[2021] Launching the game failed - red triangle

In the game launcher please set Display mode to Borderless. THEN go here:

The latest supported Visual C++ downloads

This article lists the download links for the latest versions of Visual C++. support.microsoft.com And run the x86 and x64 installers there.


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 Interactive/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 the Windows search box on the task bar. 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 Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach system.log , error.log .  

The game is crashing in your nVidia driver:

+++ WER3 +++:
Depósito con errores 2102935625033641464, tipo 4
Nombre de evento: APPCRASH
Respuesta: No disponible
Identificador de archivo .cab: 0

Firma del problema:
P1: stellaris.exe
P2: 1.0.0.0
P3: 60a29fd0
P4: nvd3dumx.dll

which is from 2016. Please do a clean reinstall of it:

- uninstall it and all other nVidia software
- reboot
- install the latest from here:
Download Drivers | NVIDIA - reboot again

Good luck with that!  

If the game still crashing in the nVidia driver, can you see in a new dxdiag.txt? Or something else now?  

We see no crashes in nVidia now so we have at least fixed one problem! However do see crashes in our launcher; are you seeing it actually crash now? Because that would be very unusual.

What happens if you exit the Steam app entirely then run stellaris.exe by itself? Do you see any Windows error then?  

I've seen that happen when the launcher does not have all rights to the file system. What antivirus app do you use?


You need to make sure all these apps are in its exceptions lists:



stellaris.exe and dowser.exe (in the Steam stellaris folder)

C:/users//AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2.2021.5.2/paradox launcher.exe

C:/users//AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/bootstrapper-v2.exe