8 Ways to Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Many players have fallen in love with Baldur’s Gate 3 since its August 2023 release. However, some Windows PC players can’t play this terrific RPG because of startup crashes. For example, one player’s Steam post reported Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching on their PC as follows: “My game crashes as soon as I hit play from the Larian Launcher, I get a white screen for a fraction of a second before it crashes to the Crash Report window. Sometimes the game will stay up with a white screen but will be unresponsive.”

Players who need to fix Baldur’s Gate 3 not starting after purchasing it will probably consider requesting a refund. However, that’s not an option for players who’ve owned the game for more than a month. These are some ways you can fix Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching on Windows 11/10 PCs.

Run Baldur’s Gate 3 From its Installation Folder

A lot of Baldur’s Gate 3 players have said they’ve been able to fix that game not starting by running it from the installation directory. Doing that means not utilizing gaming client software like Steam to start the game. This is how you can run Baldur’s Gate 3 from its installation folder.

1. Press the Windows logo button and E key combination on your keyboard to access File Explorer.
2. Go to this bin folder location: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldur’s Gate 3\bin.
   
   

   The bg3.exe file

3. Double-click the bg3.exe (application) file to start the game. Alternatively, you can also double-click bg3_dx11.exe to run Baldur’s Gate 3.

Set Baldur’s Gate 3 to Run in Compatibility Mode and as an Administrator

If the game still doesn’t start when run from its installation directory, try selecting some compatibility settings. Larian Studios recommends players set Baldur’s Gate 3 to run in compatibility mode with administrative rights. You can do that like this.

1. Open the bin folder path specified for step two of the previous resolution.
2. Right-click bg3.exe or bg3_dx11.exe to select Properties.
3. Select Compatibility within the Baldur’s Gate 3 properties window.
4. Click on the checkbox with the Run this program in compatibility mode for label.
5. Select Windows 8 from the drop-down menu’s list of platforms.
6. Click on the Run this program as an administrator box to select that compatibility setting.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

7. To set the selected options, remember to click Apply and OK.
8. Repeat the above steps for the Epic Games client software if you still can’t run Baldur’s Gate 3 from the game folder.

Run the Larian Launcher as an Administrator

Some Baldur’s Gates 3 players have said they fixed that game not starting by setting Larian Launcher to run as an administrator. To do that, you’ll need to open this folder: \SteamApps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\Launcher\. Set the LariLauncher.exe file in that folder to run as administrator as outlined for the previous method (but don’t select the compatibility mode option).

Verify the Game’s File Integrity

If there’s a file integrity issue with your Baldur’s Gate 3 game, this potential resolution will probably fix it. You can repair corrupted Baldur’s Gate 3 files by verifying that game in Steam with the following steps.

1. Start your Steam software.
2. Click Library to view your Steam game collection.
3. Right-click on Baldur’s Gate 3 and select Properties.
   
   

   The Verify integrity of game files option

4. Click Verify integrity of game files on the Installed Files tab.

Skip the Larian Launcher

Players confirm setting Baldur’s Gate 3 to skip the Larian Launcher by disabling it with a launch option can kick-start the game. This highlights that the Larian Launcher can cause Baldur’s Gate 3 startup issues. You can disable the launcher by entering a —skip-launcher command as follows.

1. Select the Properties option for Baldur’s Gate 3 in Steam, as covered in steps one to three of the third resolution above.
2. Open the General tab.
3. Enter –skip-launcher in the Launch Options box.
   
   

   The –skip-launcher-command

4. Restart Steam and try launching Baldur’s Gate 3.
5. If the above launch option doesn’t do the trick, try inputting the following in the Launch Options box instead: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Baldurs Gate 3\bin\bg3_dx11.exe” %command%. That alternative launch option has a similar effect.

Disable Steam’s Overlay

It’s not unusual for overlay features to cause gaming issues. Disabling the Steam overlay is another potential fix for Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching that’s worked for some players. So, try disabling the Steam overlay like this.

1. Open Steam and right-click Baldur’s Gate 3 in the Library tab to select Properties.
2. Turn off the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option on the General tab.
   
   

   The Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option

3. Close and restart Steam and then try launching the game again.

Delete the GraphicsSettings.lsx File

GraphicsSettings.lsx is a graphical configuration file for Baldur’s Gate 3. Deleting that file will recreate it, which resets settings. Erasing that file has fixed Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching for some players. These are the steps for erasing the graphicsSettings.lsx file.

1. Right-click Start (the Windows logo taskbar icon) to select Run.
2. Input an appdata Run command and click OK.
3. Navigate to the Local > Larian Studios > Baldur’s Gate 3 folder from the AppData directory.
4. Right-click the graphicsSettings.lsx file and select Delete to erase it.

Reinstall Baldur’s Gate 3

Okay, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a big game that will take a long time to download and install again. However, it might be necessary for some players to do that to fix Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching. You can try applying all the other potential fixes in this guide first, but if they’re not enough consider reinstalling Baldur’s Gate 3 as follows.

1. Start Run and input appwiz.cpl inside the Open box.
2. Click on OK to bring up a Control Panel applet for uninstalling software.
3. Select Baldur’s Gate 3 from the list of installed programs.
4. Click the Uninstall option for Baldur’s Gate 3.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Programs and Features

5. Select Uninstall again to confirm removal.
6. Open Steam and go to the Library tab.
7. Select Baldur’s Gate 3 in Steam and click Install.

Those troubleshooting methods can feasibly resolve many Baldur’s Gate 3 startup issues. They’re solutions that have worked for many players, and one of them could fix Baldur’s Gate 3 not launching on your Windows 11/10 PC as well. Try applying them before getting in touch with the Larian support service, which you can send a support ticket to by clicking Contact Support on this help page.