These details are CRITICAL; DO NOT skip them or your issue may not be reviewed.
GAME BUILD #: ######GAME PLATFORM: SteamOPERATING SYSTEM: Linux (Debian 13)
DESCRIBE THE ISSUE IN DETAIL (below). LIMIT TO ONE BUG PER THREAD.
Clicking Play button on Steam does not work.
Play button goes to Cancel/Launching then back to Play, as if the game launch was attempted but failed.
I have tried changing the version of Proton being used but none of them fix the issue, tried Proton 8/9/10/hotifx/experimental
I have verified the integrity of the files via Properties → Verify integrity of game files
How often does the issue occur? CHOSE ONE; DELETE THE REST !
100% of the time / matches I play (ALWAYS)
List CLEAR and DETAILED STEPS we can take to reproduce the issue ourselves… Be descriptiv e!
Here’s the steps to reproduce the issue:
Click Play button
What was SUPPOSED to happen if the bug you encountered were not prese nt?
Game should launch
ALWAYS attach a PICTURE (.jpg, .png, .gif) or VIDEO (.mp4, YouTube link) that highlights the prob lem.
“Sorry, new users cannot add attachments”
I have a video but I cannot upload it due to the error message above
The play button goes from Play → Cancel (Launching) → Play
Attach a SAVE GAME (.aoe2spgame) or GAME RECORDING (.aoe2record) of the match where you encountered the issue. Link it below if using an external file ser vice.
Same here with windows 10, right after update 177723.
Same here with windows 10, right after update 177723 aswell
I already did the following, but it changed nothing:
Verify integrity of game files
Launch game without extra launch option parameters
Disable all mods (by deleting them in the folder)
same for me on cachylinux
Same for me, Steam, Manjaro linux, tried various proton versions.
Same issue here, adding diagnostic data in case it helps.
Distro: NixOS (unstable channel, [date])
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (Zen 1) — has AVX/AVX2/SSE4.2, no AVX-512
GPU / driver: [fill in — e.g. AMD RX 6700 XT, mesa 25.x]
Steam: native package, Proton Experimental (also reproduced on Proton 9.0-4 — [remove if untrue])
Launch options: PROTON_LOG=1 PROTON_LOG_DIR=“$HOME” %command% &> “$HOME/aoe2de.log”
I have the log files but cannot upload them as a new user, but the most notable thing is after Vulkan/wined3d finish loading and right before any UI would appear, the game executable starts throwing a cascade of EXCEPTION_ILLEGAL_INSTRUCTION (0xc000001d) at addresses inside its own .text:
warn:seh:dispatch_exception backtrace: — Exception 0xc000001d.
olgmt
June 2, 2026, 7:10pm
8
same issue for me on windows 10, the game on steam will show up as launching for 10s and then nothing happens
Windows 11 here. Same issue. Updated AMD and Windows but issue remains.
Cannot play at all.
steam-813780.txt (396.3 KB)
my logs
To anyone running into this problem. We made a change in the backend, can you restart Steam and the game and let us know if the issue is fixed for you?
Nunnsy
June 2, 2026, 8:17pm
12
Still no dice trying to run it through Sikarugir - same issue encountered as others. This is after Steam/wrapper restarts.
Nunnsy
June 2, 2026, 8:20pm
13
To confirm, issue present on Sikarugir with this update / ID
On Steamdeck in Desktop Mode: Issue is fixed for me. Successfully started the game.
Fixed for me too, thank you.
it work on cachylinux
i previously retartred my comp.It was “worcking/launching” again, but now it’s not restarting anymore.
Strange thing, according to windows exmplrer Aoe2DE_S.exe file seems to modify itself without any particular steam update.
confirming that it has started working for me as well
Restarted Steam, working for me now, thank you!
bump, we need a solution. You said solved however you had 3 new pages of people complaning about this on steam forums including me aswell.
GAME INFORMATION
These details are CRITICAL; DO NOT skip them or your issue may not be reviewed.
