Fix GAME ERROR G25 with PlanetSide and H1Z1

Some Windows users are encountering the ‘Game Error G25‘ error when attempting to launch H1Z1 Battle Royale or PlanetSide 2. This error code is shared between these 2 games as they’ve both been developed by the same developer. This problem is only reported to occur on PC.

Game Error G25 on H1Z1 and Planetside 2

After investigating this particular issue thoroughly, it turns out that there are several different underlying culprits that are most likely responsible for the apparition of this error code in H1Z1 and PlanetSide 2. Here’s a list of scenarios that are most likely responsible for the apparition of this error code:

  • PC doesn’t meet the minimum requirements – In most documented cases, this particular issue appears on both PlanetSide 2 and H1Z1 because the system trying to render one of the games doesn’t meet the minimum requirements. If you think this scenario is applicable, start by ensuring that the minimum requirements of the game you are attempting to play are being met by your PC.
  • Outdated GPU Driver – Another potential culprit that might be causing this issue is a classic case of outdated GPU drivers that are preventing your graphics card from rendering the game. In this case, you can resolve the issue by updating your GPU driver to the latest version via Device Manager or by using the proprietary updating software from Nvidia or AMD.
  • Pending Windows 10 Infrastructure Updates – As it turns out, you can expect to see this error code popping up if your Windows 10 installation has one or more pending infrastructure updates that the game needs in order to function. In this case, you can use the Windows Update function to install every pending Windows 10 update.
  • The PlayerOptions.ini file contains outdated system specs – If you’ve recently upgraded your system specs, chances are the old specs are still hardcoded inside the PlayerOptions.ini file so the game thinks your PC is not powerful enough to render it. In this case, you can force the game to become up to speed with the latest specs by deleting the PlayerOptions.ini file.
  • Corrupted game assets – Under certain circumstances, you can expect to see this error code occurring due to some corrupted game assets that are making the game un-renderable. If this scenario is applicable, you can fix the issue by forcing the game’s launcher to validate & fix corrupted game assets.

Now that you are familiar with the most likely culprits that might be responsible for the apparition of the ‘Game Error G25′ error code, here’s a list of verified methods that other affected users have successfully used to launch PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1 normally:

Method 1: Checking the Minimum Requirements

In most cases, you can expect to see this error code occurring because the computer you’re trying to render the game on doesn’t meet the minimum requirements.

So before you move to any of the other potential fixes below, you should take the time to compare your specs with the minimum system requirements on PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1.

Minimum Specs on H1Z1

  • CPU: Intel i3 Dual-Core with Hyper-Threading (required)
  • CPU SPEED: Info
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • OS: Windows 7 64-bit
  • VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce GTX 275 series or higher
  • PIXEL SHADER: 4.0
  • VERTEX SHADER: 4.0
  • SOUND CARD: Yes
  • FREE DISK SPACE: 20 GB
  • DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 896 MB

Minimum Specs on PlanetSite 2

  • OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) or newer
  • Processor: Core i5-4460 or better
  • Memory: 6 GB DDR3 RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GTX 480 or better
  • Video Memory: 512 MB RAM
  • Network: Broadband Internet Connection
  • Hard Drive: 20 GB Available Space
  • Sound Card: DirectX compatible

If you don’t want to compare the specs manually, there’s also the option to use a specialized tool like Can You Run It (from SystemRequirementLab) to automatically cross-reference your specs against the minimum requirements of the game and see whether your computer is strong enough or not.

In case you prefer this approach, follow the instructions below to use the Can You RUN It utility on your computer:

  1. Open Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer and visit the home page of Can You RUN It utility.
    Note:
    Currently, the utility doesn’t support Google Chrome, Opera, and Firefox, and the majority of 3rd party browsers, so you’ll need to perform these steps on a built-in browser.
  2. After you’re inside the correct location, enter the name of the game (PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1) and click on Can You Run it.
    Deploying the ‘Can You RUN it’ utility
  3. At the next screen, click on the Can You Run it button once again and wait for the utility to start.
  4. Once the detection executable is successfully downloaded, double-click on it and click Yes when prompted by the UAC (User Account Control).
    Running the detection executable

    Note: If the detection.exe executable is blocked by the SmartScreen security feature, click on Run Anyway as this file is by no means a security threat.

    Bypassing the Microsoft Defender SmartScreen
  5.  Wait until the initial scan is complete, then check back on the initial page of Can You Run it and take a look at the results.
    Checking if you meet the minimum requirements
  6. If you notice the checkmark icon associated with Minimum, your system is strong enough to run PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1.

If you previously ensured that you meet the minimum requirements and you’re still encountering the same ‘Game Error G25‘ error, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 2: Update your Video Card drivers

If you previously made sure that you meet the minimum requirements, the first thing you should investigate is a video card without outdated drivers that has subsequent troubles when having to initialize the game.

According to affected users, this ‘Game Error G25‘ error is almost always related to the way your GPU is rendering data fetched by the game. Both Nvidia and AMD have released countless fixes aimed at alleviating these fatal crashes, you should start this troubleshooting guide by making sure that every GPU driver and dependency associated with it is updated to the latest driver available.

When it comes to doing this, you can either use the built-in driver updating functionality available with Device Manager or you can rely on the proprietary software released by Nvidia and AMD.

If you haven’t tried resolving the ‘Game Error G25‘ error by updating your graphics drivers, follow the instructions below to do so:

  1. Open up a Run dialog box by pressing Windows key + R. Next, inside the text box, type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press Enter to open up Device Manager.
    Running Device Manager
  2. Inside the Device Manager utility, scroll down through the list of installed devices and expand the drop-down menu associated with Display Adapters.
  3. Next, right-click on the dedicated GPU that you’re using when playing the game (if you have both an integrated and dedicated GPU) and choose Update Driver from the context menu that just appeared.
    Updating the GPU driver
  4. At the next screen, click on Search Automatically for updated driver software and wait for the initial scan to complete.
    Search automatically for updated GPU drivers
  5. If a new driver version is identified, follow the on-screen instructions to download and install it on your computer. Once the installation is complete, restart your computer and see if the problem is fixed at the next computer startup.
    Note: In case Device Manager was unable to find a newer driver equivalent, you should also consider using the proprietary software capable of updating your GPU with the latest firmware:

    GeForce Experience - Nvidia
    Adrenalin - AMD
  6. Finally, restart your computer and see if you’re finally able to launch H1Z1 or PlanetSide 2without experiencing the same kind of critical crashes.

If the same ‘Game Error G25‘ error is still occurring randomly, move down to the next potential fix below.

Method 3: Install every pending update on Windows 10 (if applicable)

Some users that we’re encountering the error G25 with PlanetSide 2 have reported that the issue was resolved after they installed every pending Windows Update on their computer.

Note: Given that PlanetSide 2 and H1Z1 share the same engine and developer, this fix is likely effective for H1Z1 even if we’ve been unable to confirm it.

Most likely, this particular fix is effective because the game requires an OS infrastructure that is missing unless the Aniversary Update (or another critical Windows 10 update is installed) – This can be resolved by using the Windows Update function to install every pending Windows update until you bring your operating system build up to date.

If you’re looking for specific instructions on updating your OS to the latest build, follow the steps below to use the Windows Update tab inside the Settings app to install every pending Windows 10 update:

  1. First things first, press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ”ms-settings:windowsupdate’ and press Enter to open up the Windows Update tab of the Settings app.
    Opening the Windows Update screen
  2. Inside the Windows update screen, go ahead and click on Check for updates. Next, follow the on-screen prompts to install every Windows update that is currently scheduled to be installed.
    Checking for Windows updates

    Note: It’s important to install every type of update including cumulative and security updates, not just important ones.

  3. Keep in mind that if you have a lot of pending updates, you will be prompted to restart before every update is installed. In this case, restart as instructed, but make sure to return to this screen at the next startup and finish the installation of the rest of the updates.
  4. After every pending update, reboot your computer again and see if you are able to launch PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1 without encountering the same ‘Game Error G25‘ error.

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

Method 4: Deleting PlayerOptions.ini (if applicable)

As it turns out, in both cases (with PlanetSide and H1Z1) the issue can occur due to a hardcoded file that forces the game into thinking that the system doesn’t meet the minimum requirements even though it is.

This typically happens with PCs that have been upgraded to more powerful components after PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1 was installed.

If this scenario is applicable, you can resolve the issue by navigating to the folder where the game in installed and deleting the PlayerOptions.ini – This will force the game to forget the saved system specs and generate another PlayerOptions.ini file with the latest specs on your PC.

If you want to deploy this particular fix, navigate to the location where the game is installed, locate the PlayerOptions.ini, right-click on it and choose Delete from the context menu that just appeared.

Downloading the PlayerOptions.ini file

After the file is successfully deleted, launch PlanetSide 2 or H1Z1 once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

In case you’re still encountering the same kind of ‘Game Error G25‘ error, move down to the final potential fix below.

Method 5: Validating the Game Assets (PlanetSide 2 Only)

If you’re seeing the ‘Game Error G25‘ error while attempting to launch Planetside 2, it’s also possible that you’re dealing with some kind of corrupted game assets that have become tainted by corruption.

Several affected users that were dealing with the same kind of issue have reported that the problem was finally resolved after they’ve forced the game launcher to validate the game assets and resolve any corrupted instances.

If you suspect this scenario might be applicable, follow the instructions below to force the installer to validate the game assets of PlanetSide 2:

Note: Given that the launcher of H1Z1 is very similar to the one on PlanetSide 2, maybe this fix will work for H1Z1 too. However, we haven’t been able to verify this claim.

  1. Open the PlanetSide 2 launcher and click on the settings (wrench) icon.
  2. Once you’re inside the settings menu, select Validate Game Files from the menu on the left, then click on Validate before confirming the process.
    Validating the game files
  3. Once this operation is complete, restart your computer and launch the game once again to see if the G25 error is now resolved.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kevin Arrows


Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.