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Just Cause 2 Crashes on Windows 10? Here’s the Fix

By Ethan Martinez

Posted on August 11, 2025

If you’re trying to dive into the adrenaline-fueled chaos of Just Cause 2 on Windows 10 and experiencing frequent crashes, you’re not alone. Despite being a beloved title for action-game enthusiasts, the game was originally released in 2010 and was optimized for older systems. Thankfully, there are well-documented solutions that can help you fix crashing issues and get back to toppling dictatorships without interruptions.

Whether your issue is a crash on startup, after the intro scene, or during gameplay, follow these carefully researched steps to stabilize your experience on a modern Windows 10 system.

1. Ensure Compatibility Mode is Enabled

One of the most common fixes for Just Cause 2 is adjusting the compatibility settings, especially since the game was designed before Windows 10 existed.

Right-click on the game shortcut or the EXE file in the installation folder.
Select Properties, then go to the Compatibility tab.
Check “Run this program in compatibility mode for:” and choose Windows 7.
Under Settings, also check “Disable fullscreen optimizations”.
Click Apply and OK.

Now try launching the game again. If the issue persists, move on to the next fix.

2. Verify Game Files via Steam

If your game installation is missing essential files or contains corrupted data, it will likely crash at launch or during gameplay.

Open Steam and go to your Library.
Right-click on Just Cause 2 and select Properties.
Go to Installed Files (or Local Files tab in older versions) and click
“Verify integrity of game files”.

This process can take a few minutes. After it’s completed, try launching the game again.

[ai-img]just cause 2, windows 10, crash fix[/ai-img]

3. Install or Reinstall DirectX and Visual C++ Runtimes

Many Just Cause 2 crashes on Windows 10 are caused by missing or outdated system components, particularly DirectX 9 and the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables.

Do the following:

Download and install the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft’s official website.
Install both 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) versions of the Visual C++ 2005, 2008, and 2010 Redistributables.

After installing all components, restart your PC and try again. These libraries are critical for older games to function properly on modern systems.

4. Disable Certain Windows 10 Features

Modern background features in Windows 10 such as the Game Bar, Game DVR, and high DPI scaling can interfere with older games.

Here’s how to disable them:

Go to Settings → Gaming → Game Bar and turn it off.
Under Captures, disable Record in the background.
Back in the game’s compatibility settings, check “Disable display scaling on high DPI settings”.

These changes can help prevent unexpected performance issues and crashes in full-screen mode.

[ai-img]windows settings, game bar, disable features[/ai-img]

5. Use the Launch Option -dxadapter=0

Just Cause 2 sometimes attempts to use the wrong GPU when multiple adapters are available, such as integrated vs. dedicated graphics. This can cause conflicts and subsequently, crashes.

To specify the correct adapter:

In Steam, right-click the game, choose Properties.
Under Launch Options, type in: -dxadapter=0
Close the window and relaunch the game.

This command forces the game to use the default DirectX graphics adapter and may resolve startup crashes.

6. Reinstall in a Clean Environment

If you’ve tried all the above steps and still experience persistent crashes, it’s time to uninstall and reinstall the game.

First, back up your save files. These are usually located in:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\Documents\Eidos\Just Cause 2
Uninstall the game via Steam.
Manually delete any leftover files in the game’s installation directory.
Reboot your PC and reinstall from Steam.

Reinstalling the game in a clean state can eliminate file corruptions or registry issues that might have built up over time.

Conclusion: Stability Is Possible

While Just Cause 2 is aging, it can still run excellently on Windows 10 with the proper tweaks. From compatibility settings to redistributable packages and GPU launch options, applying these solutions can eliminate most types of crashes.

[ai-img]just cause 2 gameplay, explosion, open world[/ai-img]

With a bit of patience and these expert-recommended fixes, you’ll be back to wreaking havoc in Panau in no time. If issues still persist, consider visiting community forums where other players may have identified additional workarounds specific to unique hardware configurations.