Path of Exile 2 has arrived, but some players are fighting to get that game started rather than playing its quests. One player said this on the Path of Exile forum: “The game (POE 2) often crashes immediately after I launch it through Steam. There’s no error message or warning – the game just closes by itself.” Other players have reported POE 2 gets stuck on the loading screen or shows a black screen when it doesn’t start. This is how you can fix Path of Exile 2 not launching on Windows PCs.
Verify the Integrity of Path of Exile 2
Verifying Path of Exile 2 is a potential resolution that has worked for some players. Running a verification scan for the game might repair corrupted files causing startup issues. This Steam help page tells you how players can repair games with the Verify integrity option.
The Verify Files option in Epic Games
Run the Game as an Administrator From its Folder
Starting the Path of Exile 2 from its installation folder rather than Steam might kick-start the game for some players. That’s all the more likely if you also configure the game to run as an administrator, which you can do after finding the POE 2 EXE file. So, try setting Path of Exile 2 with elevated privileges from its folder like this.
- Open the Steam window and click Library within that software.
- Right-click the Path of Exile 2 game to select Manage and Browse local files.
- Next, right-click the PathofExile_x64Steam file to select Properties and Compatibility.
- Select Run this program as an administrator to set the game to run with elevated rights.
The Compatibility tab
- Click Apply to save what you’ve selected and OK to exit.
- Double-click the PathofExile_x64Steam EXE file to (hopefully) launch the game.
Set Path of Exile 2 to Run in Compatibility Mode
Players confirm selecting the compatibility option for the game can fix Path of Exile 2 not launching. This is a confirmed way to fix POE 2 freezing on its loading screen. You can set Path of Exile 2 to run in compatibility mode like this.
- Go through steps one to three of the second resolution above.
- Select Run this program in compatibility mode to access that option’s drop-down menu.
- Next, choose the Windows 8 platform option.
The Run this program in compatibility mode option
- To save selected settings, press Apply > OK.
Change the Render_Type Setting
It has been confirmed by some POE 2 players that changing the render_type setting to DirectX 11 can fix Path of Exile 2 not launching. However, some players also say changing that setting to Vulkan worked for them. This is how you can change the render_type setting.
- Bring up the Explorer folder navigation tool by simultaneously pressing the Windows logo button + E.
- Go to the Documents > My Games > Path of Exile 2 folder directory path.
- Right-click the poe2_production_Config.ini file and select Open with > Notepad.
- Next, change the renderer_type= setting to renderer_type=DirectX11.
The renderer_type=DirectX11 setting
- Click File and select the Save option within the menu that appears.
- Try starting Path of Exile 2 again.
If Path of Exile 2 still doesn’t start, open the poe2_production_Config.ini file again and change the renderer option to renderer_type=Vulkan. Then, select to save the file again.
Set a DirectX 11 Launch Parameter
Players have also revealed that setting a DirectX launch parameter via Steam can fix Path of Exile 2 not launching on PCs. Doing this configures the game to start with the DirectX 11 API set. You can apply this potential DirectX 11 solution like this.
- Run Steam and select Library on the tab bar.
- Right-click Path of Exile 2 and select Properties.
- Enter -d3d11 into the text box within the launch options.
The Additional Command Line Arguments option
Disable the Discord Overlay
Is Discord on your PC? If so, the overlay feature in that software could be causing Path of Exile 2 startup issues. Try disabling the Discord overlay like this.
- Open the Discord software window.
- Click the User Settings button.
- Select Game Overlay on the left side of Discord.
- Click the Enable in-game overlay toggle switch to disable that option.
The Enable in-game overlay option
Select the High-Performance Graphical Preference
Selecting a high graphical preference setting for POE 2 might fix Path of Exile 2 not launching if your PC has two GPUs. The High-Performance option in Windows sets games to run with discrete graphics cards on PCs with two GPUs. This is how you can select that graphical preference option for Path of Exile 2.
- Press the Windows logo + X key combination and select Search on the menu that appears.
- Type graphics settings inside your search tool and click the matching result.
- Press the Browse or Add desktop app button.
- Select the PathofExile_64Steam file in the Path of Exile 2 folder and click Add.
- Click the PathofExile_64Steam file added and Options (in Windows 10).
- Select High performance on the drop-down menu in Windows 11. In Windows 10, you must select a High-performance radio button and click Save.
The High performance option
- Repeat the above steps to select the High-performance option for the PathofExileSteam file.
Other Potential Ways to Fix Path of Exile 2 Not Launching
If Path of Exile 2 still doesn’t launch, you might still be able to kick-start that game with other potential fixes. These additional possible fixes might also get that game started for some players:
- Add Path of Exile 2 to exclusion lists for antivirus apps and allowed lists for firewalls.
- Install the newest driver for your PC’s graphics card with a method in this KeenGamer guide.
- Reinstall your Path of Exile 2 game.
- Change the multithreading_mode setting in the poe2_production.Config.ini file to engine_multithrading_mode=disabled.
The potential solutions above are player-confirmed ways to fix the Path of Exile 2 game when it doesn’t start on Windows PCs. This doesn’t mean they will fix Path of Exile 2 not launching for all players, but there’s a decent chance applying them will kick-start POE 2 on your PC. You can ask the game’s support service for more potential fixes with the su*****@**********ar.com email address.
