Starting Diablo 4 typically involves just a single click, but complications may arise when the game begins to freeze on startup.
I enjoy playing Diablo 4 on both Steam and PlayStation 5, making full use of the game’s cross-progression feature. The startup freezing issue mostly occurred on PC for me and had an inconsistent occurrence. It would sporadically manifest and then vanish or lead to repeated crashes.
Diablo 4 startup error: Best fixes
1) Move Diablo 4 to a new drive
If your Diablo 4 is currently installed on a hard drive and you have an SSD available, consider making the switch and relocating it to the SSD. This not only accelerates the game’s loading time but also resolves the issue of freezing on startup. Personally, I transferred my Diablo 4 from my older SSD to the NVMe SSD in my system.
2) Reinstall Diablo 4
While transferring the game’s installation folder might rectify the error, reinstalling Diablo 4 can provide added assurance. Delete the game from its current location and reinstall it on a new drive.
Even if you have only one drive on your PC, reinstalling the game could still resolve the startup freezes in Diablo 4. Such errors often stem from corrupted in-game files, and a fresh installation eliminates them altogether.
3) Repair Diablo 4
While I typically favor reinstalling over repairs, if you prefer to minimize downtime, consider repairing Diablo 4 instead.
- Open the Battle.net Launcher.
- Select Diablo 4.
- Click the cogwheel icon next to the Play button.
- Choose Scan and Repair, then click Begin Scan.
The scanner will inspect your in-game files and replace any corrupted ones during the process.
4) Turn off Nvidia In-Game Overlay or similar software
Overlays, such as Nvidia’s In-Game Overlay, have been known to cause Diablo 4 to freeze during launch. Disabling Nvidia’s In-Game Overlay has helped resolve inconsistencies for some players. If you have other overlays active on your PC, consider disabling them as well.
