FIFA is one of the most popular football games on the planet and of the premiere games coming from EA’s stable. As much effort as EA has put into the game, however, it still keeps running into the occasional bug and glitch from time to time.
In this article, we’re talking about FIFA 23’s “application encountered an unrecoverable error”, its causes and what you can do to fix the problem.
What causes this error?
The error can actually be triggered by a number of different problems. Common causes include:
- Corrupt or missing game files.
- Outdated game version.
- Outdated GPU drivers.
- Issues with EA’s Anti-cheat.
Also read: Why is PS5 controller blinking blue? 7 Fixes
How to fix this?
Here are seven fixes you can try out.
Restart your game
One of the easiest ways to fix the problem is to restart the game. Restarting games and programs often resolves temporary bugs that can cause crashes or connectivity issues. Once the game is stopped completely (you can verify this using the Task Manager), relaunch it using the Steam launcher, and it should work just fine.
Launch FIFA 23 as an administrator
Another thing you can try is to run the game with administrator privileges to see if that fixes the problem. Errors like these can often arise because of improper access to system resources or files that the game needs to run properly.
Check out our detailed guide on how to run programs with administrator privileges
Disable any in-game overlays
As useful as in-game overlays are, they can also often interfere with a game’s functionality, causing problems that can result in crashes or the game outright not opening. Try disabling any overlays including Discord, Nvidia and Xbox Game Bar to see if that helps fix the problem.
Update your GPU drivers
Outdated GPU drivers can also cause this issue in particular. While you should update all your drivers, take special care of your display drivers if you run into an error like this.
Step 1: Right-click Start and select Device Manager from the menu.

Step 2: Under Display Adaptors, find your graphics card’s name, right-click it, and click on Update Drivers.

Step 3: Click on Search automatically for drivers. Windows will then automatically look for and download the latest drivers for your particular GPU.

While this should help resolve the error, if it doesn’t, click Uninstall device and restart your PC to force Windows to install the required drivers. You can then update them later.
Disable antivirus
Overly aggressive third-party antivirus or antimalware programs can sometimes cause problems. In such cases, try temporarily disabling your antivirus to see if that makes a change.
Check out our detailed guide on how to disable antivirus in Windows here
Verify Game Files
Corrupted game files can often lead to issues like this, not just in Darktide but other games. Luckily, Steam has a built-in feature that verifies your game files and reinstalls any files that might be damaged. Follow these steps.
Step 1: Head over to your Steam Library, right-click on Darktide and select Properties.

Step 2: Head over to the Local Files tab.

Step 3: Click on Verify integrity of local files… and let Steam do its thing.

Now try relaunching the game.
Reinstall
If nothing works, your best bet is to delete the game from Steam and reinstall it from scratch. Ensure to overwrite your game save with the new installation, as corrupt saved files can also cause this issue.
Also read: Are EA servers down right now?