Lost Ark is a relatively new MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing) game for Windows platforms that some players can’t play because of startup issues. Players commonly report Lost Ark getting stuck on its loading screen or not launching after the Easy Anti-Screen appears. One player’s Reddit post reports this: “The Lost Ark title pops up after Easy Anti-Cheat loads then nothing. After this title disappears, the game is also no longer running on Steam.” This is how you can fix Lost Ark not launching on a Windows PC.
Read also: 6 Ways to Fix the Lost Ark Server Authentication Failed 10010 Error on a Windows PC
Verify Lost Ark’s Game Files
Verifying Lost Ark’s game files could be a good way to start your troubleshooting. Applying this possible solution will scan for and repair corrupted game files. Steam’s verification help page explains how players can verify games.
The Verify integrity of game files option
Set Lost Ark to Launch Fullscreen
It has been confirmed that setting a fullscreen launch parameter can fix Lost Ark not launching. Doing this will force the game to start fullscreen. You can set a new fullscreen launch parameter for Lost Ark with the Steam gaming client like this.
- Open the Steam software window and click Library in the tab bar.
- Next, right-click Lost Ark to select the Properties option for that game.
- Click in the Launch Options box within the General tab.
- Type -fullscreen inside the Launch Options box.
The -fullscreen launch option
Update the Driver for Your Graphics Card
Some players say updating graphics drivers fixed Lost Ark not launching on their PCs. This potential fix will more likely work if your graphics card’s driver is more than a year old. This is how you can download and install a new NVIDIA or AMD graphics card.
- First, check what your PC’s graphics card is by right-clicking Start, selecting Run, entering dxdiag, and clicking OK. The Display tab within the DirectX Diagnostic Tool includes graphics card details.
The Display tab in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool window
- Start Microsoft Edge and open the NVIDIA or AMD download page for graphics card drivers.
- Next, select your PC’s Windows platform and graphics card and press the Submit or Search buttons.
The NVIDIA driver download page
- Click on Download to obtain the file for the latest graphics driver.
The Download option for a graphics driver
- Press Edge’s Ctrl + J key combination to see the files you’ve downloaded with that browser.
- Click the downloaded AMD or NVIDIA driver package file.
- Select the option for installing the driver.
Set Lost Ark to Start With DirectX 9
First, try setting Lost Ark to start with fullscreen as outlined for resolution two. If that doesn’t work for you, setting Lost Ark to start with DirectX 9 could be worth a try. You can set that launch parameter like this.
- Go through steps one and two of this guide’s second resolution to access the General tab for Lost Ark.
- Input -force-d3d9 inside the Launch Options box.
- Click the X to close Steam’s settings window and restart the gaming client.
Repair Easy Anti-Cheat
Some players report seeing an Easy Anti-Cheat error 30005 message when Lost Ark doesn’t start. If you’re seeing an error message like that, repairing Easy Anti-Cheat could be the solution you’re looking for. This is how you can repair Easy Anti-Cheat.
- Click File Explorer’s taskbar shortcut and open the Lost Ark game folder at this default location: C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonLost ArkBinariesWin64EasyAntiCheat.
- Double-click the EasyAntiCheat_Setup file to view the Easy Anti-Cheat Setup window.
- Click Repair Service to fix Easy Anti-Cheat.
The Repair Service option
- Press Finish to close the Easy Anti-Cheat window.
Delete the Physxupdateloader64.dll File
Players confirm deleting the physxupdateloader64.dll file can fix Lost Ark not launching when the game throws up an “Untrusted system file” error message. That error message includes the full path for the Physxupdateloader64.dll file. You can delete that file as follows.
- Open Explorer, and go to the folder path specified in the “Untrusted system file” error message. The default folder path for that file will probably be C:Program Files (x86)NVIDIA CorporationPhysXCommonPhysxupdateloader64.dll.
- Select the physxupdateloader64.dll file with the mouse.
- Click Delete on the Home tab or command bar in File Explorer to erase the Physxupdateloader64.dll file.
The Physxupdateloader64.dll file
Reinstall Lost Ark
Reinstalling Lost Ark is a more thorough way to repair corrupted or missing game files than utilizing the verification tool in Steam. I recommend trying other potential solutions first, but reinstall Lost Ark if they’re not enough. These are the steps for reinstalling Lost Ark.
- Run Steam and click on its Library tab.
- Right-click on the Lost Ark game in the sidebar and select the Manage context menu option.
- Click Uninstall to remove Lost Ark.
Steam’s Uninstall context menu option
- Select the uninstalled Lost Ark game in your gaming library and click Install.
Other Ways to Fix Lost Ark Not Launching
The resolutions above aren’t the only troubleshooting methods that can potentially fix Lost Ark not launching on a PC. These additional potential resolutions could also work for some players:
- Reset Steam’s download cache by going through the steps on this Steam webpage.
- Set Steam and Lost Ark game to run as an administrator with elevated privileges.
- Run Lost Ark directly from its installation directory.
- Temporarily disable antivirus shields and firewalls before launching Lost Ark.
- Deselect the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game setting to disable that feature.
Those ways to fix Lost Ark not launching have worked for some players. So, maybe one of those resolutions will get that game started on your PC. If not, consider submitting a ticket (message) about Lost Ark not starting to the Amazon games support service from this help page.
