8 Ways You Can Fix EA Sports FC 24 Not Launching on a Windows PC

EA Sports FC 24 is a relatively new footie (or soccer) game players have been playing since September 2023. However, many players have already reported startup issues occurring when they try to start EA Sports FC 24 on Windows 11/10 PCs. Players have reported that the game gets stuck on the loading screen or throws up an error message that says, “The application has encountered an unexpected error.” You can fix EA Sports FC 24 not launching on Windows PCs with these troubleshooting methods.

Set the EA Sports FC 24 to Run With Admin Rights

First, try setting EA Sports FC 24 to run as an administrator and launching the game from its installation directory. A few players have confirmed they kick-started EA Sports FC 24 either by setting it to run with admin rights or launching the game from its installation directory. This is how you can set EA Sports FC 24 to always run with admin rights.

1. Press File Explorer’s Windows logo + E keyboard shortcut and open the EA SPORTS FC 24 game installation folder.
2. Right-click the FC24 EXE file for starting EA Sports FC 24 and select Properties.
3. Go to the Compatibility tab.
4. Select Run this program as administrator by clicking on that option’s checkbox.
   
   

   The Run this program as administrator option

5. Press Apply to set the new compatibility settings selected.
6. Close the FC24 Properties window by clicking its OK option.
7. Double-click the FC24 file in the EA Sports FC 24 folder to start the game.

Repair the EA App

If you’ve installed the EA Sports FC 24 with the EA app, try repairing that client software. The EA app has a Repair troubleshooting option that can resolve game client issues. You can select that troubleshooting option like this.

1. Start the Run dialog by pressing the Windows logo keyboard key along with the R at the same time.
2. Enter appwiz.cpl (a command for opening Programs and Features) into Run and click OK.
3. Right-click the EA app within Programs and Features to select Uninstall.
4. Click the Repair option for the EA app.
   
   

   The Repair option

Enable Offline Mode Before Launching EA Sports FC 24

Enabling offline mode is a slightly odd potential solution some FC 24 players have said can fix EA Sports FC 24 not launching. To apply this possible fix, enable and then disable offline mode in the EA app as follows.

1. Open the EA app.
2. Click the menu button at the top-left corner of the EA app.
3. Select the Go offline option.
   
   

   The Go offline option

4. Click Yes, I’m sure to confirm.
5. Start the EA Sports FC 24 game.
6. Click the play button for EA Sports FC 24 in an Installed Games list you’ll see.
7. If EA Sports FC 24 starts ok in offline mode, click the game’s Press Any Button and OK options to proceed.
8. Return to the EA app with the game running and select Go online.
   
   

   The Go online option

Disable or Uninstall the GameFirst VI App

GameFirst VI is a network utility pre-installed on some ASUS ROG PCs. Players confirm they’ve fixed EA Sports FC 24 not launching by closing the GameFirst VI app so that it’s not running in the background. To do that, you’ll need to open Task Manager with the Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey and right-click GameFirst VI on the Processes tab to select End task. Start EA Sports FC 24 after closing that app.

However, it would probably be better to uninstall GameFirst VI to ensure that the app can never conflict with EA Sports FC 24. You can remove that app with the standard uninstall methods covered on this Microsoft Windows help page.

The uninstaller tool in Windows

Add EA Sports FC 24 Folders to Your Antivirus Software’s Exclusion List

EA Sports FC 24 startup issues can sometimes be caused by Microsoft Defender or third-party antivirus tools flagging some of that game’s files. It’s not uncommon for security software to wrongly flag legitimate software files, which is why they all have exclusion lists. If you don’t have third-party antivirus software, try adding EA Sports FC 24 to Windows Security’s exclusion list as outlined on this Microsoft support webpage. Add these game folders to your antivirus software’s exclusion list:

• EAFC24
• EA App
• Electronic Arts

The Add an exclusion button

Delete Files in the EA Desktop Folder

Erasing data in the EA Desktop folder is another method for fixing EA Sports FC 24 not launching confirmed to work. Note that erasing those files might also wipe career saves in your EA Sports FC 24 game. This is how you can delete files in the EA Desktop folder to apply this potential fix.

1. Open Run and input %programdata% into the Open text box.
2. Click the EA Desktop subfolder in the ProgramData directory to open that folder.
3. Select everything in the EA Desktop folder by pressing Ctrl + A.
   
   

   The EADesktop folder

4. Click Delete on Explorer’s command bar or Home tab to erase selected files.

Reinstall EA Sports FC 24

Reinstalling EA Sports FC 24 is something some players might need to do to fix that game not starting. A reinstallation of FC 24 will completely refresh that game’s files. This is how you can reinstall EA Sports FC 24 within the EA app and Steam.

EA App

1. Start your EA software.
2. Click Library to see your installed games.
3. Next, click EA Sports FC 24 within the installed game list.
4. Press the Manage button.
5. Click Uninstall to remove EA Sports FC 24.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in the EA app

6. Select to install EA Sports FC 24 within the EA app after removing it.

Steam

1. Start your Steam gaming client and go to its Library tab.
2. Right-click EA Sports FC 24 to select Manage.
3. Click Uninstall to remove the game.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

4. Select the Install option for EA Sports FC 24 in Steam to reinstall the game.

Factory Reset Windows

Resetting Windows 11/10 to its factory default is a drastic way to fix EA Sports FC 24 not launching some players have said worked for them. However, note that doing that will also uninstall all third-party software that wasn’t pre-installed on your PC. Thus, resetting Windows 11/10 will also remove your client software along with EA Sports FC 24 and other games.

However, resetting Windows could be worth a try if no other potential solutions for fixing EA Sports FC 24 not starting work for you. Applying this resolution could remove third-party software packages conflicting with the game (but I recommend performing a clean boot first). This Microsoft page tells you how users can reset Windows 11/10.

The Reset this PC tool

Other Possible Ways to Fix EA Sports FC 24 Not Launching

The above resolutions have worked for many users but might not be enough to fix EA Sports FC 24 not launching for everybody. These are some other troubleshooting methods that might be worth a try:

• Download and install the newest AMD or NVIDIA driver for your PC’s graphics card.
• Repair EA Sports FC 24 game files with the verify/repair troubleshooting options in Steam or the EA app. You can apply this solution in the EA app by selecting EA Sports FC 24 on the Library tab and clicking Manage > Repair.
• Fix issues with EA Anti Cheat by double-clicking the EAAntiCheat.installer file in the EAAntiCheat folder and selecting the Repair option.
• Allow the EA Sports FC 24 game through the Windows firewall or third-party alternatives.

There’s quite a good chance a potential resolution in this guide will fix EA Sports FC 24 not launching your Windows PC. That assumes your PC meets all the minimum EA Sports FC 24 system requirements. Double-check your PC meets all the game’s minimum system requirements if you’ve never been able to play FC 24 at all after purchasing and installing the game.