EASteamLauncher.exe crashes on every launch attempt (0xC0000005) — FC 26, Steam version — fully reproducible, extensive troubleshooting done
Platform: PC (Steam)
EA app / EA Desktop version: 13.743.0.6256
When launching FC 26 from Steam, the game loader popup appears ("Launching Game..."), a windowed splash shows for 3-4 seconds, then it silently closes. No error dialog is shown to me — the crash only appears in Windows Event Viewer. Same result launching via the EA app.
This is 100% reproducible on every single attempt (10+ tries over multiple sessions), always crashing at the exact same two instructions.
Event Viewer details:
Faulting application name: EASteamLauncher.exe, version: 13.743.0.6256, time stamp: 0x6a487f2a
Faulting module name: EASteamLauncher.exe, version: 13.743.0.6256, time stamp: 0x6a487f2a
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x00000000004605a9
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Electronic Arts\EA Desktop\EA Desktop\EASteamLauncher.exe
I captured several crash dumps and analyzed them directly (parsed the minidump exception + module streams myself, no debugger needed). Findings:
- Every crash is STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION (0xC0000005), always a near-null pointer dereference (access address 0x0 or 0x111 — not a wild/garbage pointer, not stack corruption).
- Every single crash lands on one of exactly two instructions, deterministically, every launch:
- EASteamLauncher.exe+0x4605A9 (access violation reading address 0x0)
- EASteamLauncher.exe+0x460E00 (access violation reading address 0x111)
- These two offsets have been identical across 6+ separate crash sessions over several hours, regardless of what I changed on my end (see below).
- On one occasion the same class of crash (same 0x0/0x111 near-null pattern) also hit EADesktop.exe, EALaunchHelper.exe, EALocalHostSvc.exe, and EALauncher.exe individually in earlier sessions, before those seemed to stabilize — EASteamLauncher.exe is the one that consistently crashes every attempt now.
Troubleshooting already completed (none of it changed the crash offset or behavior):
1. Verified integrity of game files via Steam.
2. Fully uninstalled EA app, deleted leftover folders (Program Files, ProgramData, LocalAppData for Electronic Arts), reinstalled fresh.
3. Cleaned all Electronic Arts registry keys (HKCU and HKLM, including WOW6432Node) and reinstalled again.
4. Cleared Steam's local caches (appcache/httpcache, config/htmlcache) and force-rebuilt the FC 26 appmanifest (renamed appmanifest_3405690.acf, let Steam re-verify and re-run install scripts including the EA Javelin anti-cheat installer script).
5. Tested launching from both Steam directly and from the EA app directly — same crash both ways.
6. Full clean boot (msconfig — all non-Microsoft services and startup items disabled) — same crash.
7. Added Windows Defender process exclusions for all EA executables and tested with real-time protection toggled off — same crash.
8. Reinstalled EA AntiCheat via EAAntiCheat.Installer.exe.
9. Disabled Memory Integrity (Core Isolation).
10. GPU drivers are current; no other software on this PC has similar crashes.
Given the crash is 100% reproducible at the exact same two code offsets regardless of a full uninstall, registry wipe, clean boot, and Steam file verification, this looks like a genuine client-side bug in this build of EASteamLauncher.exe rather than local corruption. I have full minidumps (.dmp) available for EASteamLauncher.exe, EADesktop.exe, EALaunchHelper.exe, EALocalHostSvc.exe, and EALauncher.exe if a dev wants to inspect them with proper debug symbols — happy to attach or send them directly.
Would really appreciate help from someone who can actually symbolicate offset 0x4605A9 against the internal build — at this point I've exhausted everything reasonable on my end. Thanks.
