Set in the dark world of Sanctuary, Diablo 4 is a 2023 online-only action role-playing dungeon crawling game, developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. It offers players a great action RPG experience, continuing the series legacy with highly intense combat, rich gameplay, and storytelling. To enhance the gameplay, introduce new features, and to make sure that the players never gets bored, the latest installment in the series receives updates very often.This error mostly affects those players who play Diablo 4 through the Xbox Game Pass. The way Microsoft updates and shares games is different from other platforms, and that might be the reason why Xbox Game Pass users face this error a lot. It looks like that the unable to open a critical file error in Diablo 4 is related to updates that are pending.
How to Fix the “Diablo 4 Was Unable to Open a Critical File” Error?
To fix the Diablo 4 was unable to open a critical file error, you can follow the detailed steps mentioned below, which should help solve the issue, especially if you are accessing the game via the Xbox Game Pass on PC:
- Close Both Xbox and Battle.net Apps: You should start off by exiting both the Xbox app and the Battle.net launcher if they are already running. This step might sound like it is not important, but trust me, it really is. It will make sure that no related processes interfere with the troubleshooting.
- Open Battle.net Only: Once you have exited both applications, re-launch only the Battle.net launcher. This focus helps in separating the update process, making sure that it only applies to Diablo 4 without any kind of interference from the Xbox app.
- Check for Diablo 4 Updates: In the Battle.net launcher, go to the Diablo 4 section and look for any updates that are pending. If there are updates available, start the download process. It’s essential to make sure that the game is up-to-date, as missing updates can often lead to critical file errors.
- Install Updates Through Battle.net: Complete the update installation via the Battle.net launcher. Do not open the Xbox app during this process to avoid any potential errors.
- Relaunch Xbox App After Updating: Once you fully install the Diablo 4 update through Battle.net, you can then relaunch the Xbox app. This step ensures that both platforms recognize any updates applied through Battle.net.
If this method doesn’t work, then try out the next method.
Another Method
If the error still remains even after applying the above mentioned steps, there is an other method you can try to fix this problem:
- Close All Battle.net Related Processes: Be sure that all processes related to Battle.net are closed. This can be done through the Task Manager to make sure that no other processes remain.
- Delete Battle.net Files: Press the Windows Key + R, type C:\ProgramData\, and press Enter. Locate the Battle.net folder within this directory and delete it. This action will remove any potentially corrupt files that could be causing the issue.
- Recheck for Updates: After deleting the Battle.net folder, reopen the Battle.net launcher and again check for any Diablo 4 updates to ensure you have the latest version of the game.
By following these steps, you should be able to fix the ‘Diablo 4 was unable to open a critical file error’ and get back to your game without any further issues.
Additional Tips
If you want to make sure your Diablo 4 run without any problem then you should check for updates regularly. By making sure everything is up-to-date, you will do yourself a big favor and will surely avoid problems that might pop up later.
Talking and sharing with other people who play Diablo 4 can be super helpful, too. If you face any problem or something goes wrong, there might be someone out there who knows just how to fix it. And if you learn something useful, sharing it can help someone else out.
Update the game regularly.
