AOE4 Crashes and Won’t Start – This guide will show you how to fix crash and startup issues on the Steam or Xbox version of Age of Empires 4. Many users face these issues. Let’s see if fixes are available.
Age of Empires 4 Crashes at Startup and Won’t Start – How to Fix It
After waiting almost 16 years, we finally have the fourth installment in the Age of Empires series. Like its predecessors, Age of Empires IV is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment in association with World’s Edge and published by Xbox Game Studios.
The events of the game are set in the Middle Ages. Age of Empires 4 borrows most of its gameplay mechanics directly from Age of Empires 2. There are a total of 8 civilizations available at the moment. And that includes the English, the Chinese, the Mongols, the Delhi Sultanate, the French, the Abbasid dynasty, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Rus. Personally, I don’t play Age of Empires titles, but fans will definitely love it.
Now that the basic information about the game is out of the way, let’s talk about the glitches in Age of Empires 4. I see many PC users complaining that AOE4 does not start for them, or that it is working directly. crash, every time they try to start it. I’m not surprised, to be honest. Age of Empires 3 Definitive Edition had these issues at launch as well.
However, there are several possible solutions for this problem. Follow the steps below to see if they fix the problem.
Compare the system requirements for Age of Empires 4 with your hardware specifications
Most crashes when starting the game can be attributed to playing on a PC that does not meet the recommended requirements. Make sure your system meets the minimum system requirements to run the game. Let’s take a quick look at them:
There are certain things that you need to check specifically. You see, this game lists Windows 10 version 18362.0 and DirectX 12 as minimum requirements. So if your PC is missing one of those, then the reason is pretty clear.
Also, I agree that this game is not demanding. But the game won’t run on really old systems. If you are a laptop user you need something similar to an Intel HD 520 or RX Vega 11 to run this.
Graphics Drivers for Age of Empires 4
Nvidia has already released a Game Ready driver for Age of Empires 4. The version is 496.49 . You can download it from this link or directly through GeForce Experience.
AMD has also released a driver optimized for Age of Empires 4. The version is called Adrenalin 21.10.3 Optional. You can download it from this link or via AMD Auto-Detect. Doing this would also fix any DirectX or Direct3D bugs in Age of Empires 4.
You can get the Intel drivers from here. Laptop users, I would recommend that you go to your brand’s official site and download the drivers from there.
Check your antivirus settings
Some antivirus programs may prevent the game from starting. Check your antivirus settings to make sure the game is not blocked. Add Age of Empires 4 to any whitelist feature in your antivirus program.
Make sure you have set your dedicated GPU as your primary GPU on your laptop
Many notebook computers come with two graphics devices: a built-in (or “integrated”) graphics chip and a more powerful dedicated video card.
If your laptop has an Nvidia GPU, this is what you need:
- Launch Nvidia Control Panel
- Click Manage 3D Settingslocated on the left side
- Click on the Program Settingstab
- Below « Select a program to customize« Select Age of Empires 4
- If it’s not there, click Add and then select it
- Now set ” Select the preferred graphics processor for this program” to ” NVIDIA High Performance Processor “
If your laptop has an AMD GPU, this is what you need:
- Open your AMD Control Panel.
- Go to Graphicsand then PowerPlay .
- Select the Connectedand Battery options for Maximum Performance .
- Click Request.
- Next go to Graphicsand then 3D .
- Move the Performanceslider until it is set to Optimal Performance .
- Click Request.
- If you have a Switchable Graphicstab, click on it, locate Age of Empires 4 in the list, and set it to High Performance .
- Click Request.
Repair Age of Empires 4 to Fix Crashes (For Xbox App Users)
If you are playing AOE4 in the Xbox app on your Windows 10 PC, then you can repair the game. This will fix the game if there are any kind of broken or missing files. This is how you do it:
- Go to Windows settings
- Select apps and features
- Find Age of Empires 4 in the app list
- Click on Age of Empires 4 once you find it (just use sort by: size)
- Select advanced options
- Click Repair
- Please wait until the process is complete
- Restart the Xbox app
Manually update Microsoft Visual C ++ Redistributables and reboot your machine
I would recommend that you update your Visual C ++ Redistributable as there is a chance that it was not installed correctly. If you get errors like “vcruntime140_1.dll is missing” or “MSVCP140.dll not found”, this will fix it.
Install your pending Windows 10 updates
Microsoft is known for releasing a ton of updates for Windows. Some improve your experience, while others end up making things worse. If you do not update your operating system frequently, then there is a possibility that you currently have a buggy version of Windows 10. Please install any pending updates as it would only increase the compatibility of your system.
Update Microsoft game services
Look for Microsoft Gaming Services updates in the Downloads section of the Microsoft Store.
Check the integrity of game files on Steam
If you are missing textures or other content in the game or experience glitches while playing the game, you can have Steam verify that the game files are installed correctly on your computer.
- Restart your computer and start Steam
- Next, right-click on Age of Empires 4 in your library
- In the drop-down menu, select Properties …
- Select the Local Files tab and click the Verify integrity of game files … button.
- Steam will verify the game files; This process can take several minutes
Launch AOE4 directly instead of through the Steam client
- Right-click on Age of Empires 4 in your Steam library and click Properties.
- Select Local files.
- Click the Browse local filesbutton.
- Double click on the AoE4.exeapplication to start the game.
Uninstall and reinstall Age of Empires, or move it to a different drive
If you were able to install AOE4 successfully, but you are still encountering glitches in the game, reinstall the application using.
You can even try moving the game to a different unit. For some users, the crashes can be attributed to low disk space on the drive where the game is installed. Freeing up space on that drive or moving the game to a different drive will provide additional virtual memory to run the game.
To move your game to a different unit, follow these steps:
- Press the Windows Keyand search for Apps and Features.
- Click on Age of Empires 4
- Click on the Movebutton
- Choose a new unit from the drop-down menu.
- Click Moveto automatically move the game to a new home.
