[2020] Stellaris Fails to Launch

In the game launcher please set Display mode to Borderless.

IF that doesn't help, Please do a full **clean** re-install:

- move any valued save games elsewhere, and user_empire_designs.txt from /Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/ if you have made any custom empires or races.
- "uninstall" in Steam-Stellaris
- manually delete both the Steam/SteamApps/common/Stellaris AND Documents/Paradox/Stellaris folders
- re-install game in Steam, run a Steam Verify when done.
- add stellaris.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.
- start the game with no mods active and test

In particular you need to make sure there are no files or folders left under either the Steam Stellaris or Documents Stellaris locations, before installing again.

Also if you have FRAPS or the MSI Gaming App or Rivatuner installed, disable it as it clashes with this game.

If that doesn't help:
DXDIAG is a program you run from a command prompt or the Windows start menu 'run' dialog box (or 'search programs' in Windows 7 or later). After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

Please attach your Documents/Paradox/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach system.log .  

Not sure I've seen that Windows error c06d007e before. If you exit the Steam app entirely and run stellaris.exe directly from Windows Explorer, what happens? Any error show then?

What antivirus do you use? Add stellaris.exe to the exceptions list of your antivirus app; ESPECIALLY if you have Windows Defender, add it to the Ransomware "Apps Allowed Through" list.


Please go here
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads And run the x86 and x64 installers there.

If still no good:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929833/use-the-system-file-checker-tool-to-repair-missing-or-corrupted-system
Good luck!  

Did SFC scannow find anything to fix?

Maybe try a .NET repair too:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/2698555/microsoft-net-framework-repair-tool-is-available  

Can i get all the logs from EU4 too please?  

At this point I suspect there is something wrong deep in Windows, but it's beyond me to find it.

One last shot: please install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here please.  

What was your machine doing when you ran that? Because the GPU temperature there is remarkably high, 79c. And the CPU is 73c. If those are idle temps they are WAy too high,m we'd more normally see in the 30s-50s at most. Unlikely to be the direct cause of your problem here, but it definitely needs to be looked into.

You have at least part of malwarebytes still running:
C:\Program Files\Malwarebytes\Anti-Malware\mbamtray.exe

And try unplugging that HUION tablet before running the game.

Good luck!  

Great! But do keep an eye on those temps, you don't want them to ever go over 80c.