How to Fix F1 25 Not Launching on PC

F1 returns with a new game in the franchise, and this time around, the game features full path tracing. Running on Codemasters’ Ego engine, F1 25 runs at 60 FPS on consoles. While the game is certainly optimized for all platforms, PC users are experiencing issues, such as the game not launching. I have compiled a list of fixes that will resolve the F1 25 crash at startup issue on your Windows PC.

8 Confirmed Fixes for F1 25 Not Launching on PC

According to PC users, F1 25 keeps crashing at startup or does not launch when they click the play button. The game just crashes to the desktop with no error message. On the other hand, some players are experiencing the following error when they launch F1 25:

There are multiple reasons for the game to crash on startup, like a lack of admin rights, issues with the EA Javelin Anticheat, corrupt or damaged system and Visual C++ components, and more. The following fixes will resolve the F1 25 crashing at startup issue on your Windows PC.

Fix #1 – Rename or Delete bink2w64.dll File

Based on community feedback, the bink2w64.dll file is the reason F1 25 is not launching on your PC. You can fix the issue by deleting or renaming the file. Here is how you can delete or rename:

• Go to C:\Windows\System32
• Find the bink2w64.dll file.
• Either delete it or rename it to bink2w64_old.dll.
• Verify the game files.
• Play F1 25, and the startup crashes are now fixed.

How to Verify Game Files

Verifying or scanning game files is a simple process that takes a few minutes at most and downloads any missing or damaged game files.

If you own F1 25 on the EA app, go to your library, hover your cursor over the game, and click the three dots. Select the “Repair” option, and the EA app will scan the game files.

If you own the game on Steam, right-click F1 25 in your library and select the “properties” option. Go to the “installed files” tab and click the “Verify integrity of game files” button.

Fix #2 – Delete Interception Certificate

As stated, PC users are experiencing the following error when they launch F1 25:

“This software cannot be used at the same time as the game. Please make sure it’s not running or restart your PC.”

The reason the game is crashing with this error is that the certificate for the Itnerception driver is banned by EA. You fix the F1 25 crashing on startup issue by deleting the certificate. Here is how you can delete it:

• Download the latest release of Interception.
• Make sure you download the interception.zip file in the “downloads” folder.
• Unzip the “interception.zip” folder, and keep the unzipped files in the “downloads” folder.
• Now, open Command Prompt (CMD) and run the following command:
  cd “%USERPROFILE%\Downloads\Interception\command line installer”
• After that, run this command: install-interception.exe /uninstall
• Restart your PC.
• Launch F1 25, and the startup crashes are now fixed.

Fix #3 – Clear EA app Cache

Clear the EA app cache to fix the F1 25 not launching issue on your PC. Here is how you can clear it:

• Open the EA app and click the menu icon (three stacked lines) at the top left.
• Hover the mouse over “Help”, and click the “App Recovery” option.
• Click the “Clear cache” button on the small window that pops up.
• Launch F1 25, and the game will launch and won’t crash.

Fix #4 – Ensure Your Display Settings are Correct

The current Windows display settings on your PC are the reason F1 25 isn’t launching. Some PC players report that the second monitor is crashing the game on startup. To fix the issue, remove the second monitor.

However, Windows often detects a second monitor while there is none attached, which is crashing F1 25 at launch. Right-click your desktop and select the “Display settings” option. If Windows is giving you two display options, then select “Show only on 1”. This will fix the issue for good. This fix also works if you are actually using a second display.

Fix #5 – Run F1 25 as an Administrator

F1 25 isn’t launching on your Windows PC because it lacks administrative rights. You can fix the issue by running the game as an administrator, and here is how:

• For Steam: Right-click F1 25 in your Steam library > Manage > click the “Browse local files” option.
• For EA app: Go to the library > click the three dots on the game tile > select “View properties” > open the folder location.
• A new explorer window will open containing game files.
• Right-click the game’s executable and select the “properties” options.
• In the new window, go to the “Compatibility” tab.
• Check the “Run this program as an administrator” and apply the changes.
• Play F1 25, and it’ll launch without crashing.

Fix #6 – Turn off Core Isolation

The Core Isolation feature of Windows Security is preventing F1 25 from launching or crashing the game at startup. You can fix the issue by disabling Core Isolation, and here is how:

• Open Windows Settings.
• Go to the “Privacy & security” tab
• Click “Windows Security” and select the “Virus & Threat Protection” option.
• A Windows Security window will open.
• Select the “Device security” tab.
• Click “core isolation details” under “Core isolation”.
• Toggle “Memory integrity” off.
• Restart your PC.
• Run F1 25, and it’ll launch without any error or issue.

Fix #7 – Ensure F1 25 Runs on Dedicated Graphics Card

If you are trying to play F1 25 on a gaming laptop, the integrated GPU (iGPU) is the reason it’s crashing on startup or not launching.

On gaming laptops, Windows switches between the iGPU and dedicated graphics card, depending on rendering load. Often, Windows does not switch to the dedicated graphics hardware, which crashes games on startup. You can fix the F1 25 not launching issue by forcing the game to use the dedicated graphics hardware. Here is how you can force it:

• Open Windows 11/10 Settings.
• Navigate to System > Display > Graphics.
• Select “F1 25” from the list.
• Click on Options.
• Check the “High Performance” option and save the changes.
• Launch F1 25, and the startup crashes are now fixed.

Fix #8 – Install or Repair Windows and Visual C++ Components

The reason F1 25 is crashing on your Windows 11 PC is missing or corrupt Visual C++ components or Windows files. You can fix the crashes by installing or repairing Visual C++ components, and running the SFC and DISM Scans. Here is how you can do both:

Run Visual C++ Redistributables Installers

Visual C++ Redistributables are necessary to run games on Windows. Since they are missing or damaged, it is stopping F1 25 from launching. You can fix the issue by installing or repairing Visual C++ components.

• Go to the Steam Library and type “Steamworks” in the search bar.
• Right-click “Steamworks Common Redistributables” > Manage > click “Browse local files”.
• Open _CommonRedist\vcredist in the explorer window that opens on your screen.
• You will get a list of folders with names in years starting from 2010.
• Open each folder one by one and run the VC_redis for both x64 and x86 versions.
• Repair or install Visual C++ Redistributables.
• Restart your PC, launch F1 25, and the startup crash issue is fixed.

Run SFC and DISM Scans to Repair System Files

SFC and DISM are built-in tools for Windows PCs that scan for any missing or corrupt system files and attempt to recover them. Run these scans to fix the F1 25 startup crashes.

• Open Command Prompt (CMD) and run it as an administrator.
• Type sfc /scannow and press Enter. Let the scan complete.
• Once the SFC scan is complete, type DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth and press Enter.
• Let the scan complete.
• Launch F1 25, and it’ll launch without any issue.

There you have it for our fixes for the F1 25 not launching on Windows PC. If you are experiencing errors and crashes in other games, also see our fixes hub for commonly occurring errors for PC and handhelds.