Mass Effect Andromeda crashes on startup. Problems with the game Mass Effect: Andromeda

The release of a new game from the BioWare studio was one of the most important events of this year, but unfortunately the developers could not avoid problems at launch. In this article, we examined in detail all the problems that arise and tried to find ways to solve them.

By the way, in fact, everything could have been much worse, because Andromeda is the first game in the series created on the new engine. We are talking about Frostbite, created by the bright minds of the guys from the DICE team, which at the end of last year greatly pleased fans of online shooters with the release of .

As always, before moving on to analyzing the technical problems of the game, you first need to make sure that the computer is completely ready for travel. This time it will be very distant and dangerous - after all, not every year you get a trip to a neighboring galaxy, which means you can’t do it without the appropriate preparation!

Mass Effect: Andromeda System Requirements

Minimum system requirements:

  • OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (x64 only);
  • CPU: Intel Core i5-3570 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-6350 3.9 GHz;
  • RAM: 8 GB;
  • Video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 with 2 GB of video memory or AMD Radeon 7850 with 2 GB of video memory;
  • HDD: 55 GB;
  • DirectX version: 11;
  • Sound card
  • OS: Windows 7/8/8.1/10 (x64 only);
  • CPU: Intel Core i5 or similar;
  • RAM: 16 GB;
  • Video card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 with 3 GB of video memory or AMD Radeon RX 480 with 4 GB of video memory;
  • HDD: 55 GB;
  • DirectX version: 11;
  • Sound card: Compatible with DirectX 9.0c or higher.
The first thing that catches your eye is the fairly high processor requirements. Indeed, the game really needs processor power, but this does not mean that you will necessarily have to buy an Intel Core i5-3570. In fact, the game will run even on an i5-2400 thanks to what Frostbite wrote by experts in their field, but in this case high temperatures cannot be avoided: 80-85 degrees, no less.

Files, drivers and libraries

Every major release does not go unnoticed by the two largest manufacturers of graphics accelerators - Nvidia and AMD. And even more so, there is no such situation that a new Mass Effect has been released, but there is no specialized driver. Therefore, before heading off to the black oceans of Andromeda, it’s worth updating:

A prerequisite for the successful functioning of any game is the availability of the latest drivers for all devices in the system. Download the utility to easily and quickly download the latest drivers and install them with one click: Now that the driver issue has been resolved, you can update the rest of the software, which is used in almost every game, just in case. These are DirectX, .NET Framework and, of course, Visual C++ extension libraries: MS Visual C++ is included in a separate list for your convenience; it is best to put them in order, but it is likely that some editions are already installed on the system. In this case, there is no need to reinstall them. That's all, now the on-board computer is fully prepared for flight. Ready, attention, start!

Mass Effect: Andromeda won't launch. Solution

Oops! It looks like something went wrong: the engine didn’t start, or maybe brake fluid spilled somewhere. There are two reasons why Mass Effect: Andromeda may not start. Let's look at them in order.

Firstly, the game will not launch if at least 42% of the distribution is not downloaded. The fact is that the project was released with support for the Ready to Play system, which allows you to play directly while loading. In this case, you will still have to wait until the minimum required amount of data is downloaded.

Secondly, your antivirus may mistake one of the game's executable files for malware. The false positive occurs due to the ActivationUI.exe file, which is located in the Core folder.

The file is 100% safe and is responsible for connecting the game interface. If the game does not start, try adding ActivationUI.exe to the exceptions list. By default, the file can be found in the following path: C:Program Files (x86)Origin GamesMass Effect AndromedacoreActivationUI.exe

Mass Effect: Andromeda is not available on Origin, the "Play" button does not work. Solution

This problem is typical not so much for the game itself, but for the Origin launcher, through which almost all games published by Electronic Arts are delivered. Even if the game is downloaded and installed at 100%, the “Play” button in the library may remain grayed out, meaning it cannot be clicked and, accordingly, the game cannot be launched.

There are two ways to solve it. The first one is simple and fast, but it doesn’t help everyone. It consists of disconnecting the Internet cable, turning off Origin, and then reconnecting the cable and turning on Origin.

The second method takes longer, but it helps everyone: you need to uninstall Origin and then reinstall it by downloading the installation file from the official website.

Black screen in Mass Effect: Andromeda when starting or maximizing a window. Solution

It can occur when starting the game, or when the user minimizes the game window and then maximizes it. In this case, the game process is displayed in the “Task Manager”, but the game itself does not start.

Before the first patch came out, this problem could be avoided by enabling borderless window mode in the game settings. Removing the Corsair Utility Engine program, which conflicted with Mass Effect: Andromeda, also helped.

Currently, the developers already support Corsair Utility Engine, so you need to download the game update so as not to experience problems launching the game.

In Mass Effect: Andromeda the error “DirectX function...” Solution

This is a typical “engine crash” of the game, which means it is related to Frostbite, the platform on which the game was created. Such errors periodically caused inconvenience to Battefield 1 players, but were later corrected by patches.

The "DirectX function..." error occurs due to a minor video memory leak in the game. This is why the game can crash on both old and new video cards, especially if the user loads the system with additional applications.

To reduce the likelihood of this error occurring, you should limit the consumption of system resources. To do this, you can close the browser, turn off heavy programs like Photoshop, which reserve video memory and RAM for your needs.

Mass Effect: Andromeda crashes to desktop in multiplayer. Solution

A very annoying problem that occurs when trying to play a multiplayer game with a friend. At random times, the game may crash without any errors or notifications. Moreover, if you play with automatic selection, then there are no crashes.

This is probably a bug that causes the game to crash when the connection is unstable. Most games have a certain period of waiting for packets to arrive, and only after the “timeout” expires does the disconnect occur.

At the release of Mass Effect: Andromeda, such moments are not always handled correctly, which is why periodic crashes occur. It remains to wait for patches.

As a temporary solution, you can try switching roles: let the other player, who has a more stable Internet connection, create a lobby.

It would also be a good idea to check the availability of the ports used by the game. Mass Effect: Andromeda makes a network connection through the following TCP ports: 443, 17503, 17504, 10000-19999, 42210, 42130, 42230. And here is a list of UDP ports: 3659, 10000-19999. If they are blocked in the router settings, then the online game may be unstable or not work at all.

Character freezes in Mass Effect: Andromeda. The main character does not respond to commands. Solution

The locations in the new game from BioWare have become much larger than in, but with this new problems have appeared. Sometimes a character can seem to get “stuck” in certain places, which makes it impossible to control him.

The developers are aware of this problem and will try to clean the game world of Mass Effect: Andromeda from such bad places.

But if you fall into such a peculiar trap, then try using fast movement. To do this, open the location map (key “M” on the keyboard), find the icon of the forward base (icon with a capsule) and left-click on it. Then Ryder will move this place and become controllable again.

If there are no “open” capsules at the location yet, then loading the last automatic save will be your salvation.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is slow. Low FPS. Solution

Despite the presence of some technical problems, the game is optimized at a decent level, so in the vast majority of cases, low performance may be due to the fact that there are many resource-intensive processes running in the system.

Even a powerful computer that fully meets the system requirements can sometimes slow down the frame rate if the operating system simultaneously runs a browser with a large number of windows, Skype with many active chats, and an elevated video conference.

To improve game performance, you should try disabling programs that are not needed for the game, and also make sure that you have at least 10 gigabytes of free space on your hard drive.

If the computer has not been “cleaned” of unnecessary files for a long time, then you should use the CCleaner utility. It is free and allows you to quickly clean your system of temporary files and delete irrelevant registry entries.

In Mass Effect: Andromeda, the image on an HDR monitor is distorted. Solution

It's a shame when an expensive monitor with 4K resolution and HDR support causes problems in a new game. Unfortunately, this is exactly the case with Mass Effect: Andromeda.

The developers did not have time to establish stable operation of the game with the HDR mode enabled. Sometimes it works fine, but sometimes it can cause graphic glitches and distortion of the image on the monitor.

The developers are going to release a fix soon that will still allow you to play Mass Effect: Andromeda with HDR, but for now it is better to disable this option. Well, or, as a last resort, you can try minimizing and expanding the game when this problem occurs, this helps many.

Mass Effect: Andromeda gives an error about a missing DLL file. Solution

As a rule, problems associated with missing DLLs arise when starting a game, but sometimes the game can access certain DLLs during the process and, not finding them, crash in the most blatant manner.

The development team at BioWare has put a lot of effort into eliminating all the bugs in their Mass Effect product, but, alas, not everything remains flawless. Unfortunately, the optimized version also produces a lot of errors, no matter how hard the developers try.

In the event that you encounter bugs during the game, Mass Effect crashes or does not start, our guide will tell you what to do in most known cases.

Almost all errors that users encounter have been discovered a long time ago - everything has been done so that everyone can fix them on their own. Manufacturers also periodically release patches that fix one or another common error. Also keep in mind that you need to be a confident PC user in order to fix errors yourself. Otherwise, if you have no idea what you’re doing, it’s better to invite a person who will understand at least something about setting up a PC.

Mass Effect: Andromeda has a lot of bugs

Mass Effect won't launch or install

Mass Effect Error Number One: Direct X Install Critical Error Fix

This error occurs in some parts of the game series, for example, in the third. If you install Mass Effect using Origin, you run the risk of not being able to install DirectX. As a result, a message will be displayed stating that a Direct X Internal Critical Error has occurred. In order to solve it, you should go to drive C, then to Program Files (x86). There, select the Origin Games folder, then in Mass Effect 3 - __Installer. In this folder, select directx, there find redist, in which you should delete: DSETUP.dll, dsetup32.dll, DXSETUP.exe. After this, the error is eliminated.

The second error also occurs while playing the third part of Mass Effect

Its name is VC++ Runtime Distributable Package Not Installed Error. To resolve it, you should first download the latest version of Microsoft C++, to do this, use the installation directory in Mass Effect 3. You can go to the official Microsoft website, and then download Microsoft C++ 2010 x64.

You can uninstall Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 on your PC, as well as any other Microsoft programs that you have. After that, go to drive C, find the Program Files (x86) folder. There select the Origin Games folder, then in Mass Effect 3 -__Installer. After that, follow the vc path, after vc2008sp1 and into redist. There delete vcredist. After that, on drive C, in the same folder where you are, drop the Microsoft C++ pack. After this, the problem of Mass Effect not starting should not arise.

One of the common problems is that in Mass Effect there is an installation window where the installation takes forever. To solve this problem, you should go to regeditor, then follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, then SOFTWARE, Wow 6432Node, EA Games, and finally Mass Effect. Open this folder and go to GDFBinary. There, add Install Dir to the value. After that, copy this text and add it to the path C:\Program Files\Origin Games\Mass Effect (the installation path may differ). As a result, you will get this: ab (Default) REG_SZ (not installed); ab GDFBinary REG_SZ C:\Program Files\Origin Games\Mass Effect \GDFBinary_en_US.dll; ab Install Dir REG_SZ C:\Program Files\Origin Games\Mass Effect. Finally, restart your computer.

If Mass Effect does not start and the error Mass Effect 3: Failed to Initialize The Physics System pops up, this means that there are problems with the physics in the game. Fam should clean up the physics drivers and then update them. If everything happens again, then you should copy PhysXCore.dll and paste it into \Mass Effect 3\Binaries\Win32\.

If Mass Effect is slow, there is a way to check its performance. If it is low, you need to increase it - this often happens when using a laptop for gaming. You should open the nvidia control panel, then go to “3d settings”, and then “manage 3d settings”. After that, go to the program settings, find mass effect, and then change to high performance nvidia processor.

If during the loading process of Mass Effect it is interrupted and the AWC.Dll Exe Loader error is displayed, then you should contact a Bioware moderator. Often this error appears in the second and third parts of the game.

Mass Effect crashes

Sometimes the game may crash to the desktop. It’s clear that you want to eliminate this error, which is interfering with normal progress. To do this, you need to go to the toolbar, where you click on quality and then select Performance.

If you also have a low frame rate and the picture freezes, then you should pay attention to the video card driver. After all, Mass Effect often slows down precisely because you need to update the driver. In order to do this, you need to go into Nvidia settings, then go into 3D control, select Program Settings, and then go to the “Add” line. At the same time, enter the game folder, and then follow the path “Mass Effect \Binaries\Win32” and select “MassEffect.exe”. After that, select the “preferred graphics processor of this computer” column, and then apply “NVIDIA High-Performance Processor”

After that, reboot

If the Origin mode in Mass Effect does not start, then you need to check if the Internet is working. You can also turn off your antivirus program.

If Mass Effect crashes during startup, turn off Origin. If a Black Screen occurs during the process, you can lower the resolution level, update the driver, activate software compatibility mode, or use launch via an exe file or config.exe.

If Mass Effect does not load, you can also try selecting MassEffect through the task manager, and then selecting Set Affinity. Then change the cores to two.

It also happens when Mass Effect crashes and loads very slowly, then you need to remove the checkbox from the Enable Origin In-game item in the game settings.


You can fix all errors in the game yourself

Other errors

  • Sometimes there is a small problem with the fact that your hero seems to get stuck. To do this, you should restart the game, logging in next time through a previously saved option.
  • If voice chat does not turn on in the multiplayer mode of the Mass Effect game, you should double-check the microphone connection using the Tab button or reinstall the toy on your PC. Also, if your microphone icon is blinking red, you should update the driver. Alternatively, you can restart your PC.
  • But if using hotkeys does not work in multiplayer mode, then you should re-enter Mass Effect, and then select another hero in the lobby.
  • But if Mass Effect is slow and you have problems using the chat, then you should restart your PC.
  • Errors in textures may occur during the game. Then you should update the driver.
  • If you get disconnected during the process, then you should look for less complex toys.
  • If you encounter an error while searching for friends in multiplayer mode, then it is not your fault - the developers did not work the search properly.
  • If during the game the hero stops moving, you can try to make a jump and go for cover.

We hope our tips helped resolve all the issues and now the Mass Effect error will no longer occur.

It gives many reasons for complaints: faces are poorly animated, optimization on PC is poor, and bugs are often annoying. But BioWare promises to fix most of these shortcomings soon. In the meantime, we wait - here is a list of what it is quite possible to cope with on your own.

PC version optimization

Andromeda barely produces 60 frames per second at high and ultra settings, even with recommended configurations; most players with GTX 1060-level video cards are forced to settle for a frame rate of no higher than 55 fps. The difference is small, but still not pleasant.

Fortunately, this can be resolved with more fine-tuning. You can learn more about this, but, but in short - lower the quality of the shadows, and performance will noticeably improve.


General measures

This may seem obvious to some, but check that your video card drivers are fresh - some of the loading and performance problems may arise precisely because of outdated software.

Also make sure in the game settings that it is running in full screen mode - windowed and frameless windowed modes consume more resources on your PC.

And one more banal, but not outdated piece of advice. Open the system unit and see if there is a lot of dust in it. You can take a ruler and measure the thickness of the layer - if there is more than two millimeters, then this can no longer be attributed to a statistical error. Dust greatly affects the heating of components, and this, in turn, affects their performance and lifespan.

When cleaning, disconnect the computer from the electrical outlet and open the windows wider - it is better not to inhale dust. And don’t go into the components with a wet rag - we remove large clumps with a vacuum cleaner (preferably with a brush attachment, so as not to damage anything), then blow them with a hairdryer (preferably near a window and always with cold air), and then go over them with an alcohol wipe. If the computer is more than two years old, it is better to check whether the thermal paste on the processor is dry, but if in doubt, it is better to entrust it to a professional or at least call a friend.


Known solvable bugs

Black screen at startup or when minimizing the window- the problem can be caused by various utility programs like Corsair Utility Engine. Remove them and restart the game.

The process is activated, but the game itself does not start- here, most likely, the antivirus or firewall is to blame. Find this file ActivationUI.exe (standard C:Program Files (x86)Origin GamesMass Effect AndromedacoreActivationUI.exe) in the folder with the game installed and add it to the list of exceptions in your security system.

When HDR mode is activated, the picture looks incorrect- A compatible monitor or TV is required to use HDR. If everything matches, simply restart the game. Sometimes Radeon video cards have problems displaying colors in the extended range, try going into the video card settings and checking the HDR section.

It’s hard to hear surrounding sounds- change the sound output mode in the audio settings; perhaps the one you have installed does not correspond to the actual speaker configuration.

The game freezes on the loading screen - this can happen at any time, not only when starting or loading a save. Close the program and go to Origin settings. There, find a way to disable cloud saves, and try to restore the game - something might have gone wrong during installation.

The sound disappears- restart the game.

Rider gets stuck in texture or falls through- take out/put away your weapon, activate the scanner, jump. If it doesn’t work out, you can always use fast travel or just save and load the game in the same place - the character will be freed.

Scripts required for missions do not work- leave the location and return, the animation should activate.

Problems with playing online- reboot the router, turn off the VPN if you have one. In addition, the game uses a peer 2 peer connection in multiplayer. so if your “host” happens to be on the other side of the planet (although matchmaking is usually carried out in one region), lag due to high ping cannot be avoided.

In addition, check the following ports in your computer's network connection settings:

  • TCP: 443, 17503, 17504, 10000-19999, 42210, 42130, 42230
  • UDP: 3659, 10000-19999


Bugs that will be fixed soon

BioWare has promised to release a patch soon that should resolve several common bugs. Here is a list of problems that will definitely be fixed in the update:

  • Video cards in Crossfire provide almost no increase in power
  • PC version does not support Dolby Vision
  • When running on 4:3 screens, the image is stretched unnaturally
  • FPS drops significantly in Storm Canyons location
  • teammates teleport uncontrollably or get stuck in one place
  • Objects in space behave incorrectly and tremble
  • Autosave happens too rarely
  • Main mission scripts don't work
  • If you skip cutscenes too often, the Ryder may end up hanging in the air.
  • If you zigzag, the rider may get out of control and begin a cycle of random animations
  • Disappearing sound
  • If you create a new character immediately after exiting an existing walkthrough to the menu, some quests and Journal items may be carried over

The update will be released in the coming days.


  1. The game won't start:
  • Make sure that your system meets at least the minimum requirements of the game;
  • If you start the game, but nothing happens, then check the list of processes in Task Manager. If the game is present in the processes, it is most likely blocking firewall or antivirus. Add an application to the exception ActivationUI.exe, located on the way C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Mass Effect Andromeda\Core\.

2. Error at startup referring to DirectX:

  • First of all, update DirectX;
  • Also update the drivers for the video card, the minimum version of the required drivers is NVidia: 378.78, and on AMD: 17.3.2;
  • Install or update packages VC++ 64-32-bit versions, put both.

3. Black screen:

  • First, check the system requirements. If the central processor is not powerful enough or there is not enough RAM, the game may freeze at startup and there will be a black screen, or the game will simply start very slowly and you have to wait;
  • If your system has enough capacity, you should make sure that they are all available for download. Click WIN+R, in the window that opens, enter msconfig, go to section downloads and click on the button Extra options and if the boxes are ticked number of processors And maximum memory uncheck the boxes and save the changes;
  • Reinstall the program Corsair Utility Engine;
  • It’s also worth trying to switch the game to windowed mode and back using a keyboard shortcut Alt+Enter.

4. Problem with multiplayer:

  • Disable the proxy server and connection VPN.

5. The game lagged:

  • Apart from an internal code bug in the game, which will be resolved through patches, there are three reasons why the game freezes;
  • The central processor is too busy, or your processor is weak, or it is loaded with something else and it’s worth checking the list of processes in the Task Manager;
  • The RAM memory is full, the same as with the processor, either the volume is not enough, or check what is filled with it;
  • The video card can't handle it, it's worth lowering the graphics quality.

If you are faced with the fact that Mass Effect: Andromeda slows down, crashes, Mass Effect: Andromeda does not start, Mass Effect: Andromeda does not install, controls do not work in Mass Effect: Andromeda, there is no sound, errors pop up, Mass Effect: Andromeda does not saves work - we offer you the most common ways to solve these problems.

First, check whether your PC's specifications meet the minimum system requirements:

  • OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350
  • Memory: 8 GB
  • Video: NVIDIA GTX 660 2 GB, AMD Radeon 7850 2 GB
  • HDD: 55 GB free space
  • DirectX 11

Be sure to update your video card drivers and other software

Before you remember the worst words and express them towards the developers, do not forget to go to the official website of the manufacturer of your video card and download the latest drivers. Often, drivers specially optimized for them are prepared for the release of games. You can also try installing a later version of drivers if the problem is not solved by installing the current version.

It is important to remember that you should only download the final versions of video cards - try not to use beta versions, as they may have a large number of unfound and unfixed errors.

Do not forget that for stable operation of games, installation of the latest version of DirectX is often required, which can always be downloaded from the official Microsoft website.

Mass Effect: Andromeda won't launch

Many problems with launching games occur due to incorrect installation. Check if there were any errors during installation, try uninstalling the game and running the installer again, after disabling the antivirus - often files necessary for the game to work are deleted by mistake. It is also important to remember that the path to the folder with the installed game should not contain Cyrillic characters - use only Latin letters and numbers for directory names.

It also doesn’t hurt to check if there is enough space on the HDD for installation. You can try to run the game as Administrator in compatibility mode for different versions of Windows.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is slow. Low FPS. Lags. Friezes. Freezes

First, install the latest drivers for your video card; this can significantly increase the FPS in the game. Also check your computer's load in the task manager (opened by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESCAPE). If before starting the game you see that some process is consuming too many resources, turn off its program or simply end this process from the task manager.

Next, go to the graphics settings in the game. First of all, turn off anti-aliasing and try lowering the post-processing settings. Many of them consume a lot of resources and disabling them will significantly improve performance without significantly affecting the picture quality.

Mass Effect: Andromeda crashes to desktop

If Mass Effect: Andromeda often crashes to your desktop slot, try to start solving the problem by reducing the quality of the graphics. It is possible that your computer simply does not have enough performance and the game cannot run correctly. It's also worth checking for updates - most modern games have a system for automatically installing new patches. Check if this option is disabled in the settings.

Black screen in Mass Effect: Andromeda

More often than not, the problem with a black screen is an issue with the GPU. Check if your video card meets the minimum requirements and install the latest drivers. Sometimes a black screen is a result of insufficient CPU performance.

If everything is fine with the hardware and it meets the minimum requirements, try switching to another window (ALT+TAB), and then returning to the game window.

Mass Effect: Andromeda won't install. Installation stuck

First of all, check if you have enough HDD space for installation. Remember that for the installation program to work correctly, the stated amount of space is required, plus 1-2 gigabytes of free space on the system disk. In general, remember the rule - there should always be at least 2 gigabytes of free space on the system disk for temporary files. Otherwise, both games and programs may not work correctly or may refuse to start at all.

Installation problems can also occur due to a lack of Internet connection or unstable operation. Also, do not forget to pause the antivirus while installing the game - sometimes it interferes with the correct copying of files or deletes them by mistake, considering them viruses.

Saves not working in Mass Effect: Andromeda

By analogy with the previous solution, check the availability of free space on the HDD - both on the one where the game is installed and on the system drive. Often save files are stored in a documents folder, which is located separately from the game itself.

Controls not working in Mass Effect: Andromeda

Sometimes game controls do not work due to multiple input devices being connected at the same time. Try disabling the gamepad or, if for some reason you have two keyboards or mice connected, keep only one pair of devices. If your gamepad does not work, then remember that games are officially supported only by controllers defined as Xbox joysticks. If your controller is detected differently, try using programs that emulate Xbox joysticks (for example, x360ce).

Sound not working in Mass Effect: Andromeda

Check if the sound works in other programs. After this, check whether the sound is turned off in the game settings and whether the sound playback device to which your speakers or headset is connected is selected there. Next, while the game is running, open the mixer and check if the sound there is muted.

If you are using an external sound card, check for new drivers on the manufacturer's website.