How to fix Helldivers 2 not launching on Steam error

On Feb. 8, Helldivers 2 finally released. Most players are jumping straight into the action, but several Steam users are experiencing a frustrating launch error that prevents Helldivers 2 from starting.

From developer Arrowhead Game Studios, Helldivers 2 released on two platforms: PC and PlayStation 5. On PC, it’s only available through Steam, but not everyone is able to play. Luckily, we have a solution that might help.

How to fix Helldivers 2 launch error on Steam

Many players are unable to play Helldivers 2 due to an unusual error that appears on Steam. The concern quickly made it to the game’s forums, including the Discord server, where one player might have found an effective solution. Follow these steps, as they’ve already helped several users:

1. Download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable update from Microsoft’s page.
2. Run the setup as an administrator.
3. Update the application on your PC.
4. Afterward, go to your local files on your PC and find Helldivers.exe in Steam’s folder.
5. Run the game as an administrator.

Apparently, updating C++ to the newest version as an admin, then launching the game as an admin fixes the issue. According to several players, if you don’t follow these steps, GameGuard anti-cheat can’t start properly, which makes the game crash when you try to launch it.

We expect the developer to release a fix for this problem (and other Helldivers 2 issues) in the coming days, given it’s still very soon after launch. But, if the fix above doesn’t work for you, try other common fixes on Steam, including:

• Restarting Helldivers 2.
• Reinstalling the game.
• Restarting your PC.
• Verifying files on Steam.

If these don’t work, we advise you to wait for an official solution from the developer. We will update this article as soon as we learn of new fixes for the issue.