7 Ways to Fix FIFA 23 Not Launching on a Windows 11/10 PC

FIFA 23 is a popular footie game for Windows PCs many players report they can’t play because of technical startup issues. For example, one player said this about FIFA 23 not starting on Reddit, “When I click play to launch FIFA 23, the game immediately crashes without any error message.” Other players report that the game freezes (gets stuck) on the splash screen when they start it. Players can’t play FIFA 23 irrespective of how it crashes when they start that game. This is how you can fix FIFA 23 not launching on Windows 11/10 PCs.

Read also: 5 Ways to Fix the FIFA 23 “Secure Boot is Not Enabled on this Machine” Error

Run the EA App or Steam With Admin Rights

First, try a simple potential fix like running the EA app or Steam game client for FIFA 23 with administrator rights. This will ensure Steam or the EA app has full permission to do whatever it needs to. You can set Steam or your EA app to run with elevated privileges like this:

1. Click your EA app or Steam shortcut on the Windows desktop with the right button on the mouse to select Properties.
2. Go to the Compatibility tab settings.
3. Click Run this program as an administrator to select that option’s checkbox.
4. Select Apply > OK to save the selected admin option.
5. Double-click the Steam or EA app shortcut on the desktop and try running FIFA 23 again.

Adjust Compatibility Settings for FIFA 23

A few players have confirmed that changing compatibility settings can fix FIFA 23 not launching. Those players enabled Windows 8 platform compatibility for the game. So, try changing compatibility options for FIFA 23 like this.

1. Press the Windows logo + E keys and open the FIFA 23 game installation folder. The default Steam folder path for that directory is Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > FIFA 23.
2. Right-click the FIFA 23 EXE (application) file to select Properties > Compatibility.
3. Select Run this program in compatibility mode for and the Windows 8 option inside the drop-down menu.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

4. Next, click Disable fullscreen optimizations to select the checkbox for that setting.
5. Also, select the checkbox with the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
6. Make sure you click Apply to save all selected settings.
7. Exit the window by clicking OK.

Clear Cache Data

Clearing cached data has worked for some players who’ve needed to fix FIFA 2023 not launching. This involves manually erasing folders that include cached data for the game and client apps. To apply this potential fix, clear the cached data like this.
Right-click Start on the taskbar to select the Run accessory shortcut.

1. Type %localappdata% inside Run’s Open box and hit Enter.
2. Right-click the EADesktop folder to select Delete.
3. Next, erase the Electronics Art folder in the same Local directory.
   
   

   The EADesktop and Electronic Arts folders

4. If you’re a Steam user, right-click the Steam data folder and select Delete. Origin users should delete the Origin folder in the Local directory.

Reinstall Easy Anti-Cheat

Reinstalling Easy Anti-Cheat is a widely confirmed way to fix FIFA 23 not launching. Doing this will fix issues with the Easy Anti-Cheat software required for FIFA 23. This is how you can reinstall Easy Anti-Cheat.

1. Right-click the FIFA 23 desktop shortcut and select Open file location. If you don’t have a desktop shortcut for the game, you must manually open the FIFA 23 folder.
2. Double-click the _Installer > EAAntiCheat folders to open them.
3. Next, double-click the EAAntiCheat.Installer file.
4. Select FIFA 23 inside the drop-down menu. 
5. Click the Uninstall option within the window.
   
   

   The EA AntiCheat Setup window

6. Select Install within the AntiCheat Setup window after uninstalling.

Update the FIFA 23 Certificates

Players confirm updating digital certificates for the game can sometimes fix FIFA 23 not launching. This highlights that FIFA 23 startup issues can arise because of outdated digital signatures. These are the steps for updating the FIFA 23 certificates.

1. Open the FIFA 23 installation directory.
2. Right-click the EAAntiCheat.GameServiceLauncher.dll file and select Properties.
   
   

   The EAAntiCheat.GameServiceLauncher.dll file

3. Click Digital Signatures in the properties window.
4. Select the Electronic Arts signature.
   
   

   The Digital Signatures tab

5. Click Details to bring up a Digital Signature window.
6. Press the View Certificate button.
7. Click Install Certificate to bring up a wizard window.
   
   

   The Install Certificates button

8. Now click Next twice and Finish within the wizard window.
9. Click OK on the Certificate and Digital Signature windows.
10. Repeat the steps above for the non-DLL EAAntiCheat.GameServiceLauncher file.

Temporarily Disable Antivirus Software

Disabling antivirus software has worked for some players who’ve needed to fix FIFA 23 not launching. If there’s a third-party antivirus app on your PC, right-click the system tray icon for your security software and select an option that disables its shield. Users without third-party antivirus packages can try temporarily disabling real-time protection in Windows Security, as outlined on this Microsoft page. Try starting FIFA 23 again with the antivirus disabled.

The Avast shield control option

This doesn’t mean you should permanently disable antivirus software even if the resolution works. Turn your antivirus shield back on after playing FIFA 23. Alternatively, try adding the game and Easy Anti-Cheat to the exceptions list for the antivirus shield.

Reinstall FIFA 23

Reinstalling FIFA 23 will thoroughly refresh the game’s files. Applying this potential could be necessary for some players when most other alternative fixes fail. You can reinstall FIFA 23 with the EA app and Steam like this.

EA App

1. Start the EA app and select Library.
2. Click the three-dot menu for FIFA 23 to select Uninstall.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in the EA app

3. To reinstall the game, click the down arrow for FIFA 23 within the Library tab.
4. Select Next and Download.

Steam

1. Launch Steam to access the Library tab inside that software.
2. Right-click FIFA 23 to select Manage > Uninstall.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

3. Click the Install button for the FIFA 23 in Steam.
4. Select Install again to confirm.

Other Possible Ways to Fix FIFA 23 Not Launching

The resolutions above are among the best methods to try, but there are other ways players can fix FIFA 23 not launching. These extra potential fixes are also worth a try.

• Update the graphics driver software on your PC.
• Download the 64 and 32-bit Visual Studio 2015-2022 packages from this Microsoft site page. Open the downloaded Visual C++ Redistributable packages and select to update or repair C++ runtime libraries.
• Repair Windows PC files by executing the sfc /scannow command as instructed on Microsoft’s System File Checker page.
• Update Direct X with the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer you can download from this Microsoft webpage.

Although there’s no guaranteed way to fix FIFA 2023 not launching (or any other game), the potential resolutions above have worked for many players. Go through the troubleshooting methods above to find one that works for you. If they’re not enough, consider submitting a help ticket about FIFA 23 not starting to the EA support service, as covered on this Electronics Arts page.