Acquired by EA (Electronic Arts) in just 2 months, Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale game that has gained a massive player-base of over 50 million players! However, most Windows users have reported receiving an ‘Invalid Game Executable’ error message while trying to run Apex Legends. These errors appear every time a player tries to launch the game. If you are having the same issue, I will explain the causes and solutions.
“Invalid Game Executable” Error
Many factors can cause the “Invalid Game Executable” problem in Apex Legends. I’ve included some of the possible causes of this issue:
An instance of r5apex.exe that causes the Apex game launch bug. This problem occurs frequently with Avast, AVG (Anti-Virus Guard), and other security programs. If this is the case, simply restore this quarantined executable file from the virus vault.
Files in Apex Legends may be corrupted, resulting in the error. It’s possible to scan and correct Apex game file inconsistencies using Origin’s Scan & Repair function.
- Executable Incompatibility – The Easy Anti Cheat engine used by the game can cause incompatibility issues on Windows 10. Run r5apex.exe in compatibility mode on Windows 7 to fix the problem.
- It is possible that the Easy Cheat Engine is compromised and thus not working properly, causing the Apex game launch issue. In this instance, the game will be forced to shut down to prevent cheating. However, you can cure this mistake by running the setup exe file from the EasyAntiCheat specified folder.
- Windows 8.1 lacks two critical updates: KB3173424 and KB3172614, which are required for the game to run properly and without crashing (launch issue). If this is the case, manually apply the missing updates and restart your PC.
- Corrupted game cache — A corrupted game cache on your PC may be the cause of the Apex crash. You can repair this by removing the cache data and re-running the game without it.
- Now, I’ll teach you how to stop the “Invalid Game Executable” error from disrupting your Apex game start.
How to Fix “Invalid Game Executable” Error
I’ve shown you 6 solutions to avoid the Apex Legend game launch issue. Find the one that suits you.
Method 1: The R5APEX.exe vault
Try this on AVG: Open AVG and select the quarantine tab. Select r5apex.exe from the drop-down list beneath the delete option.
Note: If you use another 3rd party security suite, look up how to accept quarantined files for future scans.
To remove anything from the virus vault using Windows Defender, perform these steps:
This guide assumes you already own a legal copy of the game and are unsure of the virus issue affecting the executable.
- Open Run dialog by pressing Windows key + R
- Enter “ms-settings:windowsdefender” in the dialogue box and click Enter to enter Windows Defender’s main interface.
- When you reach the Windows Security menu, select Virus & threat protection from the right-hand panel.
- Select Protection history from the Virus and Threat Protection menu (below the Quick Scan key).
- Scroll down to the list of newly quarantined things and find the executable file titled R5APEX.EXE. Then click it to bring up the menu.
- After restoring, restart your PC to see if the invalid error message is resolved.
Method 2: Repairing Apex Legends
- Hit My Game Library from the left panel’s vertical menu.
- Re-open Origin and see if the “invalid…” error still occurs when launching the game.
Method 3: Executing R5apex.exe File In Compatibility Mode
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the location where you installed the game. The default path is:
This PC\ Local Disk (C:)\ Program Files (??)\ Origin Games\ Apex\ r5apex.exe
- Check the whole list of Apex game files for the r5apex.exe file. Select Properties from the new context menu (by right-clicking on that exe file, as you find it)
- In Properties, select Compatibility and scroll down to the Compatibility mode. Then select Run this program in compatibility mode.
- Then select Windows 7 from the context menu’s new OS editions list. Then save the changes by pressing apply.
- Finally, restart your PC and observe whether the “invalid…” issue still occurs.
Method 4: Repairing the Easy Cheat Engine
- Open File Explorer from My Computer and navigate to the Apex Legends installation directory. If you did not install the game in a custom place, the game file is located here:
This PC\ Local Disk (C:)\ Program Files (??)\ Origin Games\ Apex\
- Double-click the EasyAntiCheat folder when you arrive there. Then, right-click on EasyAntiCheat Setup.exe and choose Run as Administrator from the context menu.
- On the first screen, click on Repair service when the system requests for UAC (User Account Control). Then confirm your choice. Allow Easy Anti Cheat to scan and restore itself.
- After the procedure, click Finish. Finally, try launching Apex Legends again to see if the problem persists.
Method 5: Installing KB3173424 and KB3172614 (Only on Windows 8.1)
- Use your usual browser to get the KB3173424 update. Then go to the Microsoft Download Center and click the link that says: Download the package immediately.
- On the second screen, select the language for the update installer. Then click the download icon to begin the update.
- Once the download is complete, open the.msu installer and follow the on-screen instructions to install the KB3173424 update.
- After installation, download the KB3172614 update link. Follow the same steps to download and install this link.
- Reboot your PC and try launching Apex again to see if the “Invalid Game Executable” Error still exists.
Method 6: Delete the Game’s Local Cache
If none of the above 5 remedies work for you, then the “Invalid Game Executable” error may be caused by corruption in your game’s cache (stored locally).
Most users reported a game crash or launch issue. But it was fixed after manually visiting Apex Legends‘ local cache location and emptying the cache data.
If no other repairs work, this may be the case with your gaming machine. So, here are the steps to attempt this final error removal method:
- Use My Computer’s File Explorer.
Then go to the following address:
Note 1: The “Username” placeholder is for your Windows profile name. Change it if you want to paste the game file location into the navigation bar.
Note 2: To manually access this place, utilize the ribbon menu at the top to select View. Then check the box beside the Hidden Items option.
- Once you’ve found your saved game, select it all by pressing Ctrl + A. Then, right-click on a file and select Delete from the context menu.
- Restart your PC and try to launch Apex Legends to see whether the “Invalid Game Executable” error has been resolved.
FAQs
APEX LEGENDS LAUNCH ERROR:
How to repair Apex Legends launcher error?
- Open Origin and go to My Game Library.
- Then right-click Apex Legends. Select Repair next.
- To finish the procedure, follow the on-screen directions.
- Reboot your PC 5.
- Finally, run Apex Legends and see whether the problem persists.
What is 0xc00007b?
A corrupted or missing program or system file causes the 0xc000007b error. The most common cause of this problem is NVIDIA drivers or other video cards.
How do I fix my apex memory crash?
The “Texture Streaming Budget” may be set too high in your PC’s video settings, causing Apex memory to crash. Changing the texture quality and resolution can assist. Other applications and Apex may take up too much RAM, causing a crash.
OR, your graphics card has a sync feature that is incompatible with Apex Legends. Deactivating this function may prevent freezing and crash, as some Apex players have confirmed.
Why does Alt+Tab crash Apex?
While the game is running, pressing “Alt+Tab” minimizes the game screen so you can check other windows. When you try to return to the game screen, the game immediately recovers itself, causing the game to crash. This can happen for various reasons, especially if the coders designed the game to crash when alt-tabbed.
This occurs while the game is in “Exclusive Mode”. Running it in “Windowed” mode fixes the Alt+Tab game crash.
Conclusion:
In my opinion, the above guide has the fix because it has been tried and confirmed by Apex gamers. No luck? Try clean booting your computer to deactivate any background processes that may be interfering with the game launch. Stay tuned for more fascinating fixes on other topics!