How to Fix DarkSoulsIII.exe Application Error on Windows
The DarkSoulsIII.exe application error is a super dumb error that can occur randomly, sometimes at launch or sometimes mid-game. Which usually leads to crashes, freezes, or the game going unresponsive. It's also often accompanied by error messages related to DirectX or Visual C++ Redistributables. So in this guide, we'll be walking you through all the currently known solutions.
How to Fix DarkSoulsIII.exe Application Error on Windows
For whatever reason Visual C++ Redistributables are always causing problems but they are easily fixed by doing the following.
- Open the Control Panel and go to Programs > Uninstall a program.
- Scroll through the list of installed Visual C++ Redistributables.
- Now visit the official Microsoft website and download the missing or outdated versions.
- Install both the x86 and x64 versions if you're using a 64-bit system.
- Restart your computer and check if the problem persists.
Alternatively, you can grab a bulk Visual C++ Redistributables installer and use it.
Solutions to Fix the DarkSoulsIII.exe Error
If it isn't Visual C++ issues causing this problem it is probably a DirectX issues so work through the following steps.
- Press Win + E to open File Explorer and navigate to your main drive (usually C:).
- Search for d3dx9.dll, select all results (Ctrl + A), and delete them (Shift + Del).
- Visit the official Microsoft DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer.
- Download and run the setup file.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
- Restart your computer and relaunch the game.
Repair .NET Framework
Another really dumb issue that you wouldn't think could happen on Windows 10 or 11. But it still doesn't. So here's the fix.
- Download the Microsoft .NET Framework Repair Tool.
- Run the installer and allow the User Account Control (UAC) prompt.
- Accept the license terms and click Next.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process.
Reinstall your GPU Drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU)
Clean install your graphics drivers with DDU. Don't bother using the Windows tools.
- Download Display Driver Uninstaller from the official website.
- Download the graphics driver version you want to use (The newest is usually best)
- Once you have the driver files on your computer disable your Internet connection.
- Now Run DDU and remove everything including Geforce Experience or the AMD software
- After the process completes install your graphics drivers using the files you downloaded earlier.
- Once your new drivers are installed you can re-enable your internet connection.
The reason we do things this way is to prevent Windows from installing Generic Drivers as soon as it detects an issue.
Repair Corrupted System Files
System file corruption can cause application errors. To repair them:
- Type cmd in the Windows search bar.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- Enter the following command and press Enter:
sfc /scannow
- After the scan, run these additional commands one by one:
dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
dism /online /cleanup-image /checkhealth
dism /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth
- Restart your computer and try running the game.
Verify Integrity of Game Files
Steam provides an option to check and repair corrupted game files:
- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Right-click on Dark Souls III and select Properties.
- Go to the Installed Files tab and click Verify integrity of game files.
- Wait for the process to complete, then relaunch the game.
Reinstall Dark Souls III
This ones quite obvious, but give it a go anyway.
- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Right-click on Dark Souls III and select Uninstall.
- Confirm the uninstallation and restart your PC.
- Redownload and install the game through Steam.
- Launch the game and check if the issue is resolved.