Fix: Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous Crashing at startup, Won’t launch or lags

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is an isometric, fantasy, party-based role-playing video game that has been developed by Owlcat Games and published by Deep Silver recently in September 2021. It seems that plenty of positive reviews on Steam for the PC version. However, several Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous players are encountering the crashing at startup, or won’t launch issue, or lags on the PC.

If you’re also facing the same issue then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide completely. It should be worth mentioning that every PC game does come with multiple bugs or issues that players gonna experience quite often. But when it comes to startup crashing or lagging or the game not even launching then affected players gets irritated for sure. Luckily, we’ve shared all the possible workarounds to fix it.

Why Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous Crashing?

Most probably there are a couple of reasons behind such an issue that affected PC users don’t understand due to the lack of information. There may be an issue with the game patch version or corrupted game files, an outdated graphics driver, an outdated Windows build, the DirectX issue, the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables issue, and more.

Whereas incompatible PC configuration, third-party overlay apps, other background running tasks in the system, issues with the antivirus software, or even not running the game executable file as an administrator, etc can cause several issues whatsoever.

Fix: Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous Crashing at startup, Won’t launch or lags

Now, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into the guide below.

1. Check System Requirements

You’ll need to check whether your PC configuration is meeting the system requirements or not.

Minimum Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7
• Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-2310M CPU @ 2.10GHz
• Memory: 6 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 940M
• Storage: 50 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
• Storage: 50 GB available space

2. Run the game as an Administrator

If you’re not running your video game using an administrator privilege, then it may cause some issues with the game launching or startup crashing or even the game not loading, etc. So, it’s better to simply run the game exe file as an administrator on your Windows computer to check if that fixes the problem or not. To do so:

• Right-click on the Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

3. Verify Integrity of Game Files on Steam

Sometimes, verifying the integrity of game files can easily fix the game launching or crashing-related issues on the Windows PC. In some cases, issues with the game files or corrupted game files may cause several issues whatsoever. Luckily, these in-game file issues can be fixed by using the game launcher that you’re using. To do this:

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer.

4. Update Microsoft .NET Framework

• Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\DotNet\4.5.2
• Then run the NDP452-KB2901907-x86-x64-AllOS-ENU.exe file.
• Once done, you’ll need to restart your PC.

5. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

• Head over to the following path on your PC:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\vcredist

• You should see the following folders:
  • 2012\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2013\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2019\vc_redist.x64.exe
• Just make sure to run all of these executable files that are present. (If you’ve different folders, then run the vc_redist.x64.exe file in those folders)
• Finally, restart your PC to fix the issue.

6. Update DirectX

• Go to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\DirectX folder path.
• Next, run the DXSETUP.exe file to reinstall/update DirectX.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

7. Update GPU Drivers

It seems that multiple affected players have reported about the outdated graphics driver. If you’re also using the outdated graphics driver for a while then make sure to check for updates by following the steps below:

• Press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that’s active.

• Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download & install it.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

8. Disable Steam in-game Overlay

According to some of the affected players, disabling the Epic Games Launcher overlay and Steam overlay on the Windows computer has helped them to easily fix the game not launching issue. As the in-game overlay app is always running in the background whenever you launch the game client, it’s quite possible to have issues with the processes or system resources.

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Now, right-click on Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous > Select Properties.
• Head over to the General section > Here just uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay checkbox.
• Go back to Library > Re-open Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous to check for the not launching issue.

9. Install All Pending Windows Updates

It may possible that somehow any of the Windows bugs or system files conflict with the game to run it properly. Sometimes an incompatibility issue can also take place when you didn’t update the software for a while. So, make sure to install all the pending Windows updates one by one and keep it to the latest OS build whatsoever. To do that:

• Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
• Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.

• If there is a feature update available, select Download and install.
• Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.

10. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Program

• Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
• Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
• From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
• Make sure to select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private, Domain, and Public Network Settings.
• Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes, and try checking the issue.

Now, you’ll have to disable the anti-virus protection (Windows Defender) as well by following the steps below:

• Head over to the Windows Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Now, go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
• Click on Manage settings >Then turn off the Real-time Protection option.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

If in case, you’re using any third-party antivirus program then make sure to turn it off manually.

11. Launch the Game in Windowed Mode

Try launching the game in Windowed display mode to check if that helps you or not. Sometimes a computer with an average hardware specification can cause several issues with the fullscreen display mode while running the game.

• Open the Steam client and go to Library.
• Right-click on Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous > Select Properties.
• In the General section, click on Set Launch Options.
• Next, copy & paste the following command-line argument:

 -windowed -noborder

• Make sure to save changes and try running the game again to check if the Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous game is crashing or not.

12. Perform a Clean Boot

• Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open the System Configuration window.
• Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Click on Disable all.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, click on the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
• Under the Startup tab from the Task Manager interface, click on the particular tasks which are enabled for startup boot > Click on Disable.
• Make sure to select the high-impact startup programs and disable them one by one.
• Once all is done, restart your PC to apply changes.

13. Close Background Processes

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the task that you want to close.

• Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
• Once done, just restart your computer to change effects immediately.

14. Reset Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous

• Press the Windows (Start) + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Select Apps and Features > Click on Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous from the list of installed programs to select it.
• Now, click on Advanced options > Select Reset.
• Once done, reboot your computer and try to launch the game.

15. Reinstall Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous

If none of the methods worked for you then try reinstalling the Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous game to check if that helps you to fix the crashing issue or not. To do so:

• Launch the Steam client on your computer.
• Now, go to Library > Right-click on the Pathfinder Wrath of the Righteous game.
• Head over to Manage > Select Uninstall.
• If prompted, click on Uninstall again and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to apply changes immediately.
• Open the Steam client again and install the game again using the existing Steam account.
• Enjoy!

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.