Reasons for the Fallout 3 Game not Working on Windows 10

If you are the one who has played the game Fallout 3 back in the day when it was released, then you know, how good this game is. Therefore, due to that reason only today also many people play this game on their machine.

But, since this game is a decade old and is also not compatible with any current hardware and Operating Systems, thus playing this game has become a problem. However, here you will get solutions regarding how to play Fallout 3 on Windows 10.

Reasons for the Fallout 3 Game not working on Windows 10

Here, you will get various reasons on why the Fallout 3 game does not work on Windows 10.

If you do execute the Fallout 3 game with administrative privileges, then you may encounter this problem.
When the game is not run in compatibility mode, you can then face this error also.
If the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application is not present within the computer, then there is a high chance for you to face this glitch.
When a configuration file of the Fallout 3 game is not set correctly, you can also face this issue.

How to run Fallout 3 on Windows 10?

You will get multiple methods here, that will help you with the Fallout 3 Windows 10 fix.

Method One: In Compatibility Mode execute Fallout 3

Since the Fallout 3 game is released in the year 2008, therefore it is not compatible at all with the recent Operating System like Windows 10. Thus, because of that reason, while attempting to play this game you can encounter this problem. Now, the correct answer to fix this issue is to run the Fallout 3 game in compatibility mode. In order to do that, follow the steps below.

First, go to the Steam folder and then in it, locate the ‘Fallout’ directory. The default location of the Fallout 3 folder is – “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout 3”.
After that, find the ‘Fallout.exe’ file and then right-click on the same. Next, from the popup menu that appears click on the ‘Properties’ option.
Now, a new dialog box will appear, in it, choose the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
Under that tab, locate the ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:’ option and put a checkmark on it.
Next, from the drop-down menu select the ‘Windows XP (Service Pack 3) option.
At last, choose the ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ buttons respectively, then open the Fallout 3 game and see whether this problem still exists or not.

Method Two: Execute the game Fallout 3 as an Administrator

If the Fallout 3 game is not being executed as an administrator, then you may encounter this error. The correct solution to resolve this issue is to run the game in administrator mode. Here you will get steps on how to make Fallout 3 work on Windows 10.

Go to the first method and then follow the three initial steps to open the ‘Compatibility’ tab.
Next, under that tab, navigate to the ‘Settings’ section and then in it, put a checkmark on the ‘Run this program as an administrator’ option.
Then, click on both the buttons ‘Apply’ and ‘OK’ respectively.
Lastly, open the Fallout 3 game and see if you can able to play it.

Method Three: Change the Fallout 3 configuration File

If the configuration file “falloutprefs.ini” of the Fallout 3 game is not set correctly, then there is a change for you to encounter this error. The most feasible answer to rectify this problem is to alter the configuration file of the Fallout 3 game. For that to happen, follow the steps below.

First, follow the path “My Documents\My Games\Fallout 3”, in order to open the Fallout 3 directory.
Next, inside that directory, locate the ‘falloutprefs.ini’ file and then open the same on the Notepad application.
Now, find the field “bUseThreadedAI” and change the value from ‘0’ to ‘1’. If you cannot locate the said field, then add the “bUseThreaded=1” line with the file.
After that, add another line “iNumHWThreads=2” in the file. Next, hit on both the keys ‘Ctrl + S’ keys to apply any changes to the ‘falloutprefs.ini’ file and quit from Notepad.
Finally, run the Fallout 3 and see whether it is showing this problem or not.

Method Four: Get the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application and install It

If the Windows 10 computer does not have the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application installed, then you can face this problem. The only way to fix this issue is to download the ‘Games for Windows Live’ program and then install the same into the machine. To do it, follow the steps below.

First, go to the official website Microsoft and then search for the application ‘Games for Windows Live’.
As soon as you have got the ‘Download’ link for the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application, then click on it. This action will download the setup file of the application.
Once the download process is complete, next, locate the setup file and double-click on it to execute the same.
At this time, an installer window for the ‘Games for Windows Live’ will appear, In it, follow the information that appears on the screen and accordingly click on the ‘Install’ button.
Wait for the installation process to get over. Once this process is complete, next, launch the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application.
This application will download all the files of the Fallout 3 game. When everything is over, next, quit from the ‘Games for Windows Live’ application.
At last, launch the Fallout 3 game and check if this issue is still there or not.