If you’re a fan of the popular video game Elden Ring, you may have recently encountered the frustrating error message “Easy Anti-Cheat Launch Error” or “Failed to initialize the game launcher.”
The error occurs when a game cannot connect to its official launcher. This could mean something is wrong with the game launcher or your connection.
It could also mean that a file within the game has become corrupted or damaged. In any case, this error will prevent you from launching or playing your game as intended.
This can be frustrating, but fortunately, you can try a few methods to fix it and get back to playing your game.
Let’s find a solution together!
What Causes the “Failed to Initialize the Game Launcher” Error in Elden Ring?
There are several possible reasons for the “Failed to Initialize the Game Launcher” error in Elden Ring:
Outdated or corrupted game files:- If the game files are outdated or corrupted, it may prevent the game launcher from initializing properly.
Missing Administrator Rights:- If you receive this error, it could be because you lack administrator rights to run Steam or Elden Ring. Try running them as an administrator to resolve the problem.
Corrupted Easy Anti-Cheat engine files:- You will probably get the error if you have corrupted Easy Anti-Cheat engine files. So if the scenario is applicable, you will need to repair the Easy Anti-Cheat engine to fix the problem.
Other software conflicts:- If other software programs, such as antivirus programs and firewalls, are running in the background that conflicts with the game launcher, it will likely result in the launcher failing to initialize when you are trying to play it.
Game overlays issues:- The error may occur if in-game overlays are enabled on Steam. To resolve the problem, disable Steam overlay.
How to Fix the “Failed To Initialize the Game Launcher” Error in Elden Ring
To resolve this issue and get back into playing Elden Ring as quickly as possible, you can try the following methods:
Restart Steam and the Game
First, you’ll need to restart the game launcher and the game. Temporary glitches often cause error in the game launcher or within the game itself.
Hence, you should be able to resolve the problem with a simple restart.
So, open Task Manager and close all Steam processes. After that, reload the Steam client and start the game. Then, you should check if the error is still appearing or not.
If restarting Steam and the game doesn’t help you eliminate the error, you might need to try some advanced solutions to fix the error.
If restarting Steam and the game does not solve the problem, you may need to try a more advanced solution. To fix it, proceed to the next solution.
Repair EAC (Easy Anti Cheat)
Some corrupted files associated with the EAC engine could cause this error. Therefore, you can fix the error by repairing EAC if the scenario is applicable.
There is a chance that this will fix the Easy Anti-Cheat Launch Error, which failed to initialize the game launcher.
Following are the steps you need to take to repair EAC (Easy Anti Cheat):
- Firstly, launch the Steam client and head to the Library.
- Right-click the Elden Ring game and select the Manage > Browse local files option. You will open your PC’s installation location for Elden Ring by clicking on this.
- Next, double-click on the EasyAntiCheat folder in the EldenRing folder.
- Then find EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe and right-click on it.
- After that, choose the Run as Administrator option from the context menu that appears.
- Now, on the setup screen, choose the Elden Ring game and select the Repair Service option to repair EAC.
- Next, follow the prompted instructions to complete the repair and reboot your PC.
- Lastly, relaunch Steam and Elden Ring to determine whether the issue has been resolved.
After repairing EAC, move on to the next possible fix if you continue encountering the error.
Verify Your Game Files
There is a possibility that your Steam game files could become corrupted. It can prevent the game from working properly or at all.
It is necessary to verify the game files to resolve this issue. The process scans the game files and fixes any corrupted ones.
Following are the steps you need to follow:
- Firstly, launch Steam and click on the Library tab.
- Next, right-click on Elden Ring, and select Properties.
- Then, click on the Local Files tab and choose Verify Integrity of Game Files.
If there are any corrupted game files, Steam will fix them automatically.
Run The Game Launcher And The Game As An Administrator
In some cases, this error occurs because administrator rights are missing for the game to run.
You can fix the error when the scenario applies by running Steam and Elden Ring under administrator privileges.
Here are the steps you need to follow to how you can do it:
- Firstly, launch File Explorer by pressing the Windows + E key and navigate to Steam’s installation directory. Steam is, by default, installed in the following location: C:/Program Files (x86)/Steam.
- Now, find the Steam application file and right-click on it.
- After the context menu appears, select Properties.
- Go to the Compatibility tab in the Properties window, check the Run this program as an administrator checkbox, and click the Apply > OK button.
- In File Explorer, navigate to the location where the Elden Ring is installed. You can most likely find it in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common.
- Next, tap on the Properties option by right-clicking the EldenRing.exe file. Then, for Elden Ring, repeat step (4).
After relaunching Steam and Elden Ring, check whether the error has been fixed. If the problem persists, try the next possible fix.
Disable Steam Overlay
The in-game overlay is a useful feature; however, it is also known to cause issues and errors with your game.
While the in-game overlay is useful; however, you may experience issues or errors due to them. Hence, you can disable a Steam overlay on your PC and check if the error has been fixed.
You can do that by following these steps:
- Firstly, open the Steam client and go to Settings under the Steam menu.
- Next, click on the In-game tab and uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay while in-game option.
Once that has been done, reopen Elden Ring and see if the error has been resolved.
Disable Your Antivirus or Firewall
This error might appear due to an overprotective antivirus or firewall preventing Elden Ring from running correctly.
This error occurs when your security suite identifies Elden Ring processes as malicious due to a false positive.
Therefore, if the scenario applies, you may disable your antivirus or firewall and launch your game.
Try this and see if it works. If so, you can be certain your antivirus or firewall is the culprit.
If you want to play the game, you might not want to disable your security suite. So, you can try adding Elden Ring and Steam executables to the exclusion/exception/whitelist of your antivirus.
Additionally, you can enable the game through your firewall to permanently fix the error.
Conclusion
Troubleshooting technical issues like “Failed To Initialize The Game Launcher” can be incredibly frustrating, but thankfully, you can take several steps to resolve it quickly and easily!
These steps are restarting your steam and game, disabling your antivirus and firewall, verifying your game files, and contacting customer support.
With some troubleshooting, you should be able to get back to playing Elden Ring in no time.
We hope our guide has helped resolve this issue easier for all our fellow gamers!
Happy gaming!
