GTA the Trilogy – The Definitive Edition brings three of the most beloved titles in the Grand Theft Auto series with improved graphics. Players have been waiting for the games to arrive for over a year. But, unfortunately, not everyone is having the best experience with the game. The servers at the moment are a mess, but there are other problems with the game as well such as the GTA the Trilogy – The Definitive Edition crashing, crash at startup, and won’t start/launch issues. GTA games can fail to launch on your PC for a bunch of reasons, which we will address in the article. So, keep reading.
How to Fix GTA the Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Crashing, Crash at Startup, and Won’t Start
Rooting out the main problem for the GTA the Trilogy – The Definitive Edition crashing, crash at startup, and won’t start issues can be a lengthy process; hence, we have shared all the possible causes.
Disable Antivirus or Set Exclusion on Windows Defender
Often times a third-party antivirus software or the Windows Virus and Threat Protection on Windows 10 can detect the game folder as a malicious program and prevent its functions. As such, you can disable the software to check if the game works. If it does not, try reinstalling the game after disabling the antivirus software. If the game works, set an exclusion for the game folder on the antivirus software.
Additionally, you can also try the below steps if the Widows Defender blocked the launcher
Press Windows key + I > Update & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Protection history. You will see a list of entries with Protection memory access blocked. Check for the most recent entries by clicking on each item and trying to locate the blocked app as launcher.exe. If you find it, select the action as Allow on the device and the error will be resolved.
Allow the Game through Controlled Folder on Windows
Windows Ransomware Protection is a program that protects the files and folders on your system from ransomware attacks. The program actively monitors the applications installed and running on your system. As such, it may potentially be blocking the connection to Rockstar servers due to some file signature issues. To resolve the error, allow the game’s executable through Ransomware protection. Here are the steps.
- Press Windows Key + I and select Update & Security
- Go to Windows Security from the right panel
- Click on Virus & threat protection
- Scroll down and under the Ransomware protection, click on Manage ransomware protection
- Click on Allow an app through Controlled folder access link
- Select Yes when prompted
- Click on Add an allowed app
- Click on Recently blocked apps (You can check if Rockstarlauncher.exe or the game executable is among the list and click on the plus sign next to the game or you could follow the next step)
- Click on Browse all apps
- Locate and select Rockstar Game Launcher.
Try Deleting the .Log Files from Documents
A user on Reddit shared that deleting the Launcher .log files seems to fix the GTA the Trilogy – The Definitive Edition Crashing. The fix was reported to work for a lot of users. The location to find the log files is Documents > Rockstar Games > Launcher. In the Launcher folder, look for files with the .log extension. Delete these files and launch the Rockstar launcher, the error may be resolved.
Some users were also able to fix the error by deleting the entire Rockstar Games folder in Documents, but it will completely reset the login information.
Provide the Rockstar Launcher and Game Admin Permission
If you have not provided the launcher or the game admin permission, you need to do it now. Programs without admin permission don’t have the full rights to modify folders and perform certain essential operations, this can lead to errors. The process to provide admin permission is straightforward. Go to the desktop shortcut of the program and right-click and select Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and check Run this program as an administrator.
Install the Latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable
The most effective fix for the error is to reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable. Most games require the Microsoft package to function. Although you should download the latest version of the program package, you should also install the previous versions as some games require the old version to function. Download all the below versions for x86 and x64 both.
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2019
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2015
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2013
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2009
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2005
Once you have downloaded the files, install them and try launching the game after a restart.
Eliminate the Possibility of Conflicting Programs
Run the game in a clean boot environment so the possibility of a third-party program causing the game to crash is eliminated.
- 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.
- After the boot, run the game.
That’s all we have in this guide, we will update the post as we learn more about the issue. Keep revisiting the post to find new solutions.