4 Ways to Fix the “Following Components Are Required to Run This Program C++” Gaming Error

Many players report that video games don’t start because of an error message that says, “The following components are required to run this program.” For example, one such player said this: “For the past month or so, whenever I try to launch the game through Steam, I’ve been getting an error that says: The following component(s) are required to run this program: Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.” A variation of that error says DirectX runtime. This is how you can fix the “Following components are required to run this program C++” gaming error.

Install Missing Visual C++ V14 Runtime Libraries

The best way to fix the “Following components are required to run this program C++” gaming error is usually to install the missing C++ runtime libraries. What that message means is that the required C++ components are missing or corrupted. You can install missing Visual C++ runtime libraries like this:

1. Go to this page on Microsoft’s website.
2. Click the X64 and X86 download links for Visual C++ v14 Redistributable.
   
3. Next, open File Explorer with its Windows logo + E hotkey and open the folder containing the downloaded Visual C++ packages.
4. Run the VC_redist.x64.exe file by double-clicking on it.
5. Select the I agree checkbox.
6. Click on the Install/Repair button.
   
7. Repeat steps four to six for the X86 Visual C++ package.

Alternatively, you can download the required Visual C++ v14 Redistributable package from this Microsoft page. Click Other Tools, Frameworks, and Redistributables on that page. Select the x64 and x86 options for Microsoft Visual C++ v14 and click Download.

Select the Change (Repair) Option for Visual C++ 2015 – 2022

Repairing corrupted Visual C++ packages is another way to fix the “Following components are required to run this program C++” error. The Programs and Features Control Panel applet in Windows includes a Change option you can select to repair Visual C++ packages. Try selecting the Change option for Visual C++ 2015 – 2022 like this:

1. Click the Start menu button with the mouse’s right button to select Run.
2. Enter appwiz.cpl into the text box in the Run dialog.
3. Click OK to view Programs and Features.
4. Enter Visual C++ in the search box for Programs and Features.
5. Select the x64 Visual C++ 2015 – 2022 package and click on Change.
6. Click on Repair.
   
7. Repeat the previous two steps for the x84 Visual C++ 2015 – 2022 Redistributable package.

Reinstall Affected Games

If the “Following components are required to run this program C++” error persists, try reinstalling affected games.” This will probably resolve the error because game installers typically include the required Visual C++ Redistributable packages. These are the steps for reinstalling games with Steam and Epic Games:

Steam

1. Run your Steam gaming client to open its Library tab.
2. Right-click any affected game to select Manage and Uninstall.
3. Select Uninstall when prompted.
   
4. To reinstall, select the uninstalled game in the Library tab and click its Install button.
5. Select Install to continue.

Epic

1. Open the Library tab in your Epic client software.
2. Click the … button for a game to select Uninstall twice.
   
3. Reinstall the uninstalled game by clicking the image thumbnail for it and selecting Install.

Run the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

If the following component’s error message says DirectX runtime rather than Visual C++, try running the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer. DirectX End-User Runtime installs legacy DirectX SDK DLLs required for older games. You can run that installer like this:

1. Open this DirectX page in your browser.
2. Click the Download option there.
3. Double-click on the downloaded dxwebsetup.exe file in the folder that includes it.
4. Select the I accept radio button.
   
5. Click the Next button to install the runtime components.

The “Following components are required to run this program C++” error is one of the most common gaming issues. Applying the troubleshooting methods above will usually resolve that gaming error. Those fixes will restore/repair missing Visual C++ runtime libraries or DirectX components required by games.