Fix Apex Legends ‘Error Code 23’ on Windows 10

A few players have reported that they encounter the Apex error code 23 after trying to launch the game. This error code appears immediately after the game is launched and it’s accompanied by the error message ‘Game Client encountered an application error’. This problem is typically encountered on Windows 10.

After examining the issue in-depth, it seems like there are a few causes that can trigger this error to occur. Here is a shortlist of possible culprits of this problem:

Now that you are aware of the possible scenarios that cause this error, here’s a list of fixes that will help you solve the Apex error code 23.

1. Updating your GPU driver

Some affected players have reported that in their case, the error occurred because of an outdated GPU driver.

If you’re attempting to launch Apex Legends with an outdated GPU driver, you’ll see this error before you arrive at the main menu screen. If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to fix the problem by updating your GPU driver to the latest version.

If you know you haven’t updated your GPU drive in a while, follow the following instructions to see how to replace the current driver with the latest version:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Type ‘devmgmt.msc’ inside the box and press Enter to open the Device Manager.
   

   

2. After the Device Manager menu appears on your screen, scroll through the list until you find Display Adapters, then expand the drop-down menu.
3. When the menu is extended, right-click the GPU driver you want to update and click on Update driver.

   

   Note: If you are using a laptop, you probably see both the dedicated and the integrated GPU, but keep in mind that you only need to update the dedicated GPU.

4. After that, click on Search Automatically for updated driver software. When the initial scan is done, follow the instructions given on the screen to complete the installation of the latest GPU driver that’s compatible with your graphic card.

   

5. If a newer version was found and installed, restart your PC, and after it boots back, you can launch the game to see if the error still occurs.

Note: If the Device Manager couldn’t find a new version for your GPU, you can use the proprietary software developed by your graphics card manufacturer to update the GPU driver. Here’s a shortlist of tools that you can use to install the missing drivers:

GeForce Experience – Nvidia
Adrenalin – AMD
Intel Driver – Intel

If you are using the latest GPU driver and the Apex error code 23 isn’t fixed, go to the following method down below.

2. Reinstall the Visual C++ 2015 Redist. pack

Some affected users have reported that the Apex error code 23 could also be caused by some kind of corruption that affects some local dependencies required to launch Apex.

Almost every affected user managed to fix the error by reinstalling the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redist. the package on their computer.

If you don’t know how to reinstall this dependency, follow the next instructions to see how to uninstall the Visual C++ 2015 before reinstalling it from the official channels:

1. Open up a Run dialog box by pressing Windows key + R. Then, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and open the Programs and Features menu by pressing Enter.
   

   

2. After the Programs and Features menu appears on your screen, scroll through the list of installed programs and search the local installation of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redist. package. If you’re using a 64-bit version of Windows, you should see 2 installations for the Microsoft Visual C++ 2015 Redist. package.

   

   Note: Click on the Publisher listing to order the list according to their publisher if you find it difficult to find the 2 listings.

   Note 2: If you can’t find any of these installations, go directly to Step 5 to see how to install the missing redist. package.

3. When you find both listings, right-click on each and click on Uninstall, then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the redist. packages.

   

4. When the uninstalls are complete, reboot your PC and wait until it boots back.
5. Open the browser you prefer to use and access the download page of the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015.
6. After you are inside the download page, select your language and click on the Download button.

   

7. You need to select both files to download the installer for the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version, then click the Next button.
   Note: If you’re downloading the file through Chrome, you need to confirm that you give permission to download more than one file.
8. Once the download is complete, double-click on both installers (in any order), then follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

   

9. After the installation is complete, reboot your PC, then launch Apex to see if the error code 23 still occurs.

In case you’re still encountering the same issue even after following the instructions above, move down to the next potential fix below.

If you still encounter the issue, go to the next method down below.

3. Doing a Clean Boot

Some users have reported that the Apex error code 23 could also be caused by some 3rd party programs.

Since there are a lot of 3rd party programs that might interfere with the launch of Apex, it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause.

Because of this, the best course of action is to attempt to find the culprits by starting your computer into clean boot mode to see if the issue still occurs.

Note: A clean boot operation consists of booting your PC into a boot state that will forbid the startup of any 3rd party service and process.

If you haven’t encountered the Apex error code 23 in clean boot mode, you can go ahead and re-enable every process and startup until you find the 3rd party programs that are conflicting with the game that you’re trying to launch.

If you encounter the same error in the clean boot mode as well, check below the last method.

4. Removing temp files with CCleaner

Temporary files can affect the stability of the game since they might end up taking up precious system resources that the game needs in order to run.

Some players have reported that if you delete some temp files on your PC, it will stop the error from occurring. The easiest way to delete temp files is to use a specific tool for cleaning your PC like CCleaner.

Note: If you want to use an alternative for CCleaner (like Restoro, CleanMyPC, BleachBit, Fortect etc.), you can search online for the exact instructions of your preferred tool.

If you don’t know how to download, install and use CCleaner, follow the steps down below:

1. Visit the official site of CCleaner and click on the download button.

   

2. After clicking on the download button, it will direct you to a page where the download should start automatically. It will also show the steps on how to install the CCleaner.
3. Click on the downloaded installer from the bottom left corner of your screen, then click on Install.

   

4. If the installation prompts you to install a bloatware like CCleaner Browser, click Decline to avoid the installation of unwanted software.
5. After the installation is complete, click on Run CCleaner to launch the program.

   

6. Once the CCleaner opens, click on Health Check on the left side, then click on Next to see the benefits of using this tool.
7. After that, click on Get Started to initialize the analysis of your PC files.

   

8. Next, click on Make it better and wait until it’s finished.
9. After you finish with everything from the Health Care section, click on Custom Clean. On the left side is a list in which you can select what the program will analyze and then clean.

   

10. Click on Analyze, and after that is complete, click on Run Cleaner to delete all the unnecessary files.

After the files are successfully deleted, restart your computer, then launch Apex to see if the error code 23 still occurs.