructions provided to update your graphics drivers.
If the problem persists even after updating the GPU drivers, proceed to the next troubleshooting method.
Verify Elden Ring Game Files
If you are still unable to launch Elden Ring from Steam despite trying the previous methods, it’s time to troubleshoot for possible corruption issues. Corrupted files within the game’s installation folder could be causing the error. This is often the result of network interruptions during the installation process or the download of the day one patch.
Steam includes a feature to verify the integrity of game files and will replace or re-acquire any corrupted or missing files with healthy versions if necessary. Follow the steps below to verify the integrity of the Elden Ring game files:
- Launch the Steam application and go to the game’s library page.
- Locate Elden Ring in the list on the left side of the Steam window. Right-click on it and select “Properties.”
- In the properties window, click on the “Local files” tab on the left-hand side.
- Click on the “Verify integrity of game files” button. Wait for the process to complete.
- Once the verification process is finished, you will be notified on the screen if any corrupted files were found. If any files failed to validate, Steam will automatically redownload and replace them.
After completing these steps, check if the issue with launching Elden Ring has been resolved. If the problem persists, proceed to the next potential solution.
Conclusion
Here are several methods to resolve the issue of Elden Ring not launching in 2022. We have provided a list of these methods for you to try out. Feel free to test them one by one and let us know in the comments which one worked best for you.
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