How to Fix Football Manager 2024 Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC

14 min Read
Football Manager 2024

Football Manager 2024, the latest installment in the critically acclaimed football management simulation series by Sports Interactive, published by Sega, has encountered technical difficulties. As a football club manager, players get to experience everything from tactical setups to player transfers in the game. Despite the game’s engaging gameplay and extensive range of features, some users have reported a recurring issue where the game crashes upon startup on PCs. This can be a significant obstacle for those with a passion for management.

If you’re experiencing crashes while trying to manage your football team, there could be several reasons behind it. Outdated system components and drivers, corrupted game files, and incompatible hardware are some of the common causes of this problem. It’s crucial to address this issue to enjoy the strategic intricacies of the game. Fortunately, there are many solutions available to help mitigate these crashes. By optimizing your system and eliminating potential issues one by one, you can often find a resolution and get back to your quest for football glory without further interruption.Football Manager 2024

Reason Why Football Manager 2024 Keeps Crashing on PC?

There could be several reasons why Football Manager 2024 is crashing on startup for PC users. Without specific error messages or diagnostic information, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause, but here are some common factors to consider:

  1. System Requirements: If your PC does not meet the minimum system requirements for Football Manager 2024, the game may fail to launch properly.
  2. Outdated Graphics Drivers: If your graphics card drivers are not up to date, they may not support the game, leading to crashes.
  3. Corrupt Game Files: Sometimes, files get corrupted during the download or installation process. This can cause games to crash unexpectedly.
  4. Compatibility Issues: The game might have compatibility issues with certain hardware or software configurations, which weren’t identified during testing.
  5. Background Applications: Other applications running in the background can interfere with the game, especially if they are consuming a lot of system resources or causing conflicts.
  6. Overheating: If your PC is overheating, it may lead to performance issues or crashes.
  7. Antivirus Software: Occasionally, antivirus programs can falsely identify a game as a threat and prevent it from running correctly.
  8. Outdated Operating System: An older version of your operating system might not be fully compatible with the game.
  9. DirectX Problems: Football Manager 2024 may require a specific version of DirectX that isn’t installed or is malfunctioning on your PC.
  10. Custom User Data: Custom graphics, skins, or database edits can sometimes cause instability or crashes.

To resolve these issues, users can try updating their drivers and operating system, verifying the integrity of game files (if there’s such an option through the game platform), running the game as an administrator, checking for overheating issues, disabling background applications, configuring antivirus exceptions for the game, or reinstalling the game entirely. If the problem persists, contacting the game’s support team for a specific solution or looking for official patches that address known issues would be the next steps. We have made a detailed guide to troubleshoot the Football Manager 2024, which keeps crashing on startup on PC.

How to Fix Football Manager 2024 Keeps Crashing on PC

As you are aware of the potential reasons behind the crashing issue with PC games, let’s go over the following workarounds. We have listed some troubleshooting methods below that could be helpful. Therefore, it is essential to follow each method until the problem is resolved.

Check System Requirements

To ensure Football Manager 2024 runs smoothly on your PC, you should compare your system’s hardware and software specifications against the game’s minimum and recommended requirements. Here are the general steps to check your system requirements:

Minimum Requirements:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10/11 with updates – 64 bit
  • Processor: Intel Core 2 or AMD Athlon 64 X2
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: Intel GMA X4500, NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT, AMD/ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650 – requires 256MB VRAM and DirectX® 11
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 7 GB available space

Update Graphics Driver

Updating your graphics drivers can often resolve issues with games crashing, as drivers are frequently updated to fix bugs and compatibility issues. Here’s how to update your graphics drivers in a few detailed steps:

  1. Identify Your Graphics Card:
    • Right-click on the Start menu and select ‘Device Manager’.
    • Expand the ‘Display adapters’ section to see what graphics card you have.
  2. Update Drivers Through Windows:
    • Right-click on your graphics card and choose ‘Update driver’.Device Manager
    • Select ‘Search automatically for updated driver software’ and follow the prompts.
    • If Windows finds an updated driver, it will install it automatically.
  3. Manufacturer’s Website:
    • If Windows doesn’t find an update, or you want to ensure you’re getting the most recent driver, visit the manufacturer’s website:
      • For NVIDIA GPUs, go to the NVIDIA Driver Downloads page.
      • For AMD GPUs, visit the AMD Drivers and Support page.
      • For Intel GPUs, go to the Intel Drivers & Software page.
    • Use the site’s search tool or automatic detection feature to find the right drivers for your graphics card.
  4. Download and Install:
    • Download the driver installation package.
    • Once downloaded, run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions.
    • Some installations may include a clean install option, which is recommended to remove any remnants of previous drivers.
  5. Restart Your PC:
    • After installation is complete, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.

Verifying Game Files

Verifying game files is a common troubleshooting step that can resolve issues like games crashing on startup. This process checks for corrupted or missing files and replaces them with the correct versions. Here’s how to verify game files on both the Steam and Epic Games Launcher:

For Steam:

  1. Launch the Steam application on your PC.Steam App
  2. Click on ‘Library’ at the top of the Steam client to view your game collection.
  3. Find Football Manager 2024 in your game list and right-click on it.
  4. In the context menu that appears, select ‘Properties.’
  5. In the Properties window, click on the ‘Local Files’ tab.
  6. Click on the button that says ‘Verify Integrity of Game Files…’
  7. Steam will now check your game’s files and download any missing or corrupted files.
  8. The verification process can take several minutes, depending on your system and the size of the game.
  9. After the process is complete, close and restart the Steam client.
  10. Once Steam is open again, try launching Football Manager 2024 to see if the issue has been resolved.

For Epic Games Launcher:

  1. Open Epic Games Launcher:
  2. Click on ‘Library’ in the left sidebar.
  3. Locate Football Manager 2024 in your library.
  4. Under the game icon, find the three dots (‘…’) to open the game options.Verify Epic Launcher Games
  5. In the dropdown menu, click on ‘Verify.’ The launcher will begin the process of verifying your game files.
  6. Wait for the verification to complete. It may take some time, depending on the game’s size and your PC’s performance.
  7. After the verification is complete, attempt to launch the game from the Epic Games Launcher to see if the problem has been resolved.

Running these processes can fix many common issues with game crashes. If the game continues to crash, then follow our next step.

Run as Administrator

Running Football Manager 2024 as an administrator can sometimes resolve issues related to permissions that might prevent the game from accessing certain files on your system or writing to them. Here’s how you can run the game as an administrator:

  1. Find the Game’s Exe File on your computer:
    • Navigate to the folder where Football Manager 2024 is installed. By default, this might be under C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Football Manager 2024 if you installed it through Steam.
    • For the Epic Games Launcher, the default path might be under C:\Program Files\Epic Games\FootballManager2024.
  2. Run as Administrator:
    • Once you’re in the game’s directory, find the game’s executable file (usually labeled as fm.exe or similar).
    • Right-click on the executable file.
    • Select ‘Properties’ from the context menu.
    • Go to the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
    • Check the box that says, ‘Run this program as an administrator’.Run this program as an administrator
    • Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’.
  3. Launch the Game:
    • Double-click on the game’s exe or launch it from Steam or Epic Games Launcher as usual. Since you’ve set the executable to always run as an administrator, it should retain this setting.

Additional Tips:

  • Compatibility Mode: If running the game as an administrator doesn’t work, you can try setting the game to run in compatibility mode for an earlier version of Windows within the same ‘Compatibility’ tab.
  • Disable Full-Screen Optimizations: In the ‘Compatibility’ tab, you can also check the ‘Disable fullscreen optimizations’ box, which can help with performance issues and crashes.
  • Confirm Changes: Always click ‘Apply’ to confirm any changes you make in the Properties window before clicking ‘OK’ to close it.
  • Shortcut: You can also apply these settings to a shortcut of the game on your desktop for easier access. Right-click the shortcut, choose ‘Properties’, and follow the same steps to set it to run as an administrator.

By running the game with administrative privileges, the operating system allows the game greater access to system files and resources, which can circumvent issues caused by restricted permissions. However, it’s important to note that you should only run trusted applications as an administrator due to the increased access level. After this step, check whether you can play the Football Manager 2024 without the startup crash issue. If it fails, then follow the next step.

Update Your Windows OS

Ensuring that your operating system is up-to-date is critical, as updates can provide important fixes and improvements that may solve your game crashing issues.

  1. Click on the Start menu and open Settings or press Windows Key + I to open the Settings directly.
  2. Click on ‘Update & Security’.
  3. Click on ‘Check for updates’.
  4. If there are any pending updates, allow them to download and install.
  5. After updating, restart your computer to ensure all updates are correctly applied.

After installing any available updates, attempt to restart the game and check if the issue has been resolved. If there are no new updates available, proceed to the next method to fix the problem of Football Manager 2024 crashing upon startup on your PC.

Update Football Manager 2024

Updating your games is essential for getting the latest features and fixes for issues like crashes. Here’s how you can check for updates for Football Manager 2024 on both Steam and Epic Games Launcher.

For Steam:

  1. Launch the Steam client on your PC.
  2. Click on ‘Library’ at the top of the Steam client to view your game collection.
  3. Scroll through your game list to find Football Manager 2024.
  4. If there is an update available, Steam typically begins downloading it automatically when you’re connected to the internet. However, if automatic updates are not enabled for the game, you can right-click the game in your library and select ‘Properties’.
  5. Go to the ‘Updates’ tab in the Properties window and ensure that ‘Always keep this game updated’ is selected.
  6. If you believe there is an update that has not been downloaded, right-click the game and select ‘Properties’, then under the ‘Local Files’ tab, click ‘Verify Integrity of Game Files…’. Steam will check for updates and missing files simultaneously and download any available updates.
  7. Sometimes, simply restarting Steam can prompt the client to check for updates.

For Epic Games Launcher:

  1. Open Epic Games Launcher
  2. Click on ‘Library’ in the left sidebar.
  3. If Football Manager 2024 has an update available, there should be an ‘Update’ button visible on the game tile.
  4. Click the ‘Update’ button to start the downloading process.
  5. The Epic Games Launcher typically checks for updates whenever it is launched, but you can always click on the game tile to check for updates manually.
  6. To ensure that your games always receive the latest updates, click on your profile in the bottom left corner, then click on ‘Settings’.
  7. Scroll down to the ‘Manage Games’ section and ensure that ‘Auto Update Games’ is enabled.

By keeping Football Manager 2024 updated, you can avoid many of the issues that cause crashes and other performance problems. Always ensure that your internet connection is stable during the update process to prevent any file corruption.

Disable Background Applications

Some applications running in the background may conflict with your game, so it’s a good idea to close any unnecessary programs before launching the game.

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager or right-click the taskbar and select ‘Task Manager’.
  2. Under the ‘Processes’ tab, look for any applications that are not essential for running the system.
  3. Click on the application and then click ‘End Task’ to close it. Be careful not to end any critical system processes.

Disable Antivirus/Firewall Temporarily

Sometimes your antivirus or firewall can interfere with your games. Try disabling them temporarily to see if the game runs.

  1. Antivirus Software:
    • Open your antivirus program.
    • Look for an option that says ‘Disable’ or ‘Turn off.’ This option may be under a ‘Settings’ or ‘Advanced’ menu.
    • Remember to enable your antivirus software again after testing.
  2. Windows Firewall:
    • Go to Control Panel.
    • Click on ‘System and Security’, then ‘Windows Defender Firewall’.
    • Click ‘Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off’ on the left side.
    • Turn off the firewall for both private and public networks, but be sure to turn it back on after testing.

Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

Updating the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable and DirectX on your PC can be essential for ensuring that games like Football Manager 2024 run smoothly. These components are crucial for many applications and game functions. Here’s a clearer guide on how to update them:

The Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is a library that enables programs created with Visual C++ to run on your computer. Here’s how to update it:

  1. Locate the Visual C++ Redistributables:
    • On your PC, navigate to the directory where the redistributables for Steam are stored, typically found at: 
      C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\vcredist
    • For Epic Games Launcher users, you’ll want to visit the Microsoft website to download the latest versions directly.
  2. Run the Installers:
    • In this folder, you’ll see subfolders for different years (such as 2012, 2013, 2019).
    • Open each folder and run the vc_redist.x64.exe file. This will either repair or install the respective version of the redistributable.
    • If you encounter other versions or years, ensure to run those respective vc_redist.x64.exe files as well.
  3. Complete the Installation:
    • Follow the prompts to install or repair the Visual C++ Redistributable packages.
  4. Restart Your PC:
    • After running the necessary installers, reboot your computer to ensure the changes take effect

Update DirectX

DirectX is a collection of APIs used for handling tasks related to multimedia, especially game programming and video. To update DirectX:

  • Go to the folder where Steam stores the DirectX installers, often found at 
    C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\DirectX
  • This directory contains the DirectX setup file.
  • Execute the DXSETUP.exe file to initiate the reinstallation or update of the Direct.
  • The setup wizard will guide you through the process. Complete the installation by following the on-screen instructions.
  • After the setup is finished, a system restart is necessary to apply the updates.

Regularly updating these components can not only fix existing problems but also enhance the performance and stability of your games. If you’re uncertain about any steps or face difficulties, it’s advisable to refer to the official Microsoft support website or the help resources provided by Steam or Epic Games Launcher.

Reset Football Manager 2024

To resolve persistent issues with Football Manager 2024 not launching, you may need to reset or reinstall the game. Here are the improved instructions for each process:

  1. Press the Windows key + X to open the Quick Link Menu.
  2. Select ‘Apps and Features’ from the list.
  3. Scroll down to find Football Manager 2024 in the list of installed applications.
  4. Click on the game, then select ‘Advanced options’.
  5. Within the settings, find and select the ‘Reset’ option. Confirm if prompted.
  6. After resetting, reboot your computer and attempt to launch the game.

Reinstall Football Manager 2024

Should resetting the game fail to fix the issue, reinstalling might be the next step:

  1. Click on the Start menu and type in ‘Control Panel’, then open it.
  2. In the Control Panel, go to ‘Uninstall a Program’.
  3. Find Football Manager 2024 in the list, right-click on it, and select ‘Uninstall’. Follow any prompts to confirm the uninstallation.
  4. Allow the uninstallation process to run its course, following any on-screen instructions.
  5. After uninstalling, it’s important to restart your PC to ensure that all files related to the game are properly removed.
  6. Once your PC is back on, open the game launcher you use, whether it’s Steam or the Epic Games Launcher.
  7. Navigate to Football Manager 2024 and select it to reinstall. Wait for the installation to complete before attempting to launch the game again.

Reinstalling a game can often resolve issues caused by corrupted or missing files and is typically a last resort after other troubleshooting methods have failed. Always ensure your game saves and user data are backed up, if possible, before proceeding with a reset or reinstall.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, if you’re experiencing crashes on startup with Football Manager 2024, there are several troubleshooting methods you can undertake to resolve the issue. These range from ensuring your PC meets the game’s system requirements to updating your graphics drivers, verifying game files, running the game as an administrator, and keeping both your game and system components like Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables and DirectX up to date.

If these steps do not mitigate the crashing problems, resetting or ultimately reinstalling Football Manager 2024 might be necessary. To reset the game, use the advanced options in the Apps settings of your Windows system. If that fails, a complete reinstallation through your preferred game launcher can be the solution, albeit a more time-consuming one. Remember to restart your computer after each major step to ensure all changes take effect properly.

It’s essential to back up your game data before performing resets or reinstallation to prevent any loss of progress. By systematically following these methods, you should be able to address the crash issues and get back to managing your football team to glory in Football Manager 2024.