Games crashing when you launch it initially can be a frustrating problem and a difficult one to resolve. There are so many reasons that can cause Age of Empires 4 to crash at startup. Some of the main culprits include the following:
- Not meetings minimum system requirements
- Outdated GPU driver
- Corrupt game files
- Conflicting software
- Antivirus software blocking the game.
While the above are the usual causes for games crashing to desktop or at launch, there is a range of other problems. Keep reading and we will attempt to help you fix the crashing problem in Age of Empires 4.
Age of Empires 4 Crashing at Startup, Won’t Start, and Not Launching Fix
Before you go ahead with the solutions, please go through the checklist of some other possible causes and fixes. These are quick solutions you can try to fix Age of Empire 4 crashing at startup and won’t launch issues.
- Open the game from the executable instead of Steam.
- If you are using multiple monitor, disable those and attempt to play the game.
- Play the game in Windowed mode, especially if you have multiple monitors.
- Move the game to a different drive on your computer, preferably the drive with the OS if you have not already installed it there.
- Update the GPU driver. For Nvidia users, you can do it directly from the GeForce Experience. When installing perform a clean install.
Besides the above solutions, here are some others you need to consider to help launch the game on your PC.
Whitelist the game on your antivirus
Age of Empires game can sometimes conflict with antivirus software and raise false alarms, which can lead the antivirus from preventing the execution of the game. Ensure that the game folder is whitelisted in your respective antivirus software. We have provided the steps for two popular software, but the process is similar in all antivirus.
Avast Free Antivirus
- Open the Avast Antivirus and Click on menu on the top right corner.
- From the menu, go to Settings
- Select Exceptions and click on ADD EXCEPTION
- Click Browse to add the game folder
- Click ADD Exception
Bitdefender
- Open the Bitdefender application.
- Go to Protection from the menu on the left.
- From ADVANCED THREAT DEFENSE > Manage Exceptions > ADD AN EXCEPTION.
- Click on the magnify glass icon to browse and select the game folder
- Click ADD EXCEPTION
Eliminate the possibility of conflicting software
Third-party software causes all sorts of problems with games and can lead to Age of Empire 4 crashing mid-game or at startup. A very effective solution is to run the game after a clean boot. In a clean boot environment, everything except the essential windows applications will be disabled. It will eliminate the possibility of third-party software interfering with the game as well as free resources to give the game better performance. Here are the steps you can follow.
- Press Windows Key + R and type msconfig, hit Enter
- Go to the Services tab
- Check Hide all Microsoft services
- Now, click Disable all
- Go to the Startup tab and click on Open Task Manager
- Disable one task at a time and restart the system.
Verify Integrity of Game Files
If the game files are corrupt or missing, they will not launch. Steam provides a quick way to verify and repair corrupt game files. Launch the Steam Client > go to Library > right-click Back 4 Blood > Properties > Go to Local Files > click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables
Another common culprit when it comes to games crashing at startup is outdated or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. You can get the latest software from Microsoft.
That’s all we have in this guide, but we will update the post in a day with more effective solutions. So, do revisit the post if your problem is not fixed.
