Fix: ‘necessary prerequisites’ failed to install Epic Games Launcher

The ‘necessary prerequisites’ error occurs when installing or updating Epic Games Launcher. It mainly occurs when Epic Games Launcher fails to install the required redistributables. These redistributables are required to ensure that Epic Games Launcher will work as intended. If they cannot be installed, then Epic Games Installer will show the following error.

Now that we know the causes of this error let’s start fixing it. Follow the methods below.

1. Install necessary redistributables

To fix the following error, we have to install the redistributables required by Epic Games Launcher. These are the redistributables that it uses:

• DirectX
• Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables
• .Net Framework

Install these redistributables one by one by following the steps down below:

Install DirectX

The following error can also occur if the DirectX component is missing or corrupted in your system. DirectX enables software, especially games, to communicate directly with your video and audio hardware.

1. Go to the following website and download DirectX
2. Once DirectX is downloaded, open it and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.

   

Install Microsoft Visual C++

Epic Games Launcher requires Microsoft Visual C++ to work as intended. It installs automatically when you install Epic Games Launcher; However, sometimes, it can be corrupted or fail to install properly. Therefore, we will reinstall Visual C++ again separately. Follow these steps.

1. Press the Win + I keys together to open the Settings app.
2. Now navigate to Apps > Installed Apps.

   

3. In this list, find Microsoft Visual C++ components and uninstall them one by one

   

4. After uninstalling these components, Download this all-in-one Microsoft Visual C++ Package
5. Once it’s downloaded, extract the zip file
6. After extracting it, right-click on the ‘Install_all.bat’ file and press ‘Run as administrator.

   

7. Now, wait for the whole process to complete.
8. Check to see if the issue is resolved.

Install .NET Framework

The dotNET framework is a common runtime required by many programs to function properly. If you want to install or update the Epic Game Launcher, you must install it.

1. Download the .NET Framework from the following Website.
2. Once the .NET Framework has been downloaded, open it and follow the on-screen steps to install it.
   Note: You will get this message if you have already installed it in your Windows. You can ignore it and proceed with the methods listed below.

   

2. Skip the Prerequisites Check

Sometimes Epic Games Launcher’s prerequisites detection system can face a bug or glitch and show you the following error even after installing the necessary redistributables. In that case, you can add a parameter value in the Epic Games launcher that will add the functionality to skip the prerequisites checker. Follow these steps:

1. Find Epic Game Launcher Shortcut, then right-click on it and go to properties.

   

2. Add -SkipBuildPatchPrereq at the end of the target value.

   

3. Click Apply to save the changes.

Now open the Epic Games Launcher and check if your problem has been solved.

3. Run Epic Games Launcher as Administrator

If Epic Games Launcher doesn’t have enough permission to read and write files properly, it won’t be able to update itself, causing the following error. To fix this, we can run Epic Games Launcher as administrator. Follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Epic Games Launcher icon and select ‘Run as administrator’.

   

If it is working now, follow these steps to ensure that Epic Games Launcher always runs as an administrator to avoid future permission errors.

1. Right-click on Epic Games Launcher, and select ‘Properties.’

   

2. Now head over to the ‘Compatibility‘ tab.
3. Now tick the checkbox in front of the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ option.