The BattlEye Anti-Cheat software that many games (including Fortnite) use to keep the cheaters away from the game appears to be having issues with the latest version of Windows 10.
I just installed the game and launched it. Not even 5 minutes later, a little popup comes up with 'EasyAntiCheat Error: Unknown file version. (REDContentPakspakchunk0-windowsnoeditor.pak)' It freezes the screen and doesn't let me proceed any further and forces me to close the game. To my knowledge this EasyAntiCheat is to prevent hackers and people using mods to break the game. You’re not alone. Several users over at the Apex Legends community forums have reported issues with the game not loading up on their PCs. According to user reports, when launching Apex Legends from Origin, the game loading screen appears with an Easy Anti-Cheat banner, but after a few seconds the game closes and returns to the Origin window.
Microsoft rolled out an update today to Windows 10 version 1903 (KB4497935) which has an incompatibility issue with the older versions of Battle Eye service engine and hence displays either of the following errors when launching a game:
- “Failed to start BattlEye Service”
- “Failed to initialize BattlEye Service”
BattlEye’s incompatibility with Windows 10 version 1903 is also the reason why many users are getting a “Driver or service not ready to upgrade” error when trying to update their PCs to Windows 10 May 2019 update.
Thankfully, BattlEye developers have fixed the incompatibility issue with Windows 10 version 1903 and have released a new version of the software which is being pushed alongside game updates.
How to fix “Failed to start BattlEye Service” error
BattlEye Service error in Windows 10 can be fixed by updating the game, reinstalling the software, or by restarting your PC.
Easy Anti Cheat Not Letting Me Launch Games Offline
- Verify that your game is up to date
Make you have the latest version of the game (which is displaying the error) installed on your PC. BattlEye developers have released a compatibility update for Windows 10 version 1903 alongside game updates for the affected games. So be sure to install any pending update available for your game.
If your game platform allows, try to re-validate the game’s installation files as well after installing the latest version. - Restart your PC
If you have the updated the game to the latest version but still getting the BattlEye error, try restarting your PC and then open the game again.
- Uninstall BattlEye manually
Use the official BattlEye uninstaller (linked below) to uninstall BattlEye anti-cheat engine from your PC. Your game wouldn’t work without it, but will reinstall the latest version of the software when you launch the game.
→ Download BattlEye uninstaller (UninstallBE.exe)
Run the UninstallBE.exe file and follow the on-screen instructions to remove the software from your system. - Uninstall and reinstall your game
If nothing works, you probably need to uninstall and reinstall the game on your system.
Easy Anti Cheat Not Letting Me Launch Games Online
We hope you’re able to resolve the BattlEye service issue on your PC following the tips shared on this page. If not, be sure to let us know in the comments section below.