Reports of Battlefield 2042 not launching are common and have increased since the season six update. That game can fail to launch in different ways. For example, one Battlefield 2042 player’s Reddit post says this, “Since today literally nothing happens when trying to open/launch the game (BF2042), from desktop or Steam, it does not respond at all.” Other players have reported that the game closes after a splash screen appears. These are several ways you can fix Battlefield 2042 not launching on a Windows PC.
Repair the Battlefield 2042 Game Files
Players confirm they’ve fixed Battlefield 2042 not launching by repairing (otherwise verifying) that game’s files. You can select an option for repairing or verifying Battlefield 2042’s files within the Steam, EA, or Epic Games client software. Check out these Steam help or Epic support pages for instructions about how to verify games with those gaming clients. EA app users can select to repair Battlefield 2042 like this.
- Start your EA gaming client and click Library.
- Select your installed Battlefield 2042 game.
- Click Manage to bring up an options menu.
- Select Repair to start the scan.
The Repair option in the EA app
Set Your Gaming Client to Start with Administrator Rights
Players report setting Steam to run with admin rights in compatibility mode can fix Battlefield 2042 not launching. You can also apply this resolution for the EA desktop or Epic Games clients just the same. So, try setting elevated privileges for your gaming client as follows.
- Right-click your Steam, Epic Games, or EA desktop shortcut and select Properties.
- Click on Compatibility to access the options within that tab.
- Next, click inside Run this program as an administrator box.
The Run this program as an administrator checkbox
- Select the checkbox for the Run this program in compatibility mode and Windows 8 in the drop-down menu.
- Click on the Apply option and select OK to exit.
Set Battlefield 2042 to Run With Administrator Rights
Setting Battlefield 2042 to start with administrator rights has also worked for some BF2024 players. To do this, click File Explorer’s shortcut on the taskbar and open the Battlefield 2042 installation folder for the game; then right-click the BF2024 EXE file to select the Run this program as an administrator option as outlined in the previous resolution. Also, try launching the game from its installation folder by double-clicking the BF2024 game file.
Turn off Windows Game Mode
Game Mode is a setting that supposedly optimizes Windows 11 and 10 for gaming. Yet, players have said disabling that option is a solution for Battlefield 2042 not launching that can work. It seems a slightly strange fix, but one that’s worth trying since it’s easy to apply. You can turn off Windows Game Mode like this.
- Hold down the Windows key and press S to activate a tool for file searching.
- Enter a Game Mode search phrase.
- Click Game mode settings inside your search tool.
- Turn off the Game Mode option by clicking its toggle switch.
The Game Mode option
Select the Repair Easy Anti-Cheat Option
Battlefield 2042 is one of those multiplayer games for which Easy Anti-Cheat is required to play. Thus, Battlefield 2042 can fail to launch because of Easy Anti-Cheat issues. So, try repairing the Easy Anti-Cheat service with the following steps.
- Activate File Explorer to bring up the Battlefield 2042 installation directory (folder).
- Open the EasyAntiCheat subfolder inside the Battlefield 2042 folder.
The Battlefield 2042 installation directory
- Click the EasyAntiCheat_Setup file to view an Easy Anti-Cheat Setup window.
- Press the blue Repair Service button to fix Easy Anti-Cheat.
The Repair Service option for Easy Anti-Cheat
- Click Finish when it’s all done.
Temporarily Turn Off Antivirus Shields on Your PC
Antivirus shields can sometimes stupidly flag legitimate game files, causing startup issues to arise. This is rather annoying, and disabling antivirus software installed on your PC will prevent false positives from happening. If you have a third-party security app on your PC, right-click the icon for it within the system tray and select a disable or deactivate setting that temporarily turns off the antivirus protection. Thereafter, run Battlefield 2042 to see if it starts.
If this works, you’ll know your antivirus shield was causing the issue. However, it’s not a good idea to permanently disable your antivirus software. Try adding Battlefield 2042 to the antivirus tool’s exceptions list to exclude it.
Not all players will have third-party antivirus software installed. However, the Microsoft Defender antivirus shield for Windows can still flag legitimate software much the same as third-party alternatives. You can disable that antivirus shield before playing Battlefield 2042 by turning off the Real-time protection option as instructed on this Microsoft Windows Security help page.
The Real-time protection option in Windows Security
Reset the EA App or Steam Caches
Players on Reddit have said they’ve got Battlefield 2042 to launch by resetting the EA app or Steam cache. Clearing those caches is a standard troubleshooting method for resolving gaming startup issues. These EA app and Steam help pages provide instructions for clearing those gaming clients’ download caches.
The Clear Cache button in the EA app
Other Potential Fixes for Battlefield 2042 Not Launching
There are also other ways you can feasibly fix Battlefield 2042 not launching beyond those covered above. Here are some more troubleshooting suggestions that could be worth a try:
- Check Battlefield 2024 is allowed through Windows Defender Firewall’s allowed list. Add the game to that firewall’s allowed list if it isn’t, and make sure its Public and Private checkboxes are selected there.
- Update the graphical driver for your PC’s graphics card.
- Disable overlay features in software like GeForce Experience, Steam, MSI Afterburner, and Discord.
- Reinstall Battlefield 2042 if no other potential solutions work for you.
I hope one of those possible resolutions fixes Battlefield 2042 not launching your Windows 11/10 PC. One of them probably will because they’re fixes that have worked for many other BF2042 players.
