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Civ 6 Not Launching: How to Get it to Work Again on Steam
Always pay attention to your graphics drivers
7 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
Some players have said on Steam’s support forum that Civilization VI installed withSteam doesn’t launchfor them. To be more precise, those players can’t start Civilization VI to play that game.
Assuming that’s your issue as well, chances are to feel frustrated. Keep in mind that some players have been able to fix this issue and we’ve gathered all these resolutions for you.
Take a look below, apply them one by one, and you’ll most likely be able to solve this annoying issue as well.
Why is Civ 6 not launching?
It appears that there is an odd Civilization VI crash, which causes the game to linger on for as long as it takes to load from the Windows 7, Windows 10, or Mac epic launchers. Yes, that’s true, users even reported that Civ 6 won’t start on Mac.
The reason for this, according to other users, is due toWindows Defenderor any other protection system, which, when Civilization VI is included, has a tendency to scan the entire game in real-time when it is installed and hinder the process.
How do I repair Civ 6 if it won’t launch?
1. Update your PC’s graphics adapter drivers
In this section, we will explain how to update graphics drivers for Windows 10. You can also checkhow to update drivers for Windows 11in our detailed guide.
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Right-click onStartand open Device Manager.
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Expand theDisplay Adapterssection and right-click on thegraphics card driver. SelectUpdate Driver.
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Click onSearch automatically for updated driver software.
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After the drivers’ update, you need torestart the PCin order to fix the CIV 6 won’t launch 2k error. launcher
Updating graphics card drivers could fix the Civ 6 running but not open errors for some players. You can see if your PC’s graphics card driver needs updating by scanning with driver updater software.
Then, if you want to enhance your graphics drivers and play the game smoothly, updating drivers with automated tools will certainly improve the system. Sometimes you may need to update more than one display adapter for the graphics card drivers to function properly.
By choosing to get the latest drivers with this software, you will benefit from an effortless process and improved drivers from a rich database.
Outbyte Driver Updater
2. Configure the Civilization VI launch options in Steam
You’ll need to replacein the above launch configuration with the actual installation folder path of your Steam game.
That full directory path must include the drive and the EXE game file like the example shown directly below:
“C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonSid Meier’s Civilization VIBaseBinariesWin64SteamCivilizationVI_DX12.exe” %command%
3. Run Civilization VI as an administrator
4. Set up a new Windows user account with a different name
2K Support has confirmed Civ 6 won’t launch in Windows 10 when the characters @, #, $, %, ^, and & are in your Documents path.
So, those characters must not be in your Windows account user name. If your current user account name doesn’t include those characters, this resolution might not fix the issue.
5. Verify Civilization VI’s game cache
6. Try running Civilization VI with a different DirectX version
7. Reinstall Civilization VI
You can also uninstall Civilization VI and fully eliminate leftover residual files from that game with reliable third-party uninstaller software.
If you don’t know what programs perform better, we advise you to get informed about thebest uninstaller softwareavailable on the market.
8. Close or disable conflicting software
Make sure there aren’t any conflicting game launchers, such as Epic Games, running in the background before you try to start Civilization VI with Steam. Alternatively, close Steam if CIV 6 won’t launch through Epic Games.
Check if your system try includes any icons for other game client software. If so, right-click the client software and select theExitorCloseoption for it.
Third-party antivirus software can also potentially conflict with Civilization VI. Right-click any third-party antivirus utility icon in your system tray and select a disable option for it.
Then select to disable the antivirus shield for a few hours before you try to start Civilization VI.
Those are some of the resolutions players have confirmed can fix Civilization VI not launching from Steam. So, there’s a good chance the potential tips above will kick-start the game for most of you.
How do I fix my Civ 6 launcher?
Launcher problems are a regular issue, and most of the time, the cause may be traced back to yourantivirus program.When you try to run Steam games, you could find that you are unable to progress past the Preparing to launch prompt. In the event that this occurs, make sure that the necessary Visual C++ components are installed.
For more information, check out the solutions from ourSteam games not launching. After all, quite a few users claim that this happens on many other games too.For further information and potential solutions to the above error, we recommend that you take a look at our post on how tofix frequent Civilization VI issuesto address the CIV 6 not launching on PS5 and Xbox error.Alternatively, users reported thatCivilization VI issues limit the gaming experience, so if you happen to face the same error, don’t miss out on the guide linked.
If you happen to know any other tricks to fix the CIV 6 running but is not open error, don’t keep them to yourself. Share them with us and the other readers in the comments area below.
Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.
He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.
In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.
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Matthew Adams
Windows Hardware Expert
He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.
