7 Ways to Fix Farming Simulator 25 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Farming Simulator 25 is the latest installment to the acclaimed FS series, but some can’t play that game because of launch issues. A player’s Reddit post reported an FS25 startup issue like this: “My son just purchased FS25 and it will not launch from the Epic Games Launcher. When we click launch, it says it is running but then goes back to launch and never runs.” This is how you can fix Farming Simulator 25 not launching on a Windows 11/10 PC.

Run Steam or Epic Games With Administrator Rights

A few players confirmed setting Steam to run with admin rights can fix Farming Simulator 25 not working. Doing this will give the Steam client software elevated privileges for accessing folders in Windows. These are the steps for running Steam as an administrator.

1. Right-click the Steam shortcut on your Windows desktop area to select Properties and Compatibility.
2. Select Run this program as an administrator.
3. Press Apply to save options as selected.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

4. To close the Steam Properties window, click on OK.

This potential way to fix Farming Simulator 25 might also work for Epic Games users. You can apply this potential solution much the same for the Epic client by right-clicking its desktop shortcut. Then, select the required options as outlined above.

Erase the Shader Cache Folder

Erasing the shader_cache data folder is widely confirmed to work by players who’ve needed to fix Farming Simulator 25 not launching. Erasing that cache folder will delete corrupted data in it. You can eradicate the shader_cache like this.

1. Click File Explorer’s taskbar shortcut and open the Documents > My Games > FarmingSimulator2025 folder.
2. Select the shader_cache folder by clicking it once.
3. Click Delete on the command bar or within the Home tab to erase the selected shader_cache folder.
   
   

   The shader_cache folder

4. In addition, right-click the updater folder in the same directory and select Delete.

Delete the Game.XML File

Deleting the game.xml file is another way to fix Farming Simulator 25 not launching that’s worked for some players. However, note that erasing this file also deletes saved game progress. This is how you can erase the game.xml file.

1. Open File Explorer from the taskbar.
2. Navigate to the Documents > My Games > FarmingSimulator2025 directory path.
3. Right-click the game.xml file and select Delete.
   
   

   The Delete option

Erase the FarmingSimulator25 Folder and Verify the Game Files

Players have said on Reddit that erasing the whole FarmingSimulator25 data folder and then verifying game files kick-started FS25 not on their PCs. This fix combines resolutions two and three above because deleting that folder will also eradicate the shader_cache subfolder and game.xml file. You can apply this possible fix for FS25 not starting, like this.

1. Go into File Explorer and the Documents > My Games folder.
2. Right-click the FarmingSimultor25 data folder and select Delete.
3. Verify your Farming Simulator 25 game, as covered on this Epic support or Steam help page.

The Verify integrity of game files option

Update Farming Simulator 25

Updates for games can sometimes resolve technical startup issues. So, make sure you’ve got Farming Simulator 25 set for automatic updates. You can update Farming Simulator 25 like this.

Steam

1. Go into the Steam and its Library tab.
2. Right-click Farming Simulator 25 to select Properties.
3. Click on Updates.
4. Select the High Priority option in the Automatic Updates drop-down menu.
   
   

   The update options in Steam

Epic Games

1. Start Epic to click Library in that software.
2. Next, click the ellipses (…) button for Farming Simulator 25.
3. Select Manage on the menu.
4. Turn on the Auto Update setting is disabled.

Set a New DirectX Launch Parameter

Setting Farming Simulator 25 to start with a specific DirectX 11 or 12 version might get the game started for some users. Applying this possible solution can address DirectX compatibility issues. Try setting a new DirectX 11/12 launch parameter for Farming Simulator 25 like this.

Steam

1. Open the Steam Library tab.
2. Right-click on Farming Simulator 25 to select Properties.
3. Input -dx11 or -dx12 inside the text box for launch options on the General tab.

The launch options in Steam

Epic

1. Start the Epic software.
2. Click Epic’s user menu button to select Settings.
3. Next, click Farming Simulator 25 to view options for it.
4. Select Additional Command Line Arguments to access the launch parameter box.
5. Enter -dx11 (for DirectX 11) or -dx12 (for DirectX 12) in the text box.

The Additional Command Line Arguments option

Reinstall the Game

Finally, try reinstalling Farming Simulator 25 if other possible solutions don’t work for you. Applying this potential solution can address a variety of potential causes for the game not starting. These are the steps for reinstalling FS25 via Steam or Epic.

Epic Games

1. Run the Epic Games program to view its Library tab.
2. Click the menu button for Farming Simulator 25 to select an Uninstall option.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Epic Games

3. To reinstall the game, click on the Farming Simulator 25 image in the Library tab.

Steam

1. Bring up Steam to go inside its Library tab.
2. Click Farming Simulator 25 with the right mouse button to select Manage > Uninstall.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Epic Games

3. Select Farming Simulator 25 in the Steam library and click Install.
4. Click Install again to proceed.

Other Ways to Fix Farming Simulator 25 Not Launching

Try applying the possible fixes covered above first. However, these are some additional troubleshooting suggestions that could be worth trying if the game still doesn’t start:

• Set your PC to clean boot by going through the steps on this Microsoft help page.
• Try running Farming Simulator 25 from the game’s installation folder with admin rights set for it.
• Set Farming Simulator 25 to run in compatibility mode for Windows 8.
• Run Farming Simulator 25 with full-screen optimization mode disabled.

The troubleshooting methods discussed here have worked for many players who’ve needed to fix Farming Simulator 25 not launching. You may need to apply multiple potential fixes to find one that works on your PC. If you need more troubleshooting support for this game, try contacting the game’s help service from this FS25 page.