Zenless Zone Zero has been warmly received since its release, but some players can’t play this RPG because of startup issues. A player’s Reddit post said this about ZZZ crashing on launch, “Zenless Zone Zero Crashing at startup without any error… the game is crashing immediately after launching without any errors.” Some players see error messages when Zenless Zone Zero doesn’t start. This is how you can fix Zenless Zone Zero not launching on a Windows PC.
Select Repair Now
First, try selecting the Repair Now option within the Zenless Zone Zero launcher window. That is a troubleshooting option for the launcher and Zenless Zone Zero game that scans files. You can select Repair Now like this.
- Bring up the Zenless Zone Zero launcher software.
- Click the menu button beside Start Game.
- Select the Repair Now option.
The Repair Now option
You can also try selecting the Verify option for Zenless Zone Zero in Epic Games, which is similar. That troubleshooting option scans for and repairs damaged game files. This Epic Games page provides step-by-step instructions for selecting that option.
Try Starting Zenless Zone Zero From its Installation Folder
If you try starting Zenless Zone Zero from its installation folder, you can also set the game to run as administrator. Doing this will give the game full system permissions. This is how you can set admin rights for Zenless Zone Zero.
- Open the Zenless Zone Zero launcher window.
- Click the menu button to select Game Settings.
- Next, click Open Directory.
The Open Directory option
- Right-click the ZenlessZoneZero.exe file to select Properties and Compatibility.
- Click Run this program as an administrator to select admin rights.
The Compatibility tab
- Press Apply and OK to save the admin option selected.
- Try starting the game by double-clicking the ZenlessZoneZero.exe file.
Create a New Zenless Zone Zero Game Shortcut
Many players have been able to fix Zenless Zone Zero not launching by creating new shortcuts for it. By doing this, you can set up a shortcut with a -force-d3d12 launch parameter for the game. Try creating a new Zenless Zone Zero game shortcut as follows.
- Open the installation folder for Zenless Zone Zero as covered for the first three steps of the previous resolution.
- Next, copy the full Zenless Zone Zero folder path in File Explorer’s address bar by selecting its text and pressing Ctrl + C.
- Right-click an empty area of the folder to select New > Shortcut.
- Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied folder path address into the location box.
- Click Browse, select the ZenlessZoneZero.exe file in its folder, and click OK.
- Next, add -force-d3d12 to the end of the shortcut folder path, which should look like this: “C:\HoYoPlay\games\ZenlessZoneZero Game\ZenlessZoneZero.exe” -force-d3d12.
The Create Shortcut wizard
- Click Next in the shortcut wizard.
- Delete the default shortcut name in the text box and input ZZZ.exe.
- Press Finish to create the shortcut file for starting the game.
- Double-click the ZZZ.exe shortcut in the folder to start the game. You can also drag this shortcut onto the Windows desktop from the folder.
You can also try this potential solution with a -force-d3d11 launch parameter. That launch parameter is for DirectX 11 rather than DirectX 12. Replace -force-d3d12 and the end of the path with -force-d3d11.
Clear the Download Resource Cache
The Zenless Zone Zero launcher has a Clear the Download Resource Cache troubleshooting option that might be helpful for fixing some startup issues. This option will clear cached data when selected. You select that option like this.
- Go through steps one and two of the first potential resolution in this article.
- Select Game Settings > Advanced Settings tab.
- Click the Clear Downloaded Resource Cache button.
The Clear Download Resource Cache
Update Your PC’s Graphics Drivers
Players confirm they have been able to fix Zenless Zone Zero by updating graphics drivers. If your PC has two graphics cards, I recommend updating the drivers for both of them. Our guide to updating graphical drivers provides instructions for applying this possible fix.
The NVIDIA driver download page
Set a High Performance Graphics Preference
If your PC has two graphics cards, try selecting the High Performance graphics preference for Zenless Zone Zero. Doing this will set your superior dedicated GPU for the game. You can select High Performance for Zenless Zone Zero like this.
- Activate the search tool, and input a Graphics settings keyword.
- Click on Graphics settings inside the search results.
- Select Desktop app for the Choose an app to set preference setting.
- Next, click Browse and select the ZenlessZoneZero.exe file.
The Options button in Graphics settings
- Click Options for the Zenless Zone Zero game added.
- Select High performance and Save to apply.
The High performance option
Reinstall Zenless Zone Zero
Reinstall Zenless Zone Zero if the game doesn’t start after applying other potential solutions. A reinstallation will likely restore any missing files for the game. This is how you reinstall Zenless Zone Zero.
- Run the Epic Games app and go into its Library section.
- Press the three-dot (ellipses) button for Zenless Zone Zero.
- Select Uninstall a couple of times to remove the game.
The Uninstall option in Epic Games
- Click Zenless Zone Zero and the Install option to reinstall.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Zenless Zone Zero Not Launching on a Windows PC
There are some other possible ways to fix Zenless Zone Zero not starting beyond those outlined above. Here are some more potential fixes for kick-starting that game.
- Set Zenless Zone Zero to run in compatibility mode for Windows 8.
- If your Windows account is a standard user one, try changing it to the administrator alternative.
- Add the Zenless Zone Zero game to antivirus exclusion lists.
- Update the game by selecting Check for updates in the Zenless Zone Zero not launching.
Those ways to fix Zenless Zone Zero not launching have worked for many Windows PC players. So, one of them could feasibly fix the same gaming issue on your PC. However, you might need to apply multiple potential solutions to get Zenless Zone Zero up and running.
