If Battlefield 6 on Steam loads the splash screen, flashes a black window, and then kicks you back to Play with no error, you’re hitting a cluster of early PC launch issues. The good news: several consistent workarounds are getting players into the game, especially on Windows 11 with modern NVIDIA GPUs and EA’s anti‑cheat in the mix.

Symptom or error Fix to try first
Crash after splash screen, brief black window, no message Add a Windows Exploit protection override for bf6.exe and set “Force randomisation for images (Mandatory ASLR)” to Off
“Game Not Released” blocking download/update in Steam Sign out of Steam completely, then sign back in to trigger the pending update
Event log mentions EAAntiCheatService or exit code 0xC0000604 Enable Secure Boot in firmware (UEFI) and apply the Exploit protection override for bf6.exe
DirectX error DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED Update GPU drivers; reset NVIDIA app settings to default; see the Exploit protection step

Fix Battlefield 6 crash on Steam after the splash screen (Exploit protection override)

Windows’ Exploit protection can block Battlefield 6 during initialization. A per‑app override for the game executable reliably stops the instant crash. This change affects only the game, not the entire system.

  • Open Windows Security.
  • Go to App & browser control → Exploit protection settings.
  • Under Program settings, select “Add program to customize” → “Choose exact file path.”
  • Browse to your Steam library folder → steamapps/common/Battlefield6 and select bf6.exe.
  • In the overrides for bf6.exe, set:
    • Force randomisation for images (Mandatory ASLR): Off

Tip: If the crash persists, some players also disable these per‑app toggles for bf6.exe: Control flow guard (CFG), Data Execution Prevention (DEP), Bottom‑up ASLR, Validate exception chains (SEHOP), and Validate heap integrity. Start with Mandatory ASLR only; use the others only if needed.

Clear the “Game Not Released” roadblock in Steam

Steam may incorrectly hold Battlefield 6 updates with a “Game Not Released” status. Restarting the client alone often doesn’t help; a full sign‑out does.

  • In the Steam client, open the menu and choose Sign out. Close Steam.
  • Launch Steam again and sign in. The Battlefield 6 update should resume and complete.

If downloads still stall, restart Windows and try again.

Verify Battlefield 6 files in Steam

Corrupt or incomplete files can produce a silent quit after the splash screen. Run a file integrity check before larger reinstalls.

Meet anti‑cheat and firmware requirements (Secure Boot)

Battlefield 6 uses kernel‑level anti‑cheat. Systems without Secure Boot enabled can fail at launch with no clear message, and you may see EAAntiCheatService in the Windows event log with an unexpected exit code like 0xC0000604.

  • Enter your motherboard’s UEFI/BIOS and ensure Secure Boot is enabled.
  • Boot back into Windows, then try launching the game again.

Note: Combine Secure Boot with the Exploit protection override for the best chance of a first‑try launch.

Adjust NVIDIA settings that can interfere

A few driver‑level settings have been implicated in early crashes or failed initialization.

  • Disable “Smooth Motion” in the NVIDIA driver if it’s enabled.
  • Reset the NVIDIA app’s global settings to default.
  • Install the latest Game Ready driver for your GPU.

When Battlefield 6 shows DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED

This DirectX error indicates the GPU driver detached during initialization. It often appears alongside the same splash‑screen quit.

  • Update your GPU driver and reboot.
  • Reset NVIDIA app settings to default.
  • Apply the Exploit protection override for bf6.exe (Mandatory ASLR → Off).

If nothing else works

  • Uninstall and reinstall Battlefield 6 in Steam.
  • Reboot and try a clean first launch with no overlays running.
  • If the crash persists after the steps above, wait for an update from the developer—launch fixes are actively rolling out.

Most players stuck on the splash‑screen crash get in after turning off Mandatory ASLR for bf6.exe and signing out/in of Steam to clear the update queue. Start there, then layer in driver resets and Secure Boot if needed.