6 Ways to Fix Dead Island 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Dead Island 2 is a popular action RPG for which players report technical startup issues. For example, this is what one player said about that game not starting: “Well, Dead Island 2 became free on Epic Games and I added it. Now, when I want to run it, the game updates, and then it won’t launch without any errors.” The DI2 game can fail to start with or without showing error messages. This is how you can fix Dead Island 2 not launching on Windows 11/10 PCs.

End the Epic Games Online Process

Some players confirm that ending the Epic Online process can resolve Dead Island 2’s issue with not launching. However, this potential resolution is only for Epic users. Try ending the Epic Online process like this:

1. Right-click an empty space on the taskbar to select Task Manager.
2. Look for Epic Online in the Processes tab.
3. Right-click the Epic Online process to select End task.

The End task option

Install the Windows Media Features Pack With PowerShell

Another confirmed way to fix Dead Island 2 not launching is to install the Windows Media Pack, which might not be properly installed on your PC. However, note that Windows Media Pack is not pre-installed on Windows N platform versions. This is how you can install Windows Media Pack with PowerShell:

1. First, activate your search tool using the Windows logo key + S hotkey.
2. Enter PowerShell and right-click the app found to select Run as administrator.
3. Next, input the dism /online /add-capability /capabilityname:Media.WindowsMediaPlayer~~~~0.0.12.0 command and hit Enter to execute.

The install Windows Media Player command

The current Windows Media Player version is Media.WindowsMediaPlayer~~~~0.0.12.0, but that is subject to change. If necessary, you can check the Windows Media Pack version by executing a DISM /Online /Get-Capabilities command. The command for installing must include the latest Windows Media Player shown.

Run Dead Island 2 With Admin Rights

Running DI2 with admin rights can also sometimes fix Dead Island 2 not launching for some players. You can set that game to have administrator rights like this:

1. First, open the Dead Island 2 game folder at the C:\Program Files\Epic Games\DeadIsland or <SteamLibrary-folder>\steamapps\common\DeadIsland2 default installation paths.
2. Right-click the Dead Island 2 EXE file to select Properties and Compatibility.
3. Select Run this program as an administrator > Apply > OK within the Compatibility tab.

The Run this program as an administrator

Install Visual Studio C++ Runtime Libraries

Dead Island 2 can fail to start when the required Visual Studio C++ runtime libraries are missing. To address this possible cause, try installing the 2015-2022 Visual Studio runtime libraries. This is how you can install missing C++ components:

1. Go to this Microsoft page.
2. Click that page’s X86 and X64 download links for Visual Studio 2015-2022.
   
   

   The download links for Visual Studio

3. Next, double-click the VC_redist.x64.exe file downloaded to open it.
4. Select I agree > Install within the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 window.
   
   

   The Microsoft Visual C++ installer

5. Repeat the instructions above for the X86 (32-bit) file.

Verify the Game Files

Verifying files is a troubleshooting method you should always try for games not launching, especially when other potential fixes don’t work. Steam and Epic Games include options to select that will scan Dead Island 2 and repair corrupted files found. Open these Steam support and Epic Games pages for further details about how you can verify files.

The Verify integrity option

Reinstall Dead Island 2 (Preferably on a Another Drive)

A few players also say they fixed Dead Island 2 not starting by reinstalling the game on alternative drives. If you have an external drive, try reinstalling the game on it. However, you can still try reinstalling Dead Island 2 if you don’t have an alternative drive. These are the steps for reinstalling Dead Island 2:

Steam

1. Go into the Library tab within your Steam software.
2. Right-click Dead Island 2 inside the sidebar and select Uninstall on the Manage submenu.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

3. Click the Uninstall option when prompted for confirmation.
4. Next, click Install for the Dead Island 2 game.
5. If possible, select an alternative drive to reinstall it on and click Install.

Epic Games

1. Start Epic Games and click on its Library tab.
2. Click the three-dot button for Dead Island 2 and select Uninstall from the menu.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Epic Games

3. Next, click the thumbnail image for Dead Island.
4. Select Browse to select an alternative drive for reinstalling if you can.
5. Click on Install to finish.

Other Possible Ways to Fix Dead Island 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC

The resolutions above are the more widely confirmed ways to fix Dead Island 2 not launching. However, you can also try applying these potential fixes for the game not starting:

• Disable third-party startup items and services by clean booting your PC.
• Update your PC’s video card driver as instructed in this guide for updating graphics drivers.
• Add the Dead Island 2 game folder to antivirus exclusion lists.
• Turn off overlays in Steam, Discord, GeForce Experience, and any other software that includes them.

So, try applying the suggested potential resolutions above to fix Dead Island 2 not launching. You’ll probably have to apply multiple fixes to find one that works on your PC. If you still need more possible fixes, click the Contact Support option on this Plaion help page.

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