FIXED: Baldur’s Gate 3 Mod Manager Can’t Launch Game

Can’t stop playing Baldur’s Gate 3? You’re definitely not alone! Thousands of players are still enjoying Larian Studios‘ masterpiece, exploring all the different side quests and discovering countless outcomes. BG3 is packed with memorable characters, rich dialogue, meaningful choices, and so much more.

If you’re on PC, you’ve probably looked into using mods after getting through the main game, especially if you feel certain features are missing, like a New Game Plus mode. Like most modders, you’re likely using a Mod Manager—a tool that helps you organize and choose which mods you want to load each time you launch the game. If Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t launching when you use your Mod Manager, keep reading for some straightforward fixes.

If BG3 won’t launch, you’re definitely not alone. Many players have run into this, often unsure what’s going wrong. Here are some common causes and ways you can fix them:

1. Incompatible Mod Files

This is one of the most likely causes, since we’re working with mods. Try launching the game with just one mod enabled at a time, and go through each mod to see which one might be the problem. You should also try running the game with no mods loaded (vanilla settings) to check if a mod has changed a critical game file.

The Achievement Enabler mod has been known to cause problems

For many users, the culprit was the Achievement Enabler mod—but this mod has since been updated to fix the issue. Since there are so many mods for BG3, it’s important to double-check that any mods you download are up to date and compatible with your current version of the game. Outdated or incompatible mods can easily cause launching issues.

2. Launching the Game as Admin

It might seem like running the game as an administrator is the safest bet, but in this case, that can actually be what’s causing your launch issues. When you use a mod manager, it often skips the “Run as admin” prompt, which can block the game from opening properly. You can easily turn off this setting using these steps:

  1. You can open the installation folder for any game by right-clicking it in your Steam Library, selecting Manage, then Browse local files. Or, just go to this path in File Explorer:
    "The drive on which the game is installed":\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Baldur's Gate 3
    You can open up the installation folder for any game from your Steam Library
  2. Then, go to the bin folder and right-click on the bg3 file. Choose Properties.
    Right-click and select “Properties”
  3. Under Properties, go to the Compatibility tab and uncheck Run this program as administrator.
    Uncheck the “Run this program as administrator” option

This fix applies to the Vulkan version of Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re using DirectX11, you’ll find a file called “bg3_dx11” in the same folder.

3. Old Mod Settings Being Applied

Don’t worry if you accidentally installed a bad mod—it’s a common experience for modders. However, some mods can cause bigger problems by changing important game files, which sometimes can only be fixed by reinstalling the game.

If you still can’t launch the game even after deleting a mod, old mod settings might be causing the issue. Mod settings are often stored in separate files in a few different locations. You need to find a file namedmodsettings.lsx” in the following locations. Use the Run command (Windows + R) to quickly get to these folders:

  1. %LocalAppData%\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3\global\
  2. %AppData%\Local\Larian Studios\Baldur’s Gate 3\PlayerProfiles\Public
Use the Run command to access these paths

When you press Enter, File Explorer should open. Use the search function to quickly find the “modsettings.lsx” file and delete it. Then, try launching the game again using your mod manager.

You could also delete the entire Baldur’s Gate 3 folder found at these paths. However, this will erase all your saved games, so be sure to make a backup first.
Use the search feature to quickly locate the file and delete it

4. Corrupted Game Files

Many users have fixed this issue by verifying their game files. Some mods, especially if they’re not up to date, can accidentally remove or alter important game files and make the game unstable.

  1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
    Open up your Steam Library
  2. Right-click on Baldur’s Gate 3 in the list. Choose Properties.
    Click on “Properties”
  3. Go to the Installed Files tab. Click Verify integrity of game files to start the process.
    Select “Verify integrity of game files” from the “Installed Files” section
  4. Wait for the verification to finish. It can take 5–15 minutes depending on your drive and hardware.
    The verification process takes a little while to complete
  5. After the check is finished, try launching your game again through the mod manager.

5. Game Folder and Files Are in a Read-Only State

This one isn’t very common, but it does happen. If you’ve recently updated BG3, the update may have accidentally set your game folders and files to read-only. When this happens, the game can’t accept new mods because it can’t change any files—making it impossible to get things running right.

  1. Open the folder where Baldur’s Gate 3 is installed. You can do this by opening this path in File Explorer:
    "The drive on which the game is installed":\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\
    Open up the installation folder
  2. Right-click the Baldur’s Gate 3 folder and choose Properties.
    Right-click on the “Baldur’s Gate 3” folder and select “Properties”
  3. On the General tab, see if Read-only is selected. If it is, uncheck the box and click Apply.
    Uncheck the “Read-only” option and click on “Apply”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Muhammad Zubyan


Muhammad Zubyan is a certified Google IT Support Professional with over 7 years of extensive experience. He has worked on more than 1500 computers, gaining valuable insights that enable him to detect and troubleshoot any complicated root cause of Windows-related issues and errors. In addition to managing Appuals as a Senior Editor, he is currently developing his own Game Optimization program that caters to both gamers and casual users alike.