error code 0Xc0000142

Hey there -- thanks for posting and welcome to the community.

The 0xC0000142 error usually means the game isn’t initialising correctly, most often due to the EA app, anti-cheat, or required system components rather than the game files themselves. A standard “Repair” doesn’t always resolve this one.

Please try the following steps in order:

1.  Run the EA app as administrator

• Fully close the EA app
• Right-click the EA app icon → Run as administrator
• Then launch Madden through Steam
  
  

2. Reinstall EA Anti-Cheat

• Navigate to:
  C:\Program Files\EA\AC
• Run EAAntiCheat.Installer.exe
• Uninstall Madden’s anti-cheat, then reinstall it
  
  

3. Repair Microsoft Visual C++
   Make sure both of these are installed and repaired:

• Visual C++ 2015–2022 (x64)
• Visual C++ 2015–2022 (x86)
  
  

4. Disable overlays
   Temporarily turn off:

• Steam Overlay
• EA app Overlay
• Discord Overlay
  
  

5. Check background apps
   Close or disable tools like MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner, Overwolf, or third-party antivirus software, then try launching again.
   
   
6. Run a system file check

• Open Command Prompt as administrator
• Run:
  sfc /scannow

If the issue continues after this, please let us know:

• Whether the error appears immediately or after the Madden splash screen
• Your Windows version (Windows 10 or 11)
• Whether any other EA games launch successfully through the EA app

We’ll be happy to keep digging with you. 👍