Dragon Age: Inquisition is an action RPG that has been developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts back in 2014. It’s available for PS3/PS4, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360 platforms. If you’re one of the Dragon Age: Inquisition players then the chances are high that you’re experiencing multiple issues with it. Dragon Age Inquisition Crashes on Launch or Startup is one of them.

So, if you’re encountering such an issue quite often then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide to resolve it completely. Plenty of players are reporting that they’re facing the same issue mostly on Windows 10 PCs which is obviously quite expected. There is nothing new for PC gamers to have such kind of an issue due to several aspects. Now, you may ask what are the possible reasons?

Why Dragon Age: Inquisition Keeps Crashing?

Well, there are multiple reasons behind it, but the most common reason is that maybe your game doesn’t have an admin privilege to run properly. Otherwise, the several background running processes are triggering such an issue. Meanwhile, issues with the installed game files, outdated Windows OS build, outdated graphics drivers, issues with 3D Vision, etc are possible too.

Sometimes the installed antivirus program or built-in Origin client settings or incompatibility with PC hardware can also cause multiple issues with PC games. Whereas overclocked CPU/GPU, missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributables, running third-party overlay apps, etc can also trigger startup crashing. Now, as we’ve shared all the possible reasons, it’s time to jump into the guide below.

Fix: Dragon Age Inquisition Crashes on Launch

First of all, we’ll start with checking your PC configuration because the chances are high that you’ll encounter issues with the startup crashing if your PC configuration doesn’t meet the system requirements of the Dragon Age: Inquisition game.

1. Check System Requirements

Here we’ve mentioned both the minimum and recommended system requirements so that you’ll ensure whether your computer specifications are compatible with this game or not.

Minimum Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 7 or 8.1 64-bit
  • CPU: AMD quad core CPU @ 2.5 GHz, Intel quad core CPU @ 2.0 GHz
  • RAM: 4 GB
  • Graphics CARD: AMD Radeon HD 4870, NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT
  • Graphics Memory: 512 MB
  • Hard Drive: 26 GB
  • DirectX Version: DX10

Recommended Requirements:

  • OS: Windows 7 or 8.1 64-bit
  • CPU: AMD six-core CPU @ 3.2 GHz, Intel quad-core CPU @ 3.0 GHz
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7870 or R9 270, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660
  • Graphics Memory: 2 GB
  • Hard Drive: 26 GB
  • DirectX: DX11

2. Run the game as an Administrator

If your game is running without the admin privilege on the Windows computer then the chances are high that you’re doing mistakes while launching the game. Just make sure to launch the game as an administrator to allow the system to run it properly.

  • Right-click on the Dragon Age Inquisition exe shortcut file on your PC.

  • Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

  • Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.

  • Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

  • Once done, you can try running the game to check whether it’s crashing on the PC or not.

3. Update Windows OS Build

An outdated Windows OS build can also cause several performance issues on your computer and crashing the game during startup or at the loading screen is one of them. You should try checking for the Windows OS update and install all available updates to always up-to-date.

  • Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.

  • Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.

  • If there is a feature update available, select Download and install.

  • It may take a while to complete the update.

  • Once done, restart your computer to install the update.

Whereas if you’re running the latest Windows 11 version on your computer, then do the following:

  • Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
  • Click on Windows Update from the bottom of the left pane.
  • Now, click on Check for updates > If there is an update available, it’ll automatically start downloading and install the update.
  • It may take some time to complete the installation process.
  • Finally, restart your computer to change effects quickly.

Once done, you can check whether the game crashing issue has been fixed or not.

4. Update GPU Drivers

An outdated graphics card driver on your Windows PC can also cause multiple issues with the gameplay such as lags or crashes. If you’re still facing such issues, make sure to keep your GPU drivers up-to-date by following the steps below.

  • Press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Start Menu.

  • Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.

  • Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re using.

  • Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.

  • If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.

  • Once done, restart the system to apply changes immediately.

5. Close Background Tasks

If in case, there are plenty of unnecessary tasks running in the background then make sure to close them individually. Otherwise, all of those tasks will consume a lot of CPU and memory that can obviously affect the system’s performance while gaming.

  • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open up the Task Manager.
  • Now, click on the Processes tab > Click to select tasks that are unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.

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  • Click on End Task to close it one by one.
  • Once done, restart your system, and check for the startup crashing issue again.

6. Uninstall / Disable 3D Vision

Some of the affected DAI players have reported that they’re experiencing issues with the 3D Vision Driver on the PC which basically triggers startup crashing for several games such as Dragon Age: Inquisition. Although the NVIDIA driver always boosts your gaming experience, on some PCs it may also affect the gameplay experience unexpectedly.

  • Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
  • Now, click on the ‘Apps’ section > Here just scroll down the list of installed programs and features.
  • Click to select Nvidia 3D Vision Driver from the list.
  • Then select Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
  • Once done, make sure to restart your PC to apply changes.

This should help you to fix the startup crashing issue of Dragon Age Inquisition on your PC. However, if this didn’t help you out, try the next method.

7. Disable the Origin’s Overlay App

Sometimes an overlay app or the built-in in-game option of the Origin client on your PC can trigger launch issues with games. Plenty of players have reported the same thing and it seems that the built-in overlay app is troubling most of them. Therefore, it’s always better to manually disable the overlay app of Origin by following the steps below:

  • First of all, make sure that you’re logged in to your valid EA account on the Origin client.
  • Now, head over to the Application Settings from the main menu.
  • Then go to the Origin In-game tab > If this is already enabled or turned on, make sure to turn it off (disable it).
  • Once done, just close the Origin client, and restart your PC to change effects immediately.
  • Finally, try launching the Dragon Age Inquisition game on the PC to check for the startup crashing issue again.

8. Verify DAI Games Files on Origin

If in case, the installed DAI game files are corrupted or missing for some unfortunate reasons, then you may encounter startup crashes a lot. It’s recommended to automatically scan and repair games files directly from the Origin client by following the steps below:

  • Open the Origin client on the PC and sign in to your valid EA account.
  • Next, click on the ‘Game Library’ option on the left pane.
  • Then right-click on ‘Dragon Age: Inquisition’ and select ‘Repair Game’.
  • The Origin client will start verifying the game files automatically.
  • Once done, it should fix the missing or corrupted game files automatically by downloading them online (if any).
  • Finally, make sure to restart your computer, and try running the game again to check for the issue.

9. Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributables

Make sure to download and install the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables on your Windows computer to keep things flawless in every aspect. You can grab it here.

10. Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay

Multiple reports are coming out that the Nvidia GeForce Experience overlay tool on your Windows computer can easily cause issues with the DAI crashing. So, make sure to disable it temporarily to resolve such an issue.

  • Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Click on the Gear icon on the top-right corner.
  • From the General section, turn off the In-Game Overlay option.
  • Finally, launch Origin > Re-open DAI to see if you’re still getting the startup crashing issue or not.

11. Disable Antivirus Program Temporarily

The chances are also high that if you’re using any of the antivirus programs on your Windows computer then you should temporarily disable it to cross-check whether the startup crashing issue is still bothering you or not. It seems that the active security feature on your Windows computer is somehow preventing the game file to run properly.

Alternatively, you can try adding the Dragon Age Inquisition installed folder to the whitelist of antivirus protection so that the security measures won’t gonna scan or prevent those files anymore.

12. Disable Overclocking

As most PC gamers want to get ultra-high performance from their installed CPU and GPU, they manually overclock the hardware. However, sometimes overclocking can reduce the gaming performance or your game starts crashing unexpectedly due to compatibility issues or bottleneck issues.

Therefore, you can use the MSI Afterburner tool or Zotac firestorm application to reduce the overclocking frequency or disable it to the default.

13. Reinstall Dragon Age Inquisition

If none of the methods worked for you, try uninstalling and reinstalling the DAI game on your PC. In most scenarios, simply deleting and installing back the game can fix corrupted data or cache issues completely.

  • Launch the Origin client > Log in to your EA Account.
  • Select the My Games tab > Right-click the Dragon Age Inquisition game tile.
  • Now, click on Uninstall from the drop-down menu.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
  • Once you’re done, make sure to reboot your computer to apply changes.
  • Then run the Origin client again > Search for the DAI game again.
  • Make sure to download and install it on your computer via the Origin launcher again. [This time you should try selecting a different drive or partition to install the game]
  • You’re good to go.

That’s it, guys. We assume you’ve found this guide useful. For further queries, let us know in the comment below.