Fall Guys is a popular battle royale title, but some players can’t play that game because of startup issues. Some players report seeing error messages referencing DLL files when they try to start Fall Guys. However, that game can also fail to start without showing any message. Thus, Fall Guys startup issues can be quite varied, and there isn’t any one surefire way to fix them all. These are some of the more widely confirmed ways to fix Fall Guys not launching on Windows PCs.
Read also: 5 Ways to Fix the Fall Guys Error Code 200_1040 on a Windows PC
Verify the Integrity of the Fall Guys Games Files
Epic Games and Steam include troubleshooting options for verifying the integrity of game files. These are options that repair missing or corrupted game files, which is a more common cause of game startup issues. Try verifying the Fall Guys files with your gaming client software as instructed on this Epic Games support or Steam help page.
The Verify button
Disable Fullscreen Optimizations for Fall Guys
- Press File Explorer’s Windows logo + E hotkey and open the FullGuys installation folder.
- Right-click the FallGuys_client file to select Properties.
- Select Compatibility within the tab bar.
- Next, select Disable fullscreen optimizations.
- Click Run this program as an administrator to give Fall Guys elevated privileges.
The Disable fullscreen optimization checkbox
- Select Apply to set the options selected.
- Click OK to leave the FallGuys_client Properties window.
Set Epic Games Launcher and Fall Guys to Run in Compatibility Mode
Some players have fixed Fall Guys not starting by setting Epic Games Launcher and the game to run in compatibility mode. You can also try applying the same potential resolution for Steam, but the instructions below are more specifically for the Epic Games Launcher. You can set Epic Games Launcher and Fall Guys to run in compatibility mode like this.
- Click the File Explorer library folder icon on the Windows 11/10 taskbar and go to this Epic Games folder path: C:Program Files (x86)Epic GamesLauncherPortalBinariesWin64.
- Right-click on the EpicGamesLauncher.exe file to select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab.
- Tick the Run this program in compatibility mode checkbox and select Windows 8.
The Run this program in compatibility mode for option
- Also, make sure you have the Run this program as admin option selected.
- Press the properties window’s Apply and OK buttons to save all options elected.
- Open the FallGuys installation folder at this location: C:Program FilesEpic GamesFallGuys.
- Repeat steps one to six above for the FallGuysEACLauncher.exe file in the FallGuys folder.
Install Missing Visual C++ 2015 Run-time Components
If you’re seeing any kind of DLL error message when trying to start FallGuys, installing Visual C++ 2015 runtime components could fix the issue. However, it’s also worth trying this troubleshooting method even if you don’t see a DLL error message because a lot of players confirm it works. This is how you can install missing Visual C++ 2015 runtime components.
- Open this Visual C++ Redistributable page in the Edge web browser.
- Press the blue Download button.
The Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015 page
- Select the vc_redist.x64.exe and vc_redist.x86.exe checkboxes and click Download.
- Press Ctrl + J and click the vc_redist.x64.exe file to run it.
- Select I agree in the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 window.
The Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 window
- Click Install to install the Visual C++ 2015 runtime components.
- Repeat the above steps for the 32-bit downloaded vc_redist.x86.exe file.
Update the Driver for Your PC’s Graphics Card
Don’t rule out the possibility that a faulty or old graphics driver on your PC could be causing Fall Guys to crash at launch. Update your PC’s graphics card driver if you need to do so. You can install the latest NVIDIA or AMD driver for a graphics card as follows.
- First, check what your PC’s graphics card is by pressing the Windows logo + S keyboard key combination, entering dxdiag, and selecting the matching dxdiag search result. Select Display to see what your PC’s graphics card is called.
The DirectX Diagnostic Tool
- Navigate to the NVIDIA or AMD driver download page in your web browser.
- Select the graphics card for which you need a new driver and click Search/Submit.
The NVIDIA download page
- Press Download to obtain the latest driver package for your PC’s graphics card.
The Download button for a NVIDIA driver
- Go to whatever folder in which your browser downloads files and double-click on the driver package file.
- Select to install the graphics driver within the installer window.
- Restart Windows 11/10 to complete the driver update.
Set an Antivirus Exclusion for the FallGuys Game Folder
Windows 11/10 has a Microsoft Defender antivirus component that can cause game startup issues by flagging their files. To prevent that from happening for Fall Guys, add the game’s FallGuys installation folder to Windows Security’s exclusion list. This Microsoft help page explains how users can add exclusions to Windows Security.
The Add an exclusion button
Players with third-party antivirus apps will need to set a FallGuys folder exclusion within their security software package. All antivirus utilities have an exclusion list feature. So, look through the tabs in your security software to find its exclusion list and select to add Fall Guys to it from there.
Reinstall Fall Guys
Reinstalling Fall Guys will completely refresh the game’s files. If other possible solutions don’t work, reinstalling is worth trying as a last resort. There isn’t much to lose from doing that in this case since Fall Guys is a battle royale title that doesn’t have saved game data. This is how you can reinstall Fall Guys via Epic Games and Steam.
Epic Games
- Run Epic Games Launcher and click Library in the gaming client’s window.
- Click the Fall Guys menu button (three dots) and select Uninstall.
- Select Uninstall to confirm you wish to do so.
The Uninstall option within Epic Games Launcher
- Click Fall Guys in the Library tab to bring up the Install option.
- Press the Install button to reinstall Fall Guys.
Steam
- Start your Steam software and go to its Library tab.
- Right-click on Fall Guys and select the Manage submenu.
- Click Uninstall to remove Fall Guys.
The Uninstall option in the Steam gaming client
- Select Fall Guy’s Install option in Steam to reinstall.
Other Ways to Fix Fall Guys Not Launching
Don’t give up if Fall Guys still doesn’t launch after applying all the resolutions above. These additional troubleshooting methods might also fix the game not starting for some players:
- Set your PC to clean boot, restart Windows, and try starting Fall Guys. This Microsoft help webpage provides step-by-step instructions for how to clean boot a Windows PC.
- Reinstall Epic Games or Steam.
- Close background third-party programs that have overlay features, such as Discord or GeForce Experience.
- If you’ve installed Fall Guys via Microsoft Store, select the Reset option for that app in Settings.
I hope one of those potential resolutions fixes Fall Guys not starting on your Windows 11/10 PC. You’ll probably need to apply multiple troubleshooting methods to fix Fall Guys not launching. You can also contact the Fall Guys support service from this Epic page if necessary, but try applying the potential solutions above first.
