How to fix Civilization 5 Runtime Error Windows 10

Civilization 5 Runtime Error on Windows 10 is one of the most frequently reported errors which gets prompted on the users screen while playing the game. And once the users get stuck with this error the game won’t load which eventually ruined their gameplay.

Well if you are also trying hard to get past this annoying error then you have reached at the right place. Here we will try to discuss all the potential fixes to resolve the error.

But before proceeding with the troubleshooting methods it is quite imperative to know that why this errors occurs. As we know that it’s a runtime error so the reason for this error is quite simple and it clearly means that you have corrupted game files or may be the game is just not compatible with your system. And there are many other reasons which provoke the error which includes inappropriate graphics settings, out of hard drive space, Save folder issues, Game Mods conflicts, corrupt Steam cloud data, conflicting unwanted applications, interference of Windows Firewall, outdated graphics drivers and your system does not meet the minimum system requirements.

Try these fixes for Civilization 5 Runtime Error Windows 10

Method 1: Check System Requirements

You are likely to face several errors and issues if your system does not meet the minimum requirements of the game. So kindly check the list of minimum requirements of the game:

Minimum Requirements of the Game

Graphics: 256 MB ATI HD2600 XT or better, 256 MB NVIDIA 7900 GS or better, or Core i3 or better-integrated graphics

DirectX: DirectX version 9.0c

Hard Drive: 8 GB free

Sound: DirectX 9.0c-compatible sound card

Operating System: Windows Vista Service Pack 2/Windows 7

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo 1.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 64 2.0 GHz

Memory: 2 GB RAM

Method 2: Restart Civilization 5

In this method we suggest you to restart the Steam Client and re-run the game by following the below mention guidelines:

Step 1: First of all right-click on the Steam Client on Windows taskbar and tap on Exit>launch the Task Manager just by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys together

Step 2: Then right-click on Steam Client Service (32-bit) and select End Task to end Steam

Step 3: Press the Windows key and type Steam and click on Open and see if the issue resolved or not

Method 3: Run Steam Client as Administrator

Make sure that you are running Steam Client in administrator mode. To do so follow the below mention guidelines:

Step 1: First of all right-click on Steam Client and select Properties, which will show the Properties menu

Step 2: Then go to the Compatibility tab >check the option Run this Program as an Administrator

Step 3: Click on Apply>OK

Method 4: Reduce Game Graphics Settings

In this method we suggest you to reduce game graphics settings and to do so follow the below mention instructions:

Step 1: First of all Civilization 5>In the main menu, tap on Set up Game

Step 2: Tap on Video Options. Here you can change game’s graphics settings and reduce the graphics settings

Method 5: Rename the Saves Folder

In this method it is recommended to rename the save folder as several users have claimed success after applying this method.

To do so follow the below mention guidelines:

Step 1: In order to launch File Explorer, press the Windows + E keys>then go to following path:

C:\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization 5\Saves\

Note: %USERPROFILE% is the username in which you are currently logging your Windows into:

Step 2: Now select the Saves folder and press Ctrl + C keys together to copy the folder

Step 3: Go to the desktop and right-click on an empty area and select Paste>then go back to the given path:

C:\%USERPROFILE%\Documents\My Games\Sid Meier’s Civilization 5\Saves\

Step 4: Now rename the Saves folder>then start the game and see if the issue resolved or not

Method 6: Update Steam Client

Several users have claimed that updating the Steam Client worked for them so you can also try this method.

Here’s how:

Step 1: First of all open Steam Client >then click on Steam at the top left corner & select Check for Steam Client Updates…

Step 2: If any new updates are available then wait until the update is finished and click on Restart Steam

If the Steam Client is already up-to-date, it will display Your Steam Client is up-to-date

Finally re-launch the game

Method 7: Verify the Integrity of the CIV 5 files

You are likely to face the above mention error if you have corrupted game files. So kindly verify the integrity of the CIV 5 files.

Here’s how:

Step 1: After running your Steam Client navigate to the Library tab>then right-click Civilization 5 in the list of installed games, select Properties

Step 2: In the Properties Panel, navigate to the Local Files section. Verify the Integrity of Game Files y selecting this option

Step 3: Steam will automatically verify the game files, you will be require to pause for a few minutes for this procedure to finish

Step 4: Once done then relaunch the game and see if the issue resolved or not

Method 8: Turn off GPU Texture Decode

If you are still struggling with Civilization 5 Runtime Error Windows 10 then we suggest you to disable GPU Texture Decode.

Here’s how:

Step 1: Firstly open Civ 5, in the main menu, click on Set up Game>click on Video Options

Step 2: Finally uncheck the option GPU Texture decode

Method 9: Delete Corrupted Cloud Files

You can also try to delete the corrupted cloud files and to do so follow the below mention instructions:

Step 1: Move to Steam> Settings> Cloud>then untick Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization for applications which support it>then choose Steam>Go Offline and restart Steam in Offline Mode

Step 2: Then switch to your Steam userdata folder. Usually it should be

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\userdata if you install it on your system C drive and select your account folder

Step 3: Now locate 8930 directory and delete all items with it>launch Civ 5 close Steam and go to the 8930 folder

Step 4: Remove the vdf file>reopen Steam and Go Offline>then re-check Enable Steam Cloud Synchronization for applications which support it

Step 5: Then start Civilization 5 and a cloud conflict message should pop- up. You need to just select Upload to the Steam Cloud option

Method 10: Reinstall Steam

If none of the above mentioned method works for you then we suggest you to uninstall and then reinstall Steam.

To do so follow the below mention steps:

Step 1: First of all open Steam app and click on steam menu, after that select Settings option>In the Downloads tab, tap on Steam Library folders to open the storage manager

Step 2: Choose the local drive on which the games are installed. Here we have chosen Local drive (d
)

Note: The default installation location for Steam games is Local drive (C).

Step 3: Then click on three dots and select Browse Folder to open Steamapps folder

Step 4: Now click on SteamLibrary

Note: If you couldn’t find SteamLibrary in the address bar, go to the previous folder and look for the SteamLibrary folder

Step 5: Copy the Steamapps folder by pressing Ctrl + C keys>then paste the Steamapps folder to another location for backup just by pressing Ctrl + V keys

Step 6: Now press Windows + I Keys together to open Settings>click on Apps Setting

Step 7:  Select the Steam app>tap on Uninstall

Step 8: Again click on Uninstall to confirm the pop-up>click on yes in the prompt

Step 9: Now click on Uninstall to confirm the un-installation

Step 10: Tap on Close once the application is entirely uninstalled from the system>now click on Start, type %localappdata% and press Enter keys

Step 11: Right-click on the Steam folder and delete it>again press the Windows keys and type in %appdata% and tap on OK

Step 12: Delete the Steam folder> then restart the PC>Visit the official Steam site and tap on Install Steam to get the Steam Installation executable.

Step 13: Now click on installed executable file to install the application and then fix unable to initialize Steam API error.

Step 14: Tap on Yes in the UAC prompt>and in the installation wizard, tap on Next

Step 15: Choose the desired language and tap on Next>click on Install

Note: If you don’t want the app installed on the default folder mentioned, then choose the desired destination folder by clicking on the Browse option

Step 16: Now wait for the Steam Client to be installed and tap on Finish>once done then log in with your Steam Credentials

Step 17: And lastly paste Steamapps folder to the default location path:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamLibrary

Note that the location might vary depending on where you download the games.

That’s all about Civilization 5 Runtime Error Windows 10. If you liked the blog then keep visiting the site for more useful articles.

Samir Prakash Author