Apex Legends — How to Fix "Crash on startup"
What causes the Crash on startup error in Apex Legends, and the fixes in the order that works.
Last updated 2026-09-25 · evergreen reference
The "Crash on startup" failure in Apex Legends has a specific cause, and knowing it saves you from working through a dozen unrelated fixes. This page covers what the error actually looks like, why it happens, and the fixes ranked by how often they work.
What the error looks like
Confirm you are dealing with the same failure.
Recognising "Crash on startup"
Apex closes immediately when launching, crashes when loading into the lobby, or exits suddenly during matchmaking.
Why it happens
The cause determines the fix.
Cause 1
A damaged Easy Anti-Cheat service, missing certificate, or an anti-cheat file blocked by security software — EAC is required for Apex to launch and stay connected.
Cause 2
Overclocked hardware including factory overclocks, which Respawn’s own troubleshooting guide tells players to disable.
Cause 3
Old or aggressive launch options left over from older performance guides, which can create problems after updates.
Fixes, in the order that works
Cheapest and most reversible first.
Repair Easy Anti-Cheat
Open the Apex Legends install folder, find the EasyAntiCheat folder and run EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe as administrator. Select Apex Legends and choose Repair Service, or uninstall and reinstall the service. Restart before launching. If the tool will not open, your antivirus is blocking it — add the game and EAC folders to the allowlist first.
Clear your launch options and test one command
Remove everything from the Launch Options box and start normally. If you want a cap, add only +fps_max 120 first, then add or remove one command at a time.
Disable every overlay
Discord, Steam, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner, OBS, Razer Synapse and Chroma are all named in EA’s community troubleshooting guide. Also try disabling fullscreen optimizations on r5apex.exe.
Remove all overclocking
Disable CPU and GPU overclocks, including factory OC modes. Also add Apex and the EA app to your firewall exceptions, and let Windows manage the page file with the game, launcher and page file all on the same drive.
Set Easy Anti-Cheat priority to low
Launch the game, open Task Manager, go to Details, find the Easy Anti-Cheat process and set priority to Low. It is an odd fix but one of the most reported — and it must be redone each launch.
How to confirm it is fixed
One successful launch is not proof.
Retest properly
Reach the lobby and complete one match. Launching successfully but crashing in the lobby usually still points at anti-cheat or an overlay rather than at graphics settings.
If none of this works
What to do after the list is exhausted.
Gather evidence before asking
Collect your crash log, a DxDiag and the list of fixes you already tried. For Apex Legends, support will ask for all three, and a report with evidence gets a far better response than "it crashes".
Reinstall last, not first
A reinstall is the most time-consuming fix and repairs the same files that verification and cache repair handle in minutes. Try it only after the targeted fixes above have failed.
Related pages
This is an independent player reference and is not official documentation for Apex Legends. GameRulePro does not host or link to copyrighted assets. Modding guidance is for single-player use only — never use mods in online multiplayer. Verify current requirements, prices and policies with the publisher before acting.
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