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rennmc's avatar
rennmc
2 years ago

Dragon Age II not launching either through Steam or the EA app

So... I recently bought DA2 with all the DLCs on steam.

The Timeline of the problem

At first it launched just fine and after adjusting the video settings (1080 resolution and fullscreen), I could play the game with no problems. However the second time I wanted to play it took a couple of tries because it apparently couldn't work in fullscreen (even though when I switched to fullscreen in-game it worked just fine). Then the third time it wouldn't launch no matter what I did: Steam briefly says that the game is executing, an empty EA splash screen appears and then closes, and then the game on steam no longer is executing so it just says 'play' again.

I have also noticed just recently that the DLCs are missing for unknown reasons despite them being installed in the game.

A couple fixes I have tried 

  1. tried to run the game as administrator from DragonAgeII.exe. No luck.

  2. tried the solution in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1fI4m3q5Fk (it essentially entails switching the EA app to run as admin, clearing EA app's cache files and changing the clock settings) to fix the EA app. This didn't work in and of itself, but...

  3. I tried going to the DragonAge2Config.exe to change the video settings and disabled the fullscreen. This coupled with the above fix seemed to have partially solved the problem and I could launch the game through the EA app (not steam) after two tries. However, it resulted to be only a temporary solution and now I still have the same problem that I described.

Some additional info

My PC supports DirectX11 and switching to DirectX9 in the game has solved nothing.

Conclusion

I find myself unsure how I should proceed, so I am hoping you guys encountered a similar problem and fixed it or have the knowledge how to fix it.

4 Replies

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  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    5 days ago

    niqhtswings02​ 

    If you want to troubleshot your problem, please create your own thread and attach a DxDiag to your OP. 
    How to create a DxDiag:

    1. Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time to open the Run dialog box.
    2. Copy and paste or type "DxDiag" (Without the quotes) into the new field. > ENTER
    3. Wait until the green bar is gone > Click on "Save all information"
    4. Save the file to your desktop.
    5. Attach the DxDiag file to your reply (paper clip symbol). 



    I close this thread to prevent more necro posting. 

  • niqhtswings02's avatar
    niqhtswings02
    Newcomer
    5 days ago

    Unfortunately, this fix didn't help me :-( It's insanely frustrating that I cannot launch this game without the EA launcher, and yet there are no official resources from EA on how to fix this.

  • Zev-Smokey's avatar
    Zev-Smokey
    Newcomer
    14 days ago

    *2025 WORKING FIX*

    I came across this fix while trying to resolve the issue with Dead Space 3 not launching for me through Steam. I figured I would try it on Dragon Age 2, as it also runs through Steam and EA, and I had never found a fix for it. Sure enough, it worked PERFECTLY.
    Basically, Windows Security was blocking these games from launching.

    Here's how to do it:
    -Type in Windows Security in your Windows Search bar and open it.
    -Click on App & Browser Control
    -Click Exploit Protection Settings
    -Click Program Settings
    -Add Program To Customize (Choose Exact File Path)
    -Find your DragonAge2.exe (In Your Steamapps Folder) and select it, then click Open
    -Scroll till you find "Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR)?
    -Check the box for "Override system setting" and turn it off
    -Scroll some more and find "Randomize memory allocations (Bottom-up ASLR)"
    -Check the box for "Override system setting" and turn it off
    -Apply the settings by clicking "Apply"
    -Done

    Now the game works perfectly, and I have no issues. I even installed a mod collection.
    I hope this helps anyone unable to launch the game for an unknown reason.

  • holger1405's avatar
    holger1405
    Hero+
    2 years ago

    @rennmc 

    Please clear your temp files:

    • Press the Windows key and "R" at the same time
    • Into the new window, type or copy & paste:  "%temp%"   (Without the quotes.) > hit "ENTER"
    • Now your Windows Explorer should have brought you to the "C:\Users\>your user name<\AppData\Local\Temp" folder. > Delete all files and folders in it.
      (If some files or folders can't be deleted, reboot and try again.)

    Then:

    • Go here and download "Revo Uninstaller". (The freeware version, Portable version works too.)
    • Run "Revo Uninstaller" > Uninstall DA2.
    • At the end of the main uninstall, Revo will ask you which cleaning method you want to use. > Select "Moderate" > Browse
    • If "Remaining registration content found" is displayed > Select All > Delete > Next
    • When "Remaining Data and Folders" is displayed > Select All > Delete
    • Run "Revo Uninstaller" > Uninstall EA app.
    • At the end of the main uninstall, Revo will ask you which cleaning method you want to use. > Select "Moderate" > Browse.
    • If "Remaining registration content found" is displayed > Select All > Delete > Next
    • When "Remaining Data and Folders" is displayed > Select All (Make sure the "Origin Games" or "EA Games" folder is not in the list) > Delete.
    • Restart the PC > Reinstall the newest version of EA app from here.
    • Reinstall DA2. > Test.

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