
No matter how exciting the game is, no one likes to continue when the gameplay is continuously being interrupted by errors. Final Fantasy XIV is one of the famous games amongst game enthusiasts all around the world.
The game is well built and the servers are always maintained for gamers to have a wonderful gaming experience. Gamers have reported the FFXIV fatal DirectX error to pop up on their screen and cause disturbances and even crashing the game.
Most of the average gamers are not aware of how to fix it. Multiple ways have been tried and tested to fix this error. This article will tell you some top-notch ways that gamers across the globe use, To get rid of this problem.
What happens when this error occurs?
A smooth game transition will change into an inaccessible screen when you face the FF XIV fatal DirectX error. For most users, a pop-up saying ‘A fatal DirectX error has occurred” appears. This freezes the screen for a while, the entire screen turns black. Finally, the game crashes and you have to restart it over again.
Why does the FFXIV Fatal DirectX Error occur?
This pop-up showing up on the screen is not a big deal, but the fact that it can be super annoying and irritating is a massive concern. This is not a problem related to the game servers or connectivity. Ffxiv fatal DirectX error occurs mainly when:
- Full-screen Mode: Many gamers have reported that the game has crashed when they have loaded it in full screen. The error appears as soon as the game begins, sometimes before the game would even properly load.
- The SLI feature of the game is Rejected: SLI technology allows the users to connect two GPU systems and produce one output. NVIDIA has brought this technology into the market to generate a powerful graphical output and enhance the gaming experience. Often the fatal DirectX error occurs when the user is trying to use the SLI technology while playing Final Fantasy.
- Outdated GPU or doesn’t support the Game Format: Using an outdated graphics card may be the reason this error is continuously bugging you while you play. Or maybe a graphics card of such low quality that does not support the game format.
- Game launching with DirectX 11: By default, the game launches with DirectX 11 which is a little problematic. Gamers have reported witnessing FFXIV fatal DirectX error when the game is launched with DirectX 11. This could also be one of the reasons due to which you are being bothered by this error over and over again.
How to fix the FFXIV Fatal DirectX Error?
Whatever the reason is which is causing your game to interrupt, and disturbing your playtime, after immense research and feedback from the gaming community we have listed down multiple ways that will help in resolving this issue for you. We are sure that you will get your answers here.
If you’re able to figure out what is the reason that is causing this error, go ahead and fix that first. If you seem to be blank in finding the reason for this error to continuously appear, we suggest you follow these techniques in the order they are listed below:
#1: Play the game in a borderless window
If the issue is you playing the game in full-screen mode, you can choose to play the game in a borderless window. This will allow you to switch to full screen without displaying the error dialogue box. Switching to a borderless window cannot be done within the game setting.
You need to make changes to the source files. Follow the given steps in order to switch to a borderless window:
- Go to File Explorer.
- Go to Documents > My Games, and open the Final Fantasy XIV folder.

- Right-click the file inside the folder called “FFXIV.cfg“, select open with notepad.
- Search for screen mode by pressing “Ctrl + F” and typing “ScreenMode” in the notepad file.
- From there, change the value of ScreenMode to 2.
- Save the changes you made and close the file.
Try launching the game, hopefully, the error will be fixed.
#2: Change SLI Settings
Enabling SLI has caused many gamers to face this error code and disrupted their gameplay. One easy way is to disable the SLI from the settings so that the error code stops bugging you. To disable SLI:
- Make a right-click anywhere on your desktop and select the NVIDIA control panel.

- Go to 3D Settings > Configure SLI, Surround, PhysX > Set SLI Configuration, and disable it
Launch the game.
Hopefully, the problem will not persist. If it remains, follow the techniques mentioned ahead.
#3: Update your graphics card driver
If your graphics card driver is corrupted or outdated you may face the ffxiv fatal DirectX error while you play the game. To resolve the error check if the graphics card is up-to-date and, if not you will have to update it. By doing this, you will not just be able to resolve this issue, but can also prevent many issues in other programs that require GPU processing.
- Open the Device Manager from the windows menu.

- Go to Display adapters and right-click on it, and click on Update driver.

- Click on “Search automatically for updated driver software” then follow the instructions accordingly on the screen.

After completion of this process, the graphics card driver is updated successfully.
#4: Run Final Fantasy XIV using DirectX 9
By default, Final Fantasy XIV launches with DirectX 11 in newer versions of windows. Some users which experienced this problem tried switching to DirectX 9 in order to launch their game. Surprisingly this easy trick has worked for them and enabled them to enjoy the game without disturbance caused by the error pop-up, screen blackening, and crashing of the game. DirectX11 can be switched to DirectX 9 easily through in-game settings.
- Go to settings
- Select system configuration
- From there, select graphics and you will find the related option.
You can also run the game with DirectX 9 by using steam by following the instructions below:
- Launch stream from the windows menu.
- After that select library, (this option is available in the toolbar), to access the game lists
- Locate Final Fantasy within the list, and choose properties.

- A box will appear, in that you will be able to see a launch options tab, as given above.

- Manually input dx9 in the box, click OK to confirm.
Launch the game to check if the problem persists. Hopefully, it will be resolved.
#5: Get Restoro
Another way to resolve the error is to download Restoro repair tool from the Restoro website and install it on your computer.
After you run the program; it will automatically fix all problems in a single click. Although it is a very easy way to get rid of FFXIV fatal DirectX error and will require minimal effort from you, and you wouldn’t even have to worry about anything.
You will have to buy the software which may be a little expensive. All you have to do is pay and fix all your PC problems in the blink of an eye.
Conclusion
The ways mentioned above can easily help you fix the issues related to ffxiv fatal DirectX error.
FFXIV fatal DirectX error sounds super scary and since it makes the game crash completely and also makes the screen unresponsive, but it happens due to some really small reason which we often tend to ignore.
We have gathered multiple solutions in the easiest possible way for you to get back to gaming because we understand your love and dedication toward it. Hopefully, these solutions will work for you.
If there are any more trips and tricks that you would like to share with the gaming community, feel free to comment below.