Payday 2: How to Fix Not Launching in 2023

Payday 2 has been one of the most popular multiplayer shooters over the past 10 years, and although there’s now a sequel in PD3, that hasn’t kept players away from this one. Primarily because it has significantly more content, as well as a very fun VR mode. Despite its age, there are still some glitches, though. Here’s how to fix Payday 2 not launching in 2023.

How to Fix Payday 2 Not Launching in 2023

If Payday 2 won’t launch in 2023, there are several fixes that we can try out. However, it’s worth noting that none of these solutions may work for you. As is the case with many of these errors, some players report success with some fixes, while others report success with none of them. Hopefully, one here will do the trick for you.

Update SuperBLT

The first thing to do when running into an issue of Payday 2 not launching in 2023 is to update your SuperBLT. Especially if you’re running mods. This is what the game uses when it comes to the modding community. To fix this, go to your local files on Steam and delete the files called WSOCK32.dll.

Run Payday 2 as an Administrator

If updating SuperBLT doesn’t work, try running Payday 2 as administrator. To do this, launch the game via a desktop icon instead of through Steam as you would typically do. Choose the bottom option, marked with a yellow shield. With any luck, it should start up without issues.

Change Your Resolution

This is a strange one when we’re talking about Payday 2 not launching. However, over the years, there has been a bizarre glitch that causes the game to not start, depending on the resolution you’ve chosen. To fix this, change the resolution through the files.

• Access your localappdata file.
• Find Payday 2 within the local folder.
• Once you’re there, access the render_settings and change the resolution to the exact one that’s on your computer/going to your main monitor.
  • To find your display resolution, right-click on your desktop, then choose Display Settings. Scroll down and look for Display Resolution below “Scale and Layout.”

Clear Your Download Cache

Another thing you can try is to clear your Steam download cache. Go to the Steam App. From there, go to “Settings,” and then the “Downloads” tab. There, you’ll find the “Clear Download Cache” option. Click it, and you’ll clear the cache. Try launching Payday 2 again, and see if this solves your issue.

Verify Your Game Files, Then Reinstall

Whenever a game won’t launch, you should always verify your game files before attempting to reinstall. It’s always possible a game file wasn’t downloaded properly or has become corrupted. To do this:

• Go to Steam.
• Right-click on the game.
• Go to Properties.
• Go to installed files.
• There, you’ll see Verify Integrity of Game Files. Clicking this will repair your game files. You should be able to launch Payday 2.

Those are some potential solutions that may fix Payday 2 not launching. The co-op shooter has some annoying things happening occasionally, but the good thing is that there’s usually a way to get back into the game, party up, and return to your life of crime. For more Payday 2, head over to our guides vault.