How to Fix GTA 5 Enhanced Not Starting or Crashing on Startup PC

Honestly, I'm not all that surprised to find out that GTA 5 Enhanced is a steaming pile of garbage that barely runs for the majority of people.... This kind of thing seems to be the norm these days and I really don't know why people continue to buy games on release, but if you are one of the unfortunate soles that couldn't wait to see how the game would run, this guide will guide you through some things you can try that might fix the problem. With a rather big emphasis on "try". More than likely you'll have to wait for the game to be patched but that seems to be taking a while.

How to Fix GTA 5 Enhanced Not Starting or Crashing on Startup PC

The odds of this fixing the problem are pretty low but it's worth giving it a go anyway as it's a quick and easy fix that should only take a few minutes to do.

Steam

Open Steam.
Locate GTA 5 Enhanced in your Library.
Right-click the game and choose Properties.
Navigate to the Installed Files tab.
Click Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Epic Games

Open Epic Games Launcher.
Go to your Library.
Click the three dots next to GTA 5 Enhanced.
Select Manage, then Verify.

Rockstar Games Launcher

Open Rockstar Games Launcher.
Locate GTA 5 Enhanced.
Go to Settings.
Select Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Disable Mods & Third-Party Applications

If you have installed any mods or third-party applications like ReShade, they may be incompatible with GTA 5 Enhanced.

Disable any mods or custom applications.
Try launching the game without modifications to see if the issue persists.

Install Required Redistributables

Ensure that essential Rockstar applications are installed:

Open Steam and go to GTA 5 Enhanced.
Right-click the game and choose Manage > Browse Local Files.
Locate the Redistributables folder.
Install Rockstar Launcher and Social Club if they are missing.

Move the Game to Your C Drive

Some users have reported improved stability by moving the game to the Windows installation drive (usually C:).

Open Steam.
Right-click GTA 5 Enhanced and select Properties.
Navigate to Installed Files.
Click Move Install Folder and select C: drive.

Clean Install your GPU Drivers with DDU

While updating GPU drivers has not resolved the issue for everyone, it’s still worth ensuring your system is running the latest versions:

NVIDIA Users: Download the latest drivers from NVIDIA’s official site
AMD Users: Check for updates via AMD’s website

Once you have the latest drivers I highly suggest clean installing them with DDU

Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from the official website.
Run the program and choose to remove GeForce Experience (GFE) if prompted.
Restart your PC after the process is complete.
Reinstall the latest GPU drivers, ensuring a stable internet connection to prevent Windows from installing generic drivers.
Reinstall GeForce Experience (if applicable) and update your drivers as needed.

Reset Game Settings

If the game crashes after changing graphics settings, resetting them may help.

Open File Explorer (Windows + E).
Navigate to Documents > Rockstar Games > GTA 5 Enhanced.
Find settings.xml and delete it.
Restart the game to apply default settings.

Disable OneDrive (If Applicable)

OneDrive can cause issues by restoring old game settings.

Pause or disable OneDrive temporarily and try launching the game again.

Reinstall Rockstar Launcher

If the issue persists, reinstalling Rockstar Launcher may help.

Open Control Panel > Programs & Features.
Uninstall Rockstar Games Launcher and Rockstar Games SDK.
Reinstall both applications from the Redistributables folder or download from the official website.

Just Wait for Game Updates

Honestly, just wait for the game to get updates that fix this problem.

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