DirectX Errors in PC Games: Feature Levels, Missing DLLs and DXGI

Choose your symptom

• Feature Level 12_0 required or D3D11 feature level 11_0 — Compare the required feature level with the actual game GPU.
• d3dx9_43.dll, XINPUT1_3.dll or D3DCompiler_43.dll is missing — Check the game’s legacy DirectX prerequisites.
• DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED, DEVICE_HUNG or DEVICE_RESET — Compare the failing scene and graphics configuration.
• d3d12.dll, dxgi.dll or an unspecified initialization error — Check requirements and Windows components.

STEP 1: Record the complete error and the GPU

1. Capture the full error, including the final letters, numbers and DLL name. Note whether it appears at launch or during a particular scene. Use the error branches above to choose the relevant check.
2. Press Win+R, enter dxdiag and inspect DirectX Version on System. On Display or Render, record the GPU name, Feature Levels and driver date/version. If there are several GPUs, confirm which one the game uses.

Result and next action: A Windows DirectX version and a GPU feature level are different measurements. Keep both, together with the exact error, before choosing STEP 2.

STEP 2: Apply only the branch that matches the message

1. For an explicit feature-level requirement, compare the game publisher’s requirement with the selected GPU’s list. If another compatible GPU is available, check this game under Windows Settings → System → Display → Graphics. A runtime cannot add hardware features the GPU lacks.
2. For a missing legacy library such as d3dx9_43.dll or XINPUT1_3.dll, follow the publisher’s prerequisite instructions. Where the game needs these older DirectX libraries, use Microsoft’s official End-User Runtimes package. Keep this separate from Windows DLLs such as d3d12.dll.
3. For DXGI device removed, hung or reset errors, record the game, scene and recent driver changes. Compare a mod or overlay, graphics setting or driver version one at a time, preserving the previous configuration. The wording alone does not prove GPU hardware failure.

Result and next action: Use the matching detailed section below. If the message does not fit, collect the requirements and failure context instead of guessing from the word DirectX.

STEP 3: Retest the same scene and keep a useful record

1. Restart when required, then use the same launch method and scene. If the error changes, record the new message and choose its own branch instead of repeating the old repair.
2. If it persists, give official game support the edition, full error, GPU, feature levels, driver version, failing scene and changes tried. dxdiag offers Save All Information; review personal details before sharing a report publicly.

Result and next action: A changed error is a new observation, not necessarily a repair. Stop repeating an unchanged test and use the record to narrow the next check.

When the message does not fit a DirectX branch

1. MSVCP140.dll and VCRUNTIME140.dll belong to the Visual C++ branch. Use the related Visual C++ guide instead of treating every missing DLL as a DirectX library.
2. An initialization failure without a file name or feature level cannot be classified from that phrase alone. Check the game’s official requirements, the GPU being used and when initialization failed.

DirectX 12 is not the same as feature level 12_0

1. In dxdiag, System describes the Windows DirectX version. Display or Render shows the selected GPU and its feature levels. Inspect each relevant GPU tab on a multi-GPU PC.
2. Illustrative example: Windows reports DirectX 12, the game GPU lists only up to 11_0, and the game explicitly requires 12_0. The Windows version label does not satisfy that missing GPU requirement. Check other available GPUs and the driver state.
3. Illustrative example: the GPU lists 12_1 and the game requires 12_0. The listed capability meets that feature-level requirement, but you still need to confirm that the game uses this GPU and meets its other requirements.
4. Feature levels describe capabilities, not an FPS ranking. If the publisher says only “DirectX 12”, do not invent a more specific required level. Installing legacy libraries cannot upgrade the GPU’s hardware capabilities.

A missing legacy DirectX library

1. Check the publisher’s prerequisite list first. If it calls for the legacy DirectX libraries, open Microsoft’s DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) page in Sources. For Steam installation damage, file verification is another relevant comparison.
2. Follow the official package instructions. The June 2010 redistributable can extract its contents to a new empty folder; run DXSETUP.exe from that extracted package to install the required components. Merely extracting files is not the installation.
3. Retest after the requested restart. These optional older libraries do not change the DirectX version built into Windows or add GPU features. Do not download individual DLLs from unofficial sites or copy them into System32.

A device error during rendering

1. Record the scene, game version, driver update and any recent mod change. Compare one game with other games if available. DEVICE_REMOVED can refer to a driver/device state; it does not necessarily mean the physical card came out.
2. With the game closed, compare an overlay or a mod using its documented disable method. Preserve saves and mod requirements. If that does not help, compare one graphics setting, keeping the original value so you can restore it.
3. If it affects several games or began with a GPU driver update, use the related driver guide. If the whole PC loses power or restarts, stop treating it as just an application error and use the whole-PC guide linked below (Japanese).
4. Try another rendering mode, such as DX11, only when this game officially offers it. Record the old setting. There is no universal launch option that makes an unsupported GPU compatible.

Windows DLLs and unexplained initialization failures

1. For d3d12.dll or dxgi.dll errors, first compare the publisher’s OS and graphics requirements. Check Windows Update and restart as directed. Legacy DirectX additions are not replacements for these Windows components.
2. For one failing Steam game, verify its files. On a multi-GPU PC, inspect the game’s Windows Graphics preference and the selected GPU before drawing a compatibility conclusion.
3. If Windows system-file errors persist across apps, use Microsoft’s System File Checker instructions in Sources. Its documented sequence uses an elevated Command Prompt, DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth, then sfc /scannow after DISM succeeds. Keep the result and ask support if repair fails; do not replace system DLLs manually.

Protect saves and keep changes reversible

• Do not replace an unfamiliar DLL by downloading it from a file-sharing or DLL-download site.
• Keep feature-level requirements, legacy libraries and graphics-device errors separate. Do not use registry timeout changes or security disabling as a blanket fix.