Game crashes instantly after prerssing launch

[heff]

Bought the game yesterday played for 4 hours then went to play following day and now it just crashes after i press the launch button. Already tried suggested fixes but none seem to work.

[Sriberius]

i had something like this because i install a mod

[mothdustmouth]

Mine won't open at all. I've tried all the fixes and there is plenty of space for the game. Not sure what is happening. I'm getting a memory error, and my friend who bought the game on a separate PC is getting a shading error. Neither of us has been able to open the game even once.

[lobster_apples]

Same here man! Played for 2 hours but then it suddenly stopped launching. Had very little lag on a multiplayer game so I thought I was golden - such a burn X(

[heff]

Damn guys seems like we're all in the same boat! Hopefully it gets sorted soon.....

[raptor_105]

Same here - bought it today, cannot launch

[Heartless]

Same here, i was having this problem with AoE4 originally. So i tought hey i download AoM to try it out.. and it also has this problem.

[Heartless]

Mine doesnt even start btw, no error or nothing

[Ayurai]

someone with solutions?

[Heartless]

Check for Windows updates manually and install all of them
Update Gaming Services
Perform a clean installation your GPU drivers if you have recently updated them, try installing the previous version of drivers
AMD Cleanup Utility
How do I manually clean install the NVIDIA driver for my graphics card?
Whitelist the whole game folder instead of just game .exe file and disable any deep/live scanning feature
Uninstall the game, restart your PC then re-install the game to your main drive
Disable One Drive and iCloud synchronization if they are enabled.
Make sure that the game uses your external GPU instead of your on-board graphic card
Turn off V-sync
Disable any overclocking that your computer has
Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience In-Game Overlay if you have a Nvidia GPU.
Adjust Texture detail to a lower setting
Uninstall any mods that you have previously installed

Got this from support, havent tried yet.

[FatIgor]

I had same problem. Wouldn't start on my desktop or my laptop. Got it going on desktop this afternoon by killing a load of background apps. OneDrive, Google Drive, on screen clock, bing wallpaper etc. Not sure which was the problem, or maybe a combination. But I do that and it will run.

[Heartless]

This is what chatGPT told me, im going to try it out later..
---

1. Verify Game Files on Steam

Open Steam > Right-click on the game > Properties > Installed Files > Click on Verify integrity of game files.

This ensures that no game files are corrupted or missing.



---

2. Run the Game in Compatibility Mode

Navigate to the game’s installation folder.

Right-click on the game’s .exe file > Properties > Compatibility.

Enable Run this program in compatibility mode (try Windows 8).

Check Run this program as administrator.



---

3. Add Exceptions in Antivirus and Firewall

Exclude both the game and Steam from your antivirus (e.g., Malwarebytes) and firewall.

For Windows Firewall:

1. Open Firewall settings > Allow an app through Firewall.


2. Add the game’s .exe and Steam.





---

4. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

Uninstall all versions of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables from Apps and Features.

Download and reinstall the latest versions (both x86 and x64) from Microsoft's website.



---

5. Reinstall DirectX

Download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.

Install and repair any missing or corrupted DirectX files.



---

6. Disable Overlays

Turn off all overlays:

Steam Overlay: Steam > Settings > In-Game > Disable Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.

Discord Overlay: Discord > Settings > Game Overlay > Disable.

NVIDIA GeForce Experience Overlay: NVIDIA GeForce Experience > Settings > Disable In-Game Overlay.




---

7. Add Launch Options in Steam

Open Steam > Right-click on the game > Properties > General > Launch Options.

Test the following options one by one:

-safe

-dx11 (force DirectX 11 mode)

-windowed (launch in windowed mode)

-novid (skip intro videos).




---

8. Perform a Clean Boot

Press Win + R, type msconfig, and hit Enter.

Go to the Services tab > Check Hide all Microsoft services > Click Disable all.

Go to the Startup tab > Open Task Manager > Disable all non-essential startup items.

Restart your PC and test the game.



---

9. Reset Steam

Press Win + R, type steam://flushconfig, and hit Enter.

Log back into Steam and check if the game launches.



---

10. Reinstall Graphics Drivers

1. Download the latest NVIDIA or AMD drivers.


2. During installation, select Custom Installation and choose Clean Installation.


3. Reboot your PC and test the game.




---

11. Test and Repair RAM and Disk

RAM: Use Windows Memory Diagnostic to check for errors.

Press Win + R, type mdsched.exe, and press Enter.

Restart and let the test run.


Disk: Open Command Prompt (Admin) and type chkdsk /f /r. Reboot and let it complete.



---

12. Install the Game on Another Drive

If you have another storage drive, try reinstalling the game on it. Sometimes storage-specific corruption can prevent games from launching.



---

13. Check Event Viewer for Error Logs

1. Open Event Viewer (search for "Event Viewer" in the Start menu).


2. Navigate to Windows Logs > Application.


3. Look for errors related to the game’s executable (e.g., RelicCardinal.exe).


4. Note down the Exception Code or any related error message.




---

14. Disable Hardware Monitoring/Peripheral Software

Temporarily disable software like:

Razer Synapse

Logitech G Hub

SteelSeries GG

MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner.


These can sometimes conflict with game launches.



---

15. Check CPU Support for AVX

Ensure your CPU supports AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions), as this is required for Age of Empires 4.

If your CPU does not support AVX, the game will not run.



---

16. Update Windows

Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.

Install all available updates, including optional updates.



---

17. Contact Official Support

If none of the above solutions work, submit a ticket to Age of Empires Support with:

Crash logs.

Event Viewer errors.

System specifications.




---

By trying these solutions individually, you can identify the root cause and help others troubleshoot similar issues. Let me know if you'd like to expand on any of these!

[Heartless]

Originally posted by FatIgor:

I had same problem. Wouldn't start on my desktop or my laptop. Got it going on desktop this afternoon by killing a load of background apps. OneDrive, Google Drive, on screen clock, bing wallpaper etc. Not sure which was the problem, or maybe a combination. But I do that and it will run.

I already did a Clean boot so every app should be off! But i will give it a try thanks.

[ItsMac03]

Launch error fix

Y'all, if you have seen this error in event manager:

Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MSVCP140.dll

Consider downloading the X64 version of visual c++:

https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

I followed multiple step by steps, and reinstalled this game 3 times to no effect. Here are the links to all of the videos I followed to the letter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jBMtImAO6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkZHQgz0Q1Y&t=10s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6b3dmnU7I&t=140s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBoleas3q4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6Y4Xit41w

All of those videos were a great help, and lead me to my conclusion. I Just decided to add X64, and it worked!

Originally posted by Heartless:

Mine doesn't even start btw, no error or nothing

I believe this will help you as well. Please pin this if it works for multiple people. Thank all of you for the support!

TLDR:

Download Visual C++ X64 in addition to X86:

https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

(Do not worry about this being a malicious link, this is proprietary stuff for Microsoft)

Make sure to run both the steam and the application in admin mode. Consult the YouTube links above for any additional troubleshooting if this did not work.

[Heartless]

Originally posted by ItsMac03:

Launch error fix

Y'all, if you have seen this error in event manager:

Faulting module path: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\MSVCP140.dll

Consider downloading the X64 version of visual c++:

https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

I followed multiple step by steps, and reinstalled this game 3 times to no effect. Here are the links to all of the videos I followed to the letter:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jBMtImAO6I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkZHQgz0Q1Y&t=10s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PO6b3dmnU7I&t=140s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryBoleas3q4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy6Y4Xit41w

All of those videos were a great help, and lead me to my conclusion. I Just decided to add X64, and it worked!

Originally posted by Heartless:

Mine doesn't even start btw, no error or nothing

I believe this will help you as well. Please pin this if it works for multiple people. Thank all of you for the support!

TLDR:

Download Visual C++ X64 in addition to X86:

https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe

(Do not worry about this being a malicious link, this is proprietary stuff for Microsoft)

Make sure to run both the steam and the application in admin mode. Consult the YouTube links above for any additional troubleshooting if this did not work.

None of it has worked. I've heard some ppl say reinstall windows.. but that realy goes too far for just two games (AoE4 and AoM) its like i have to work in IT to get the frecking game running.

[Heartless]

I format my whole laptop and put windows back on it.. its working ffs 😆