Nothing is more frustrating than buying your favorite game, only for it to fail to launch. That’s what L.A. Noire fans have been struggling with for some time. L.A. Noire is an exciting detective action-adventure video game published by Rockstar Games. It involves a lot of chases and shootouts. It is available across multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows 10.

Undoubtedly, L.A. Noire is a great game, but players have been complaining that it fails to launch properly, thereby becoming unplayable. According to players, when you launch the game, the Options screen comes up, but when you click “Play”, nothing happens. Sometimes, you get an error message saying that DirectX was not properly configured or installed on your Windows PC.

Some users say that the “L.A. Noire not starting” issue began after upgrading to Windows 10.

Reasons Behind L.A. Noire Not Launching on Windows 10

So, why is L.A. Noire not launching on Windows 10? Well, the reasons may vary from one system to another. The following are possible reasons, and some may not apply to your case:

  • The game may fail to launch if administrator rights were not granted.
  • The game may fail to launch if you’re running DirectX 9. In such cases, upgrading to DirectX 11 or 12 might resolve the error.
  • Gamers who subscribed to the Beta program are likely to deal with unstable patches. To resolve this, you may have to cancel your participation.
  • The L.A. Noire game files didn’t install correctly.

Before we show you what to do if L.A. Noire doesn’t start, try these basic troubleshooting steps:

  • Check that your internet connection is active. You might be getting the problem because of connection issues.
  • If you’re using a VPN or proxy, you might run into the “L.A. Noire not starting” issue. Try switching off your VPN and check if this works.
  • You must log in as an administrator for the game to run properly. If you’re logged in with a user account, we’ll show you how to run the game with admin rights.

If the game still fails to launch, try these solutions to fix L.A. Noire not launching on Windows 10.

Solution 1: Launch the Steam Client as an Administrator

The Steam client handles thousands of files from the countless games on the platform. This means that it needs elevated rights to work smoothly. Running the Steam client as an administrator might resolve the “L.A. Noire not launching” problem on your Windows 10 PC.

Here’s how to go about it:

  1. Locate the Steam icon on your desktop or taskbar.
  2. Right-click on the icon and select “Properties”.
  3. Navigate to the “Compatibility” tab and click on the “Run this program as an administrator” checkbox to enable the option.
  4. Click Apply > OK to effect the changes.
  5. Alternatively, hit the Windows key on your keyboard, and type steaminto the search box.
  6. When you see the Steam client in the results, click on the “Run as administrator” option in the right pane.
  7. Once Steam launches, go to “Library” and run L.A. Noire.

This fix should work. If it doesn’t, try the next solution below.

Solution 2: Unsubscribe from the Beta Program

As we noted earlier, if you joined Steam’s Beta testing program, then you usually receive unstable updates that may cause the program to develop issues. If you want to enjoy the L.A. Noire game, your best option is to opt out of the Beta program.

Here’s how:

  1. Find your Steam client and launch it with administrator rights.
  2. Go to Steam > Settings and select “Account”.
  3. Look for the “Beta participation” option and click on the “Change” button.
  4. On the next screen that pops up, select “NONE – opt out of all beta programs” and click “OK”.
  5. Once you save the changes, close the Steam client and launch it again.
  6. Now try running L.A. Noire to check if the issue has been resolved.

If not, try the other solutions below.

Solution 3: Verify the Game Files

The “L.A. Noire not starting” issue could be triggered by the corruption of game files, or some important files could be missing. To resolve this, you will need to verify the integrity of the game files in Steam.

To do so, follow the steps below:

  1. Launch the Steam client by double-clicking on its icon on your desktop.
  2. Click on the “Games” option from the navigation bar and select L.A. Noire.
  3. Right-click the game and open “Properties”.
  4. Now, choose the “Local Files” option and click on the “Verify Integrity of Game Files…” button.
  5. Wait for the process to complete and then restart your Windows 10 machine.
  6. Run L.A. Noire again to check if starts as expected.

Solution 4: Deactivate the “Use Desktop Game Theater While SteamVR Is Active” Option

According to several gamers, disabling SteamVR’s Desktop Game Theater resolved the “L.A. Noire not launching” problem. Try this fix to check if it works out for you:

  1. Open Steam from your desktop, taskbar, or Start menu and select “Library”.
  2. Locate L.A. Noire, right-click it, and select “Properties”.
  3. Make sure the “General” tab is selected and uncheck the “Use Desktop Game Theater while StreamVR is active” option.
  4. Click the “Close” button and relaunch L.A. Noire.

Does it start without issues? If not, try the next fix below.

Solution 5: Switch to DirectX 11 or 12

If you’re running the game on an older version of DirectX, you might not be able to play L.A. Noire. The trick is to update your DirectX to the latest version, which is either DirectX 11 or 12. Here’s the procedure:

  1. First, you should check the version of DirectX that’s currently running on your computer. To do so, press the Win + S shortcut, type dxdiagand press “Enter”. Look for the DirectX version at the bottom of the screen. If it’s the latest one – that is, DirectX 12 – then you can skip this process.
  2. If it isn’t, you will need to update it. To do so, visit Microsoft’s official website and download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer.
  3. Open the Downloads folder and locate the installer. Right-click on it and select “Run as administrator”.
  4. After the installation is complete, restart your PC and run L.A. Noire with admin rights to see if it starts successfully this time around.

Solution 6: Run the DXSETUP.exe File

If you’re getting the “L.A. Noire not starting” issue accompanied by a DirectX error, you might fix it by launching the DXSETUP.exe file, which is located within the game’s folder.

To try this fix, follow these steps:

  1. Launch your Steam client, click on the “Library” tab, and locate L.A. Noire.
  2. Next, right-click on it and open its “Properties” window.
  3. Navigate to the “Local Files” tab, and click on the “Browse Local Files…” option.
  4. Open the 3rd folder and double-click on the exefile.
  5. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.

The error preventing L.A. Noire from launching correctly should be eliminated. If it reoccurs, it’s time to check your drivers.

Solution 7: Update Your Graphics Drivers

If your graphics card drivers are outdated or corrupted, you’re likely to encounter numerous issues on your computer, including the “L.A. Noire not launching” error. To make sure all your games run without glitches, it is advisable to keep your graphics drivers updated.

You can manually visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer, which is most likely Nvidia or AMD, and download the latest driver that’s compatible with your operating system. But, if you don’t know your way around computers, you risk installing the wrong driver version, and this could create more PC issues.

To simplify all this and save yourself the hassle of searching for the correct graphics driver version, you can opt for Auslogics Driver Updater. This program automatically updates not only your graphics drivers but also all the available device drivers on your computer. Driver Updater will scan your PC and find the latest driver versions to replace the outdated or corrupted driver software in your system.

The process is straightforward and doesn’t require much input from you. Once the scan is complete, all you have to do is click the “Update drivers” button to automatically install all available updates. Alternatively, you can select the drivers you want to be updated. With Driver Updater, you don’t have to worry about compatibility issues since only the right drivers for your system will be installed.

We hope that you were able to fix the “L.A. Noire is not launching in Windows 10” issue. If you have additional information that you’d like to share with us, please don’t hesitate to drop your comments below.