Lost Ark Not Launching? Here’s the Fix

Lost Ark is an exceptional MMORPG that has captivated gamers since its release. However, technical hiccups, such as the game not launching, can disrupt your gaming experience. If you find yourself stuck on a loading screen or facing a black screen, don’t worry. In this article, we will show you 6 methods that have successfully resolved the issue for many players and get into the game. Read on…

How to fix Lost Ark not launching

You don’t have to try them all. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that gets the problem fixed.

1. Allow your game through the Windows Firewall
2. Verify the integrity of game files
3. Update your graphics driver
4. Run Lost Ark as an administrator
5. Turn off unnecessary programs
6. Switch to DX11

Fix 1 – Allow your game through the Windows Firewall

A restrictive firewall setting might prevent Lost Ark from accessing the internet, stopping it from launching properly. To ensure the game operates without interruptions, follow these steps to allow it through the firewall:

1. Type Windows firewall in the Windows search box and select Windows Defender Firewall from the results.
   
2. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall from the left pane.
   
3. Click Change settings.
   
4. Scroll down to locate Lost Ark. Then check the boxes under the Domain, Private and Public tabs, and click OK to save the settings.
   
5. If you can’t find the game on the list, click Allow another app.
   
6. Click Browse, navigate to the Lost Ark installation folder and choose the LostArk.exe file. Then click Add.
7. Make sure the game is allowed for Domain, Private, and Public access, and click OK to confirm the changes.

Now see if you can start the game. If not, try the next method.

Fix 2 – Verify the integrity of game files

Missing or corrupted game files are also common causes of a game not launching properly. To see if that’s the case with Lost Ark, try to verify the integrity of the game files.

1. Launch the Steam client and select the Library tab.
   
2. From the game list, right-click Lost Ark and select Properties.
   
3. Click the Local Files tab, and click Verify integrity of game files.
   

It may take a couple of minutes for the process to complete. Once done, restart the game to test the issue. If the problem persists, move on to more fixes below.

Fix 3 – Update your graphics driver

Game issues are usually driver-related. If you’re using a broken or outdated graphics driver, Lost Ark may not launch the right way. To gain the best in-game performance, you should update your graphics drivers regularly.

Main graphics card manufacturers constantly roll out new drivers for the latest titles. You could visit their official websites (AMD or NVIDIA), find the driver corresponding with your operating system, download and install it manually.

If you don’t have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your graphics drivers manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact GPU, and your Windows version and it will download and install them correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click the Activate & Update button next to the flagged device to download and install the correct version of this driver automatically.
   
   Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system (You’ll need the Pro version for this – when you select Update All, you’ll get a prompt to upgrade. If you’re not prepared to purchase the Pro version yet, Driver Easy provides a 7-day trial at no cost, granting access to all Pro features like fast downloads and easy installation. No charges will occur until after your 7-day trial period ends.)
   

A driver update should greatly improve your game experience. But if this doesn’t resolve the problem, check out the next solution.

Fix 4 – Run Lost Ark as an administrator

Due to the lack of administrative rights, a program or game may not access certain files and therefore fail to launch. To avoid permission issues like this, you should run Lost Ark as an administrator as follows.

1. Go to the Lost Ark installation folder, which you can find at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Lost Ark\Binaries\Win64. If it’s not there, launch your Steam client, right-click the game, select Properties > Local Files > Browse local files.
2. Right-click the LOSTARK.exe file and click Properties.
   
3. Select the Compatibility tab. Tick Disable full-screen optimizations and Run this program as an administrator.
   
4. Click OK.

Try launching the game to see how things go. Still no luck? Take a look at the next method.

Fix 5 – Turn off unnecessary programs

When you have too many programs running in the background, it can eat up the system resources (CPU and bandwidth), and therefore make your Lost Ark not launch or work. To solve this, just shut down all the unnecessary programs besides Steam and the game launcher.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run command. Type taskmgr and press Enter.
   
2. Select the program and click End task until you close all the unneeded applications.
   

Restart and check the game. If it still can’t get past the loading screen, continue to Fix 6.

Fix 6 – Switch to DX11

Some Lost Ark players experienced performance issues such as crashing or stuttering when running the game on DX12. If you’re in the same situation, launching the game in DX11 may mitigate your problem.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to open the Run box. Then, type dxdiag and press Enter.
   
2. Check your DirectX version. If it’s DirectX 12, continue to step 3, or if you have DirectX 11, skip this fix.
   

1. Launch Steam and go to the Library tab.
   
2. Right-click Lost Ark from the game list and select Properties.
   
3. Under Launch Options, type Type -dxlevel 110 in the field and click OK. and close the window.
   
4. Click Close.
   

Now relaunch Steam and Lost Ark. Is it able to work correctly in the DX11 version? If not, try the next fix below.

Hopefully one of the methods helped you with the Lost Ark not launching issue. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

• games
• Steam