Lost Ark Not Launching on PC? Try These Fixes

Since after the Lost Ark is released for PC via Steam for free, many players reported the “Lost Ark Not Launching” problem. The players get stuck in the loading screen while trying to start the game on their Windows PC and as a result, the game won’t launch. The problem is likely to appear when the game starts to launch in Easy Anti-Cheat is Steam and upon starting a black screen background appears.

Lost Ark Not Launching
Lost Ark Not Launching

This troublesome problem is seen after the release and even after receiving updates the Lost Ark won’t launch is still interrupting the issue. We have performed an in-depth investigation of the problem and found out the list of possible culprits that might be triggering the problem in your case. So before directly jumping to the fixes let’s have a close look at what causes the error.

  • Not Meeting the System Requirements: Check if your computer can handle the title and if it’s not meeting the minimum system requirements needed to play the game then it is most likely to cause an issue when starting the game.
  • Corrupted game files: If some of the game files are missing or gets corrupted then this seems to cause a problem with the game. In this case, verifying the game file integrity via Steam client might work for you to fix the problem.
  • Windows Firewall: Another possible reason why you are unable to launch the Lost Ark game on your PC is the Windows Firewall interferes between the game servers and the local installation. in this situation you can prevent the problem by disabling the Firewall temporarily.
  • Outdated Graphics Driver: One of the most common reasons that are often overlooked is the graphic driver is outdated and the issue is often seen on Windows 10 and older OS. So, if you haven’t updated your GPU drivers for a while then it is not supported by the game and become incompatible with the Windows version, this issue can show up. Installing the latest drivers or updating it might work in your case.
  • Outdated Windows: Outdated Windows OS can also cause the issue when running the latest games, they often get incompatible and stop the game more launching properly. So, make sure your system is up to date.
  • In-Game Overlays: Another cause for the problem is the in-game overlays settings that are too high and cause the game not to work or start properly. This can simply be fixed by going to the settings and disabling the overlay feature for every app.
  • DirectX-related issues: As per some affected users, the problem appears due to the outdated DirectX and cause incompatibility with the game files and stop it from running properly. So, the best way to fix it update the DirectX and solve the problem.
  • Overclocked CPU/GPU: If you overclocked your GPU and CPU then this can affect the game performance and cause it to stutter and issue upon launching. Check if you installed any overclocking software or enabled the overclock feature then disabling overclock settings might work for you.

As of now, you are well aware of the potential culprits causing the problem. Here is the list of entire methods that help you to launch the Lost of Ark game properly on Windows PC.

Check System Requirements

Check if your system is not compatible to run the game properly. So, make sure to check if your system in not compatible with the minimum system requirements mentioned then this can cause problems with the game.

  • Operating System: Windows 10 (64 bit).
  • Processor: Intel i3 or AMD Ryzen 3.
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460 / AMD HD 6850.
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Network: High-speed broadband connection.
  • HDD Storage: 50 GB.

If the hardware in your computer is not equal to or better than the specification mentioned above then your computer is not compatible to run the game.

Launch Lost Ark Game as Administrator

Launching the game with an administrator privilege can solve a lot of issues. Also, check if you are launching the game without administrator rights then this may be the reason you are unable to establish a connection with the game server and local installation files on your Windows system. Many games require administrative rights to launch the game properly. Check if you are launching the game as a local user then make sure to start it as admin.

Follow the steps given to do so:

  1. Right-click on the LostArk.exe shortcut and click on the Properties option.
  2. Go to the compatibility tab and click on the Run this program as an administrator.
    Run program as administrator
  3. Now click on Apply and then OK.

Now try to launch the Lost Ark game and check if the issue is resolved or not.

Update Windows OS

Using an outdated version of Windows can cause a lot of trouble and issues with the new games. The outdated Windows version can cause conflict with the local game installation files; therefore, it is important to check for the latest Windows updates to launch the game properly.

So, we recommend you always keep your Windows updated, to update your follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. Go to the Start Menu and search for Settings in the search bar.
  2. In the Settings, Menu click on the Update & Security
    Update and security – Windows Settings
  3. Then in the Windows update click on the Check for Updates option
    windows-check-updates
    Check for updates
  4. If any updates are available download them and restart the device.

Now try to launch the game and check if the issue is resolved or else head to the next solution.

Update GPU Drivers

In many cases, the game issues are caused due to outdated or broken graphic drivers and to get the best performance and launch game without any problem it is essential to run the updated graphic driver.

The outdated GPU drivers can cause issues with the latest game files and will not be able to communicate to the GPU properly. To update the graphics drivers, follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. Click Windows + X and click on the Device Manager option in the Quick Menu.
  2. Click on the Display Adapters option and right-click on your dedicated graphics card name.
    Display Adapters in Device Manager
  3. Now click on the Update driver option
    Update the Graphics Driver in the Device Manager
  4. Choose the option Search automatically for the updated driver.
    Search Automatically for Updated Graphics Driver
  5. And restart your computer.

Once the graphics drivers are updated try to launch the game and see if starts or not.

Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If incase your Lost Ark game files go missing or corrupted, it starts causing issues and won’t launch on your PC or the Steam platform. The missing files might cause conflict when you try to run the game and stop it from running correctly. These corrupted games files stop the Lost Ark from connecting to the game server. In this situation verifying the corrupted game’s files, integrity may work for you on Steam.

To verify the integrity of the game files, follow the steps mentioned below:

  1. Click on Steam and go to the Library tab.
    Accessing the Library folder
  2. Now right-click on the Lost Ark and click on the Properties option.
  3. Then go to Local Files and click on the Verify Integrity of Game Files.
    Verifying the integrity of the game files
  4. Now, wait until the process is completed.
  5. Lastly, reboot your computer.

Now try launching the game and check if the issue is resolved or else head to the next solution.

Disable In-Game Overlays

In-game overlays run in the background and when you launch the Steam client it can cause performance issues and stop the game from establishing a connection between the game and its server. So, it is suggested to disable all the in-game overlays available on your computer. To disable the in-game overlays follow the steps mentioned below:

For Steam:

  1. Launch the Steam client and click on the library tab.
  2. Now right-click on the Lost Ark game and click on the properties
  3. Now click on the General tab and click on the Enable Steam Overlay button to disable it
    Uncheck the Option of Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game
  4. Then go back to the library tab and try to launch the game.

Disabling Overclocking Your CPU or GPU

Many users tend to overclock their CPU and GPU to get the maximum performance and set their PC to high performance but in most cases overclocking cause the PC to overheat and as a result, the game start crashing and won’t start normally.  Despite this, this feature can also lead to compatibility issues and conflict with the server and Lost Ark cannot connect to the server. So, check if you have enabled the overclocking feature then disable it or if installed any software to overclock your system then disabling or uninstalling it might work for you.

Follow the instructions to turn off overclocking feature

  1. First, click on the Windows Start Menu and then launch Settings
  2. Now hit on the option Update and Security and choose Recovery
    recovery-get-started
    Get started on recovery
  3. And click on Advanced startup after that click on Restart now
  4. Here you need to wait to start your system
  5. Next in the Advanced startup tap on the Troubleshoot, option
    Open Troubleshoot in Advanced Startup Menu
  6. Click on the Advanced Options and then click on the option UEFI Firmware Settings.
    Open UEFI Firmware Settings in Advanced Options
  7. Reboot your system
  8. As the system starts, open BIOS and choose Advanced Tab.
  9. Then click on the Performance option and find Overclocking option
    Disabling Overclocking
  10. Choose to disable overclocking
  11. And press the F10 key to save the modification in the BIOS and restart your PC normally.

Once your system starts try to launch the Lost Ark game and see if the problem is resolved.

Turn off Windows Defender Firewall & Third-Party Antivirus

The firewalls available in the Windows Security system and the third-party antivirus program can interfere with the game server which can cause while launching or starting the game. Check if you have enabled the inbuilt Virus and Threat protection or installed any antivirus program then temporarily disabling it might work for you.

Also, make sure to turn off the Windows Defender Firewall on your Windows PC and then try launching the game to see if the issue gets resolved. Follow the steps mentioned below:

Disable Windows Defender Firewall:

  1. Go to the Start Menu and search for Control Panel in the Search bar.
  2. Now search for firewall in the Control Panel search menu.
  3. And click on the Turn Firewall on or off option available on the left side.
    NET::ERR_CERT_REVOKED error
    Select Turn Windows Firewall on or off option
  4. Make sure your turn the firewall off for both the public and private networks.

Disable Antivirus:

  1. Go to the Start Menu and search for Settings.
  2. In the Settings, Menu click on the Privacy and Security option.
    Accessing the Privacy and Security tab
  3. Now click on the Windows Security option and then Virus and Threat protection
    Accessing the Virus & threat protection
  4. Then click on Manage Settings and click the toggle to turn off the Real-Time Protection.
    You can disable Windows Defender by turning off Real-time protection

Now restart your device and try launching the game to see if the Lost Ark Not Launching problem is resolved or not.

Reinstall Lost Ark

If none of the fixes mentioned work for you, then it is suggested to reinstall the Lost Ark game. Sometimes upon launching some of the game files gets corrupted or damaged due to the 3rd party security program or other corrupted files present in the game. In this situation, it is suggested to reinstall the game.

Follow the instructions given to reinstall Lost Ark in the Steam client:

  1. Launch the Steam client and then go to the Library tab.
  2. Then in the Library tab right-click on Lost Ark and uninstall the game.
    Uninstalling the Game
  3. Once the uninstallation process is finished and reboot the Steam client.
  4. And install the game again on Steam.

Here it is estimated the solutions given work for you to get past the game

It is estimated after trying the given solutions the Lost Ark Not Launching problem is fixed in your case. If in case still see the error then contact the Lost Ark customer support Team and create a ticket. They will get back to you and help you with the potential solution to solve the problem in your case.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hardeep Kaur


Hardeep is a passionate technical writer with more than 7 years of experience. She has a keen interest in PC games, Windows OS and everything surrounding it. She is a technology enthusiast and fascinated with technology since her childhood days.