Share this article

Improve this guide

Failed to Create D3D Device: 6 Easy Solutions You Can Use

Get your games working again

6 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

Launcherrorsare too familiar for gamers as if the game senses our desire to play and refuses to give us what we seek. So is the case with the Failed to create D3D device or the less common but equally annoying Failed to create D3D9 device error.

Both of theseerrorsare being reported by players launching games through Steam, and it seems to be isolated to only a few titles, including Left 4 Dead 2, CS: GO, Borderlands 1 & 2, Portal, and Rocket League.

Luckily, the route you’ll need to take is the same to fix both D3D and D3D9 errors, as they have a common cause. So, we will go through the usual troubleshooting steps when you see theseerrors.

What causes the D3D error?

The D3D Error is often a reference to a DirectX Error, precisely a Direct3D error. Several factors can cause a Direct3D error, including:

With the causes covered, let us explore some fixes you should apply.

How do I fix Failed to create D3D or D3D9 device error?

Before you even venture into our recommendations, you should restart the computer. A restart is a general fix but may be effective. It will force a few processes to stop and may help fix a failed to create d3d device error.

1. Verify the integrity of game files

Valve has kindly baked into Steam the option to check if your game files have become corrupted or if something is missing from the game installation directory.

This can help if your antivirus or antimalware software has decided to block or quarantine a file.

If theFailed to create D3D device or D3D9 deviceerrors have been caused by anerrorof the graphics driver, giving the system a fresh start might solve the issue.

2. Update Windows to the latest version

Keeping your Windows operating system up to date is essential because you benefit from the latest bug fixes and security updates.

Sometimes, these updates include compatibility patches which can fix mishaps like theFailed to create D3D deviceorfailed to create D3D9 deviceerrors.

3. Update your graphics drivers

One of the best ways to fix the failed to create D3D, or D3D9 device error is to update your graphics driver.

Theseerrorsare caused by a problem with the graphics card or its driver, so a driver update will usually be the solution.

To go one step beyond, we strongly recommend performing aclean installof the graphics driver or using a utility like DDU to remove the graphics driver altogether before installing the new one.

Note: If you use DDU to uninstall your graphics driver, you must go to the graphics card manufacturer’s website and manually download either the driver or the graphics software (GeForce ExperienceorAMD Adrenalin).

Besides the solutions presented above, you can also try specialized software like Outbyte Driver Updater to scan your device for outdated, damaged, or missing drivers and automatically update them with brand-new versions.

⇒Get Outbyte Driver Updater

4. Set game launch options

Note:instead of 1920 and 1080, use your monitor’s native resolution.

This will force the game to launch with the specified resolution. Unfortunately, some of these games are a bit older, so they don’t always cooperate with newer hardware and higher resolutions.

This can cause a problem when the game tries to launch with a low resolution, so you will need to force the desired resolution.

5. Run the game in compatibility mode

Once you have enabled compatibility mode, you can launch the game, which should clear theFailed to create D3D or D3D9 deviceerror.

6. Enable services

In pursuing more performance, some users disable certain services that they deem unimportant. Still, we cannot stress this enough: you should never disable these if you are not 100% sure of the changes you are making, as this could lead to game crashes or, even worse, system instability.

These fixes will help you fix both Failed to create D3D device and Failed to create D3D9 device errors when launching games on Steam.

If you encounter issues with Steam games, let us know in the comments section below.

Failed to Create D3D Device: 6 Easy Solutions You Can Use#

What causes the D3D error?#

How do I fix Failed to create D3D or D3D9 device error?#

1. Verify the integrity of game files#

2. Update Windows to the latest version#

3. Update your graphics drivers#

4. Set game launch options#

5. Run the game in compatibility mode#

6. Enable services#