PayDay 2 Game Not Launching, Crash Fix, Lag Error

Players have been experiencing numerous lags and other errors since PayDay 2 hit the market, even after several updates. Forums and discussion platforms like Steam are full of posts that are often accompanied by “PayDay 2 doesn’t launch in 2021” and other similar issues.

Here, in this article, we have listed some of the solutions to fix the payday 2 crash on launch error.

Payday 2 Crash On Launch

Quite some time has passed since PayDay 2 hit the market. And despite many updates, PayDay 2 is still crashing for some players.  

A few of PayDay 2’s issues have to do with Windows 10. Other issues can be worked out by fiddling with Steam. PayDay 2 has a blurry overlay, which is one of its problems. Either it is a new issue, or it is something fairly recent.

PayDay 2 crashes will be one of the very first things we discuss. You could see errors in PayDay 2 if your system crashes for a variety of reasons. 

It was released in 2013. Still to this day, does not work with certain applications or operating systems. Hopefully, PayDay 3 won’t have the same problem. In the meantime, here are some tips on how to fix PayDay 2 errors.

Install the latest drivers

Payday 2 crashes and low frame rates can occur if your graphics cards drivers are outdated. Thus, updating your graphics card drivers is essential.

Following the download and installation of the latest drivers, users reported that the game ran smoothly.

In addition, DriverFix is highly recommended for automatically downloading all the outdated drivers on your computer. Using this tool will help you get the correct drivers for the entire process.

Additionally, once DriverFix is installed, you can perform a system scan periodically so you are sure all of your PC’s components are functioning.

Besides recommending a series of suitable drivers, DriverFix will list every available option from a large database.

The game must be run as an administrator

It is necessary for Payday 2 to have administrator privileges in order to properly run on a computer. Consequently, if you don’t have administrator privileges, the game won’t start. The game needs to be run as an administrator in this case.

Follow these steps to do it.

1. Simply right-click the executable file or the desktop icon. Click on Properties.
2. Click on the Compatibility tab. Select Run this program as administrator.
3. Click the Apply button. To save changes, click the OK button.

Disabling fullscreen optimization can also be checked. This feature has been disabled by many users to resolve the issue. Also, you can try it.

Activate Payday 2 again and check if the problem has been resolved. Otherwise, you may move on to the next option.

Third-party mods should be removed

It is no secret that PayDay 2 players love its mod applications. The mod version may even be preferred to the original version by some players. 

However, these programs can also hamper the gaming experience in some cases. You are not being instructed to delete the mod version. What you can actually do is rename WSOCK32.dll to IPHLPAPI.dll.

Players who do not use mods for PayDay 2 should not use this method. 

1. Open the Run window 
2. Search by typing: %localappdata%
3. Press the Enter key.
4. Navigate to the PayDay 2 folder.
5. Rename WSOCK32.dll to IPHLPAPI.dll.

Observe if the problem is solved or still exists after running the PayDay 2 Game on your system.

Disable Steam Overlay

You can also try turning off the stream overlay. Here’s how you can do it.

1. Launch Steam.
2. Go to Settings. Select the In-Game tab.
3. Uncheck the Steam Community In-Game checkbox. Your games will no longer use Steam Overlay when you do this.
4. Save changes by clicking OK.

Here are the steps to disable Steam Overlay just for one particular game:

1. Go to your Steam library. Choose Payday 2 from the menu.
2. Select the Properties option.
3. Click on General. The in-game Steam community must be unchecked.

Verify the integrity of the game files

There is the possibility that the game files are incomplete if Payday 2 crashes or fails to launch when you launch it in Steam. You can verify the integrity of game files using Steam’s built-in feature in this situation.

1. Launch the Steam client.  
2. Right-click on Payday 2. Select Properties from the menu.
3. Click on the option Verify integrity of games under the local files tab.

Launch the game after the verification has finished to see if the problem has been resolved.

Play Payday 2 in compatibility mode

Running PayDay 2 in compatibility mode is another way to fix crashes and errors. 

1. Go to the Payday 2 installation directory or click on the Payday 2 shortcut. Search for Payday 2 .exe. 
2. Select the file by right-clicking. Select Properties from the menu.
3. Click on the Compatibility tab.
4. Ensure the program runs in compatibility mode. Select an older version of Windows.
5. Save your changes by clicking Apply and OK.

Visual C++ Redistributables should be reinstalled

Payday 2’s difficulty launching may also be due to the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable. You may experience Payday 2 crashing on startup or not launching if it is not installed thoroughly or its installation data is corrupted.

Visual C++ Redistributable needs to be reinstalled in this case. It can be uninstalled from your computer by following these steps:

1. Open Settings by pressing Windows + I.
2. Go to Apps. Apps and features should be selected.
3. Click Microsoft Visual C++ in the right pane. Select Uninstall. Confirm the removal operation. Most of the time Microsoft Visual C++ is installed in multiple versions, and all of these need to be removed.

Once you have uninstalled Visual C++ Redistributable, you can download the corresponding versions from Microsoft’s website. Follow the instructions carefully to install them. 

Once the packages have been installed, you can check to see if Payday 2 has now launched.

The file render_settings needs to be moved

Errors and crashes are also caused by data corruption. If your files are corrupt, you may experience a crash in PayDay 2. On Windows 10 and other operating systems, the render_settings.xml file is often responsible for causing errors and crashes in PayDay 2.

It can be solved in the following way.

1. Press the Windows key and the R key at the same time. Enter %appdata%. Hit OK or enter to continue.
2. Navigate to the AppData folder.
3. Three folders should be available for you. Click on Local.
4. Click on PAYDAY 2.
5. The render_settings file should be visible. Put it on your desktop.
6. Verify that the game cache is intact.
7. Run Payday 2.

Attempt to run the game again after restarting your computer if the problem persists.

The corruption of a certain file in Payday 2 can lead to a crash. Crashing problems are usually caused by the specified file.

Disable mods

You might also try disabling modes. Depending on the mod, the game might crash in certain sequences due to compatibility issues.

Due to this, we recommend you disable one mod at a time until you figure out which one is causing the issue.

The way to do this is simply to navigate to the installation directory of the game and access the Mods folder. When you’ve done so, you can delete the entire folder at one time. Reinstall Payday 2 after removing each item individually.

Do a clean boot

Payday 2 may not launch if you have installed programs that conflict with it. Try disabling or removing new applications you installed recently. 

The easiest way to find the problematic program is to clean boot your computer if there are no newly installed programs.

1. Open the Run window and type MSConfig. To open the System Configuration, press Enter.
2. Select the Services tab. Ensure that Hide all Microsoft services is checked. Select Disable all and click.
3. Go to the Startup tab. Open the Task Manager by clicking on it. Disable all startup items listed in the new window.
4. Click Apply after you have returned to the System Configuration window. Then click the OK button to save your changes.

Start Payday 2 again after restarting your computer. Similarly, if the game is launched correctly, you can try re-enabling the software one by one until you find the problematic program. Alternatively, you can uninstall it or disable it.

Install the game again

If Payday 2 does not start or stops to a black screen then we recommend reinstalling it cleanly.

The Steam client allows you to do this. Nevertheless, there’s a chance that some files and registry entries will be skipped during this process.

So, follow these steps to completely remove Playday 2.

1. Start Steam.
2. Locate the library.
3. Payday 2 can be accessed by right-clicking. Select Uninstall from the menu.
4. Go to the installation folder. Then go to the AppData folder. Delete everything.
5. Click on Registry Editor. You can find the Payday 2 registry keys by typing Payday 2. They should also be deleted.
6. Files can be deleted more quickly and with less hassle if you remove them completely.

Besides, it is the best way to verify that during reinstallation. There will be no interference between the old and new files.

Restart your computer afterward. Reopen Steam. Search for Payday 2 and reinstall it.

Final Words

This was all about the Payday 2 Crash On Launch error. The above payday 2 issues on Windows 10 are among the most common. The solutions that we have provided can easily fix all problems. Hence, you can give them a shot.

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