How to Fix Black Desert Online Error Code 10?

Some Black Desert Online players are reportedly getting the ‘Error Code 10‘ the minute they start up the client and enter their username and password. In this case, this issue is reported to occur for users launching the game through Steam.

After investigating this particular issue, it turns out that there are several different underlying causes that might trigger the Error Code 10 with BlackDesert Online. Here’s a list of potential culprits that might be responsible for this error code:

Now that you’re familiar with every potential cause of this error code, here’s a list of verified methods that other affected users have successfully used to get to the bottom of this issue:

Method 1: Run Steam as an Administrator

One of the most common instances that will trigger the Error Code 10 with BlackDesert Online is a permission issue. It’s not uncommon to see this error if missing permissions are preventing the game from passing the information required for certain dependencies.

Several affected users encountering the same problem have reported that they were finally able to fix the issue after forcing the main Steam executable to open with admin rights.

In order to do this, all you need to do is right-click on the Stream executable inside the folder where you installed it (or you can simply right-click an executable) and click on Run as Administrator from the newly appeared context menu. 

When you are prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, click Yes to grant admin access.

Once you do this, launch BlackDesert Online through Steam and see if the problem is now fixed.

If the issue is resolved and you want to avoid doing the steps above every time you need want to open the game, follow the instructions below to force your OS to open this executable with admin access every time you need to open Steam:

1. First things first, ensure that Steam is closed and no associated process is running in the background.
2. After you do this, open My Computer or File Explorer and navigate to the location where you installed Steam. By default, Steam is installed in the following location:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam

3. Next, right-click on Steam.exe and then click on Properties from the newly appeared context menu.
4. Once you’re inside the Properties screen, access the Compatibility tab from the ribbon menu at the top. Next, move down to the Settings category and check the box associated with Run this program as an administrator.

   

5. Finally, click on Apply to save the changes permanent before attempting to launch Steam normally (by double-clicking).

In case re-configuring steam to open with admin access didn’t allow you to fix the issue with BlackDesert Online, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 2: Creating a Launch.bat file

As it turns out, you can expect to see this error code occur due to an inconsistency brought about by a bad update pushed by Steam. If you don’t want to resolve the issue automatically by updating the game version to the latest, you can create a .bat file that corrects the issue and launch it from the installation folder.

This fix has confirmed by a lot of users that were dealing with the same kind of issue.

If you want to deploy this particular fix, follow the instructions below to create a launch.bat file for your Black Desert Online installation to fix the Error Code 10:

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where you installed Black Desert Online. If you installed the game in the default location, you’ll find the game folder here:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\BlackDesert

2. Once you’re inside the correct location, right-click inside the folder and click on New > Text Document to create a new .txt file.

   

3. Next, name the newly created txt file to launch.bat. Make sure to change the extension from .txt to .bat.
4. Once the launch.bat file is created, right-click on it and choose Edit from the context menu that just appeared.

   

5. Paste the following code lines inside the newly opened text box, then go to File (from the ribbon bar at the top) and click on Save:

   set __COMPAT_LAYER=RunAsInvoker
   "Black Desert Online Steam Launcher.exe"

6. Once the launcher.bat file has been successfully created and modified, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator, then click Yes at the UAC (User Account Control) prompt to fix the game dependency.
7. Launch BlackDesert Online normally and see if the problem is now fixed.

In case the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 3: Performing an Integrity Check (Steam Only)

In case you’re launching the game through Steam, it’s also possible to see this error occurring due to some kind of corruption that is affecting the local installation folder of Black Desert Online.

If this scenario is applicable to your current situation, you proceed by triggering an integrity check on the Black Desert Online Steam installation – In case the scan will reveal an inconsistency, it will automatically replace the corrupted files with healthy equivalents.

If you haven’t initiated an integrity check, follow the instructions below for step by step instructions on how to do this:

1. Start by launching your Steam client, then sign with your Steam account credentials that has ownership of the game.
2. Next, once you have successfully signed in with your Steam account, right-click on the listing associated with Black Desert Online from the Library tab, then click click on Properties from the newly appeared context menu.

   

3. Inside the Properties screen of the affected games, go ahead and click on Local Files, then click on Verify Integrity of Game Cache.
   

   

4. Confirm the integrity check, then wait until the operation is complete before restarting your computer.

Once your computer boots back up, launch Black Desert Online once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

If you’re not launching the game through Steam, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 4: Installing the Latest Version of Black Desert Online

In case you’re not launching the game through Steam and none of the instructions above have allowed you to fix the issue, chances are you’re dealing with some type of inconsistency having to do with the local installation.

Some users have reported that in their case, the Error Code 10 occurred because the current game build of Black Desert they were trying to launch was outdated.

If this scenario is applicable to your current situation, you should be able to fix the issue by uninstalling your current version of the game before reinstalling the latest build from the official channels.

Here are the step by step instructions on how to do this:

1. Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ inside the Run box and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features menu. If you’re prompted by the UAC (User Account Control) prompt, click Yes to grant admin access.

   

2. Once you’re inside the Programs and Features menu, scroll down through the list of installed items and locate the Black Desert Online installation.
3. When you see it, right-click on it and choose Uninstall from the context menu that just appeared.

   

4. Inside the current installation screen, follow the on-screen prompts to complete the uninstallation of Black Desert online, then restart your computer.
5. After your computer boots back up, open your default browser and access the download page of Black Desert Online and follow the instructions to install the latest available build.