8 Ways to Fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Not Launching on a Windows PC

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is an exhilarating RPG some players cannot play due to technical startup issues. Players have reported that Valhalla gets stuck on the splash (loading) screen when they try to start it. Other Valhalla players see DLL error messages (such as “EMP.dll was not found”) that crash the game at startup. Numerous possible resolutions can fix Valhalla when it doesn’t start. These are the more likely ways to fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching on a Windows 11/10 PC.

Verify the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Files

Corrupted game files often cause startup issues to arise. You can repair Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s files by selecting to verify its files within the Ubisoft Connect software. Check out this Ubisoft help page for details about how to verify game files with the Connect software.

The Verify Files option

Install or Repair Visual C++ Files

If you’re seeing any error message referencing a DLL file, installing the latest Visual C++ runtime libraries could fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching. You can install the latest libraries by downloading and opening the Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable package as follows.

1. Bring up this Visual C++ download page in the Edge browser.
2. Next, click the X64 architecture download option for Visual Studio 2015-2022.
   
   

   The X64 download link

3. Bring up the downloaded files in Edge by pressing Ctrl + J.
4. Click the VC_redist.x64 file to open it.
5. Select Install or Repair within the Microsoft Visual C++ window.
   
   

   The Microsoft Visual C++ window

6. Return to the Visual C++ page and click the X86 download option for the Visual Studio 2015-2022 package. Then open that package to select Install or Repair as instructed above.

Select a High-Performance GPU Setting for Valhalla

Does your PC have integrated and dedicated graphics cards? If it does, make sure a high-performance dedicated GPU option is set for Valhalla. This is how you can select a high-performance graphics option via Settings.

1. Press the Windows logo + S key combination to quickly access the file finder tool.
2. Type graphics settings into the file search box.
3. Select the matching Graphics settings search result.
4. Click Browse and select the ACValhalla.exe file in the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla folder.
   
   

   Graphics settings options

5. Next, click on Add.
6. Select ACValhalla in the Graphics settings list and click Options.
7. Click High performance to select that setting.
   
   

   The High performance option

8. Press Save to set the new option.

Install the Windows Media Feature Pack

A few users with Windows N versions have confirmed installing the Windows Media Feature pack can fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching. You’ll probably only need to do this if you have a Windows 10 N version for which the Media Feature pack isn’t preinstalled. This Microsoft webpage tells you how users can install the Media Feature pack on Windows 11/10 N.

Disable the Ubisoft App Overlay

Ubisoft Connect has an overlay feature that can sometimes cause Valhalla startup issues. Some players confirm they were able to fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching by turning off that overlay. So, try disabling that app overlay by following the guidelines on this Ubisoft Connect help page.

Disable Controlled Folder Access

Controlled folder access is a Windows Security feature that can cause Valhalla startup issues by blocking that game from accessing required folders. If you have controlled folder access enabled, try disabling that feature. You can disable controlled folder access as instructed on this Microsoft help page.

The Controlled folder access option

Perform a Windows Clean Boot

Clean booting will disable third-party background apps and services that start with your Windows PC. This troubleshooting method could fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching on your PC if a background app or service is conflicting with the game in some way. The instructions on this Microsoft support webpage tell you how users can set Windows to clean boot.

The Services tab in MSConfig

Install both Valhalla and Ubisoft Connect on the Same Drive

Many players who’ve installed Valhalla and Ubisoft Connect on alternative drives confirm they’ve fixed the game not starting by reinstalling it on the same drive as Ubisoft Connect. This means Valhalla and Ubisoft Connect should be installed on the same drive (preferably the default C: drive). Reinstalling the game will also refresh its files, which is another bonus. You can uninstall and reinstall Valhalla with Steam and Epic Games like this. 

Epic Games

1. Start Epic Games to access the Library tab in that gaming client.
2. Click the ellipses menu button under Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to select Uninstall.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Epic Games

3. Select Uninstall again to confirm and remove the game.
4. Click Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to bring up the Choose Install window.
5. Press the Browse button and select to install the Valhalla on the same drive as the Ubisoft Connect.
   
   

   The install location options in Epic Games

6. Click Install to reinstall the game.

Steam

1. Bring up Steam’s Library tab.
2. Click the Valhalla game with the right mouse button and select Manage.
3. Select the Uninstall context menu option.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

4. Click Valhalla in the games library list to select it.
5. Press the game’s Install button.
6. Click the location for install drop-down menu and select the drive that includes Ubisoft Connect.
7. Press Next to install the game.

Other Possible Ways to Fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Not Launching

There are also other ways you might be able to fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not launching beyond the potential fixes cited above. Try applying these troubleshooting methods if necessary:

• Temporarily disable the Microsoft Defender antivirus shield or alternative third-party security app before starting Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
• Set Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to run with administrator rights.
• Update the driver for your PC’s graphics card if you need to.
• Reinstall the Ubisoft Connect software.

The potential solutions above will probably fix Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on most players’ Windows 11/10 PCs. Probably, but not certainly, because there are many variable causes for that game not starting. You submit a support case to the Ubisoft help service from this contact page if further potential fixes for Valhalla not starting are required.