How to Fix “Your Game Failed to Launch” Error in EA App?

“Your Game Failed to Launch” error in the EA App appears when the launcher fails to start a game process after validation. Instead of loading the game, the EA App displays an error prompt such as “An error on our end caused your launch to fail. Try again a little later.”

This issue commonly affects titles like Battlefield, FIFA, The Sims, and other EA or Origin-linked games.

The error doesn’t point to a single cause, it’s a launcher-level failure that occurs when the EA App’s startup chain breaks before the game executable is initialized.

In most cases, the app successfully verifies your account and game license but fails to hand over the launch process to the game’s executable or its dependent services.

Common causes include:

• Corrupted launcher cache
• Broken game files
• Overlay conflicts
• Outdated EA App components
• EA server-side issues (authentication or validation timeouts)

1. Force-Close and Relaunch the EA App

The EA App often keeps hidden background tasks like EADesktop.exe and telemetry services active even after closing. These can lock files, block anti-cheat drivers, or prevent fresh launch sessions. Ending all EA processes through Task Manager resets the client, clears stuck threads, and restores a clean startup state.

1. Open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc).
2. Go to the Processes tab.
3. Find EA app or EADesktop.exe, right-click, and select End task.

4. End any other EA-related processes as well.
5. Close Task Manager, wait a few seconds, then reopen the EA app.
6. Try launching your game again.

2. Manually Restart the EABackgroundService

The EABackgroundService manages game authentication, entitlement checks, and anti-cheat initialization. If frozen or unresponsive, the EA App cannot start the game. Restarting it re-establishes backend communication, fixes launch stalls, and refreshes dependencies without reinstalling the client.

1. Press Win + R and type:

services.msc

2. Locate EABackgroundService.
3. Right-click and choose Restart (or Start if it’s stopped).

4. After restarting, try launching your game again.

3. Run the EA App as Administrator

Without admin rights, Windows may block the EA App from writing to protected paths or loading secure modules like Easy Anti-Cheat. Running it as administrator ensures full system access, registry communication, and stable startup of both the launcher and game processes.

1. Close the EA app.
2. Navigate to:

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\EA Desktop\EA Desktop

3. Right-click EADesktop → Properties.
4. Go to the Compatibility tab.
5. Check Run this program as administrator.
6. Click Apply → OK.

7. Reopen the EA app and test your game.

4. Close RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS)

RivaTuner Statistics Server injects overlay hooks into game executables, which EA’s anti-cheat flags as interference. This causes pre-launch validation failure. Closing RTSS or disabling detection for the affected title prevents false anti-cheat triggers and stabilizes the launch process.

1. Click the upward arrow on the taskbar to open the System Tray.

2. Find the RivaTuner (RTSS) icon → right-click → Close.

If you prefer not to close RTSS entirely:

1. Open RTSS.
2. Under Application detection level, set it to None.

5. Downgrade the EA Desktop Client (If Applicable)

Some EA App updates modify internal APIs or entitlement systems, breaking compatibility with existing builds. Reverting to the previous version restores stable binaries and removes issues caused by recent patches.

1. Close the EA app completely using Task Manager.
2. Open File Explorer and go to:

C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts

3. Right-click EA Desktop and delete it.

4. Rename outdatedEADesktop to EA Desktop.

5. Restart your PC and test your game.

6. Uninstall the Game, Clear Cache, and Reinstall

Corrupted cache, mismatched manifests, or leftover files can block launch initialization. Removing the game, deleting cache folders, and reinstalling forces the EA App to rebuild clean configurations and dependencies.

Uninstall the Game

1. Open the EA App.
2. Go to your Library.

3. Find the affected game → click the three dots → Uninstall.

Clear the EA App Cache

1. Close the EA app completely.
2. Press Win + R → type:

%ProgramData%/EA Desktop

3. Delete all files inside (keep the Launcher folder if it exists).

4. Open Run again → type:

%appdata%

5. Delete the EA Desktop folder.
6. Open Run once more → type:

%localappdata%

7. Delete any remaining EA Desktop folders.

8. Restart your computer.

Reinstall the Game

1. Open the EA App.
2. Go to Library → click Download on the game.

3. Wait for installation to finish, then test if the game launches successfully.