7 Ways to Fix The Finals Not Launching on a Windows PC

The Finals is a freely available game; some players report that it doesn’t launch on their PCs. For instance, one such player said this, “My game [The Finals] is no longer launching today (1/31)… It creates the Red launching game launcher and then the game opens up with a big black screen with The Finals logo in the bottom right, and it loads for a bit, and then it silently crashes.” This is how you can fix The Finals not launching on a Windows PC.

Set a DirectX Launch Option

First, try setting a DirectX launch option for the game, which some players confirm can fix The Finals not launching. You can try setting alternative DirectX 11 or 12 API launch parameters via. These are the steps for setting a DirectX launch option.

1. Go into the Library tab within the Steam software.
2. Next, right-click on your The Finals game in the sidebar to select its Properties option.
3. Type -dx11 inside the launch text box within the General tab.
4. Try starting The Finals.
   
   

   The launch options in Steam

5. If the game still doesn’t launch, input -dx12 within the launch text box for The Finals.

Reinstall Easy Anti-Cheat

Easy Anti-Cheat is the anti-cheat software required for The Finals. Reinstalling Easy Anti-Cheat is a potential way to fix The Finals not launching for some players, as it has been confirmed to have worked for them. This is how you can reinstall the Easy Anti-Cheat software.

1. First, open the Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > TheFinalsPlaytest folder inside File Explorer.
2. Double-click the Uninstall_EasyAntiCheat file.
3. To reinstall, double-click the Install_EasyAntiCheat file.

The Uninstall_EasyAntiCheat file

Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Disabling fullscreen optimizations is another player-confirmed way to fix The Finals not launching. This will set the game to bypass the hybrid Borderless FS mode. You can disable fullscreen optimizations for The Finals like this:

1. Open Steam to select the Library within that gaming client.
2. Click The Finals with the mouse’s right button to select Browse local files.
3. Right-click the Discovery.exe file to select Properties and Compatibility.
4. Select the Disable full-screen optimization checkbox.
   
   

   The Disable fullscreen optimizations checkbox

5. To set the settings as selected, click Apply > OK.

Disable Run as Administrator

Although I usually recommend running a game with elevated privileges, some players say disabling the Run this program as an administrator setting can fix The Finals not launching. To do that, go through steps one to three for the third resolution above. Then deselect Run this program as an administrator if that option is enabled.

Verify The Finals

Verifying The Finals will check for corrupted game finals and repair any detected. This is a straightforward troubleshooting method to apply that’s always worth trying. You can select a Verify integrity option for The Finals within the Steam software as instructed here.

The Verify integrity of game files option

Update GPU Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers are a potential cause for The Finals not launching. To address that potential cause, try installing the latest compatible graphical driver for your graphics card. Our article about updating graphics drivers covers the various ways you can apply this potential fix.

The NVIDIA driver page

Apply a Clean Boot

The Embark support service recommends applying a clean boot to fix The Finals not launching. Applying a clean boot disables non-essential third-party background processes. Microsoft’s clean boot page provides full instructions for applying this troubleshooting method.

The System Configuration tool

Other Potential Ways to Fix The Finals Not Launching

There are more potential fixes for The Finals not starting beyond those covered above. Try applying these additional troubleshooting methods if the game still doesn’t start:

• Reinstall your The Finals game.
• Add Easy Anti-Cheat (EasyAntiCheat.exe) and The Finals game to your firewall’s allowed app list.
• Disable overlay features in Steam, Discord, AMD Adrenaline, and the NVIDIA Application.
• Repair or install Visual C++ Runtime libraries with the Microsoft Visual C++ v14 Redistributable package available on this website page.
• Start the Steam client with administrator rights. 

Applying the troubleshooting methods above will probably fix The Finals not launching for most players. Players who have applied some of the potential fixes above confirm that they work. You can also ask the Embark support service for more ways to fix The Finals not starting by clicking Create a Ticket on this help center page.