Fix: BattlEye Service Startup Failed

This is an error which appears only after running certain games which use the BattlEye anti-cheat program which is used to check your setup for programs or hacks which may make your gaming easier and unfair towards other competitors. Some of the most famous games include Arma series, PUBG, Heroes & Generals, Fortnite, etc.

This error can be fixed by various different methods and we kindly suggest that you try them all out before giving up. The error is not difficult to solve yet it prevents users from playing the game normally.

What Causes BattlEye Service Startup Failed?

This error can be caused by a variety of different things but they are usually quite easy to pinpoint and 99% of them can be solved using some of the solutions below. Sometimes the cause for the problem is unknown but resetting everything and letting Steam redownload the BattlEye client can solve the problem easily.

Among other causes for the problem, you may see that the problem is caused by old graphics card drivers which can’t keep up with new games’ technologies. Finally, some antivirus tools may mistake BattlEye program for a malicious tool mostly because its nature is similar to the one observed in viruses: it scans your computer for various hacks and tools without you being able to witness the process and you actually don’t even launch BattlEye manually.

Solution 1: Delete the BattlEye Folder, etc (Steam users only)

Steam has a useful feature which lets you redownload the files which may have gone missing or corrupt during the course of using the game. We can use this helpful feature to fix the “BattlEye service startup failed” error by deleting the files related to BattlEye and letting Steam redownload them to our computer in order to reset the BattlEye client.

1. If you have purchased the game on Steam, open your Steam PC client by double-clicking its shortcut on the Desktop. You can also search for it in the Start menu simply by typing “Steam” after pressing the Start menu or the Search (Cortana) button.

2. After the Steam client opens up, click to open the Library tab in the Steam client at the menu located at the top of the window, and locate the problematic game’s entry in the list.
3. Right-click the game’s entry in the library and choose the Properties option from the context menu which will open and make sure you navigate to the Local Files tab in the Properties window straight away and click the Browse Local Files button.

4. You can also search for the game’s main executable on your Desktop or your computer. If you locate the shortcut, right-click on it and choose the Open file location option from the context menu which will appear.
5. Locate the BattlEye folder in the folder which will open up, right-click on it and choose the Delete option from the dropdown menu. Confirm your choice by clicking yes and repeat the same process for the game’s main executable which should be easy to spot in the folder.

Right after this, it’s time to delete the game’s cache. It’s usually located in the same place for almost any game but there is a certain risk to this method: you need to make sure not to delete the save files which may be located in that location.

1. These files are usually either easy to recognize or they are located in a special folder but you should still make a Google search to see how these files are named and where they are located.
2. Press the Windows Logo Key + R button combination in order to bring up the Run dialog box. Make sure you type “%appdata” in the box without the quotation marks and click OK in order to open this location in File Explorer.

3. Alternatively, you can open the File Explorer on your computer and navigate to the folder manually. First of all, locate My Computer or This PC at the right navigation screen after opening File Explorer and click your Local Disk.
4. Navigate to Users >> AppData. If you are unable to see the AppData folder, that is because the folder is hidden by default and you are unable to see it without changing a certain setting in File Explorer.
5. Click on the “View” tab on File Explorer’s menu and click on the “Hidden items” checkbox in the Show/hide section. File Explorer will now be able to show the AppData folder so double-click to open it.

6. Locate a folder named exactly like the problematic game you are trying to troubleshoot. Open it by double-clicking, right-click on everything besides save game files and choose the Delete option from the context menu.

Now it’s time to redownload the files you have deleted and check the game’s integrity as a whole. After conducting these final steps, the problem should be solved entirely.

1. After you have performed these changes, return to your Steam client, right-click on the problematic game’s entry from the Library tab and choose Properties. Navigate to the Local Files tab yet again only this time click the Verify Integrity of Game Files option.

2. The game should proceed to redownload the files you have just deleted and the BattlEye client will be reinstalled in no time. Try reopening the game and check to see if the “BattlEye service startup failed” error is gone.

Solution 2: Use this Useful Command and Restart Your Computer

This method was apparently helpful for plenty of people who have struggled with the same issue for days and it’s applicable to any game which may throw this error. Running this command is easy and the risk of breaking anything is minimum which is why we suggest you don’t skip this method when troubleshooting.

1. Search for “Command Prompt” by typing it either right in the Start menu or by pressing the search button right next to it. Right-click the first entry which will pop up as a search result and select the “Run as administrator” context menu entry.
2. Additionally, you can also use the Windows Logo Key + R key combination in order to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “cmd” in the dialog box which appears and use the Ctrl + Shift + Enter key combination in order to run Command Prompt using administrator privileges.

3. Type in the following commands in the window and make sure you press Enter after typing each one. Wait for the “Operation completed successfully” message or something similar to know that the method has worked and you haven’t made any mistakes while typing. Make a short pause between these two commands.

BCDedit
Bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF

4. Reopen the problematic game either by double-clicking its entry on your computer or by launching it through Steam and check to see if the “BattlEye service startup failed” error is gone.

Solution 3:  Update Your Graphics Driver to the Latest Version

Graphics drivers are troublesome for most people as old drivers are a cause for many, many problems yet the new drivers don’t provide anything that helpful. Newer games usually rely on the fact that you have your drivers up-to-date and you should keep them updated just to avoid errors such as this one appearing when you try to run the game. Follow the steps below in order to install the latest graphics driver on your computer.

Updating the Driver:

1. Open Start menu by clicking its button at the lower left part of the screen, type in “Device Manager” with Start menu open, and select it from the list of results by simply tapping the top result.
2. You can also use the Windows Key + R key combination in order to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “devmgmt.msc” in the respective box and click OK in order to run it.

3. Since it’s the video card driver you want to update on your computer, expand the Display adapters part by clicking the right-pointing arrow next to it, right click on your graphics card and select the Uninstall Device option.

4. Confirm any dialogues which may prompt you to confirm the uninstallation of the current video driver and wait for the process to complete.
5. Look for your video card driver on the device manufacturer’s website and follow their instructions which should be available right there on the site. Make sure you choose the latest available driver. Save the installation file on your computer and run it from there. Your computer may restart several times during the installation.
6. Check to see if error 41 still appears when launching the game.

Nvidia Drivers — Click Here!

AMD Drivers — Click Here!

Note: Latest drivers are often downloaded and installed with Windows updates so make sure you keep your computer’s operating system up to date no matter what happens. Windows Update is supposed to be run automatically but anything, including you, might have turned automatic updates off.

No matter which version of Windows you are using, follow the steps below in order to update your PC since this method works for all builds and versions of Windows:

1. Start the PowerShell tool by right-clicking the Start menu and clicking on the Windows PowerShell (Admin) option from the context menu.

2. If you see Command Prompt instead of PowerShell in this context menu, you can also search for PowerShell in the Start menu or the search bar next to it. This time, make sure you right-click on the first result and choose Run as administrator from the menu.
3. In the Powershell console, type in “cmd” and stay patient for Powershell to change its user interface to the cmd-like window.
4. In the “cmd”-like console, type in the command shown below and make sure you click Enter afterwards:

wuauclt.exe /updatenow

5. Let this command run for at least an hour and check back to see if any updates were found and installed on your computer.

Solution 4: Add the BattlEye Program to Exceptions/Whitelist/Exclusions in Your Antivirus

Harsh antivirus programs may quarantine the BattlEye executable on your computer thinking it’s some sort of malware. This causes this error to occur and any game which depends on BattlEye running properly fail to start because of your antivirus. This can be fixed by adding the BattlEye executable to the Exceptions list.

1. Open your antivirus user interface by double-clicking its icon at the system tray (right part of the window) or by searching for it in the Start menu and clicking the first result to open it.
2. The Exceptions/Exclusions or even Whitelist setting is located in different places with respect to different antivirus tools. It can often be found simply without much problems but here are some quick guides on how to find it in the most popular antivirus tools:

Kaspersky Internet Security: Home >> Settings >> Additional >> Threats and Exclusions >> Exclusions >> Specify Trusted Applications >> Add.

AVG: Home >> Settings >> Components >> Web Shield >> Exceptions.

Avast: Home >> Settings >> General >> Exclusions.

3. You will need to add BattlEye’s main executable file in the box which will appear prompting you to navigate to the file’s location. It should be in the same directory where the game is installed (the same location where you navigated in Solution 1 to delete the folder).
4. Check to see if you are now able to launch the problematic game without receiving the “BattlEye service startup failed” error on startup.