7 Ways to Fix Deadlock Not Launching on a Windows PC

Deadlock is among the more popular Steam games for which players have reported startup issues. This is what one player said about that game not starting: “After a recent update, Deadlock just doesn’t launch. It opens, shows the Valve logo, and then closes.” So, the Valve logo might be the first thing players see when starting Deadlock. This is how you can fix Deadlock not launching on Windows PCs.

Set the DirectX 11 API for Deadlock

Modifying the launch options by setting a DirectX 11 API is a more widely confirmed way to fix Deadlock not launching. Applying this potential resolution ensures the game utilizes DirectX 11 rather than experimental alternatives such as the Vulkan renderer. These are the steps for setting up DirectX 11:

1. First, run the Steam client and select Library.
2. Next, right-click your Deadlock game to select Properties.
3. Type -dx11 into Steam’s launch options text box.
   
   

   The -dx11 launch option

4. If the game doesn’t start with DirectX 11 enabled, try entering -dx12 in the launch options box.

Clear the Shader Cache

Next, try clearing the shader cache, which some players confirm fixes Deadlock not launching. To be more specific, we are talking about the DirectX shader cache, which stores pre-compiled shader programs. You can clear the shader cache with the Disk Cleanup tool like this:

1. Simultaneously press the Windows logo + S keys on your keyboard to activate the file finder tool.
2. Next, type Disk Cleanup to find that tool.
3. Click on the Disk Cleanup search result.
4. Select your C: drive and the OK option.
5. Click on the DirectX Shader Cache checkbox to select that option.
   
   

   The DirectX Shader Cache option

6. Press the OK button.
7. Click Delete Files to confirm.

Verify Game Files

Verifying game files is among the most straightforward methods to apply, which repairs corrupted game files. Although this troubleshooting method might not kick-start the game for everybody, some players say they’ve fixed Deadlock not launching by verifying its files. Go through the steps on this Steam page to verify the Deadlock game files.

The Verify integrity of game files option

Install New Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

Deadlock might not start because of outdated or missing Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables. You might need to install or repair the Visual C++ Runtime libraries that the game needs. Go through these steps to install new Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables:

1. Go to this page on the Microsoft website.
2. Download Microsoft Visual C++ v14 Redistributable by clicking the X86 and X64 links.
   
   

   The Microsoft Visual C++ v14 Redistributable page

3. Open File Explorer and the folder containing the downloaded Visual C++ files.
4. Double-click the downloaded VC_redist.x64.exe to run it.
5. Select I agree and Install.
   
   

   The Visual C++ Install option

6. Repeat the previous two steps for the VC_redist.x86 package.

Start the Game Directly From Its Folder

Try starting the game directly from its installation folder to fix Deadlock not launching. To do so, open the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Deadlock\game\bin\win64 folder in Explorer. Then right-click the project8.exe file and select Run this program as an administrator.

Delete the Boot File

Deleting the boot. The vcfg file for Deadlock has been confirmed as a way to fix the game not starting. Erasing that file will reset the game to a default configuration. These are the steps for deleting the boot.vcfg file:

1. First, open this folder path: \Steam\steamapps\common\Deadlock\game\citadel\config\boot.vcfg.
2. Click on the boot.vcfg file once to select it.
3. Select File Explorer’s Delete option.

Disable Game Overlays

Disabling game overlay features to ensure they can’t conflict with Deadlock. Gaming software like Steam, the NVIDIA App, Discord, and AMD Adrenalin all include overlay features. So, most players will probably have a least one software package with an overlay feature enabled in it. Try turning off the overlay settings in those aforementioned software packages.

Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option

Other Ways to Fix Deadlock Not Launching

If Deadlock still doesn’t start, don’t give up on the troubleshooting! Here are some more potential ways to fix Deadlock not launching:

• Set Steam to run with administrator rights.
• Install a new, compatible graphics driver as instructed on this KeenGamer page.
• Add the Deadlock game to the firewalls’ allowed lists.
• Set the game to run on a dedicated high-performance graphics card via the Settings app.

I hope you fix Deadlock not launching with one of the potential resolutions above. The troubleshooting methods here are some of the most widely confirmed ways to kick-start that game. To ask the game’s support service for more potential fixes, try sending an email to co*****@******ev.com.