Madden 24 Steam Launching Error Acknowledged by EA, and Here’s a Fix

Madden 24 Crossplay

Those hitting the virtual field on PC for Madden 24, you might be encountering issues that has prevented you from playing. I’m specifically talking about the Madden 24 Steam launching error that seems to have reared its ugly head this launch day.

Madden 24 Steam Launching Error Fix:

EA has acknowledged the issue and have made the following announcement:

Our team is aware of some players being unable to launch Madden NFL 24. Please go to this link and navigate to the ‘Secure Boot is not enabled on this machine’ section for documentation and assistance on fixing this error. Thank you.

Here’s a step-by-step guide outlined by EA:

What is EA anticheat?

EA anticheat is a PC anticheat solution that is designed to ensure fair play in our games and help prevent cheating. It also has a strong focus on privacy and security.

Which games use EA anticheat?

EA anticheat is available in FIFA 23, Madden NFL 24, and EA SPORTS FC 24™. The anticheat solution is installed when you download and install the game from the EA app, Origin for Mac, Steam, or the Epic Games Store. Stay tuned to hear about any future games that we may add.

How to install EA anticheat

If you need to troubleshoot an issue or previously uninstalled EA anticheat, follow these steps.

  1. Download the EA anticheat installer.
    • If you’re on desktop, the link will automatically download the installer onto your browser.
  2. Click the game you want to add EA anticheat to.
  3. Click Install.

Any game that uses EA anticheat will try to install the tool when you install the game, if EA anticheat isn’t already enabled.

Secure Boot is not enabled on this machine.

If you’re on Windows 11, you need to enable Secure Boot. Do the steps below. After you’ve done that, try reloading the game again.

This article is intended for users who are not able to upgrade to Windows 11 because their PC is not currently Secure Boot capable. If you are unfamiliar with this level of technical detail, we recommend that you consult your PC manufacturer’s support information for more instructions specific to your device.

Secure Boot is an important security feature designed to prevent malicious software from loading when your PC starts up (boots).  Most modern PCs are capable of Secure Boot, but in some instances, there may be settings that cause the PC to appear to not be capable of Secure Boot. These settings can be changed in the PC firmware. Firmware, often called BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), is the software that starts up before Windows when you first turn on your PC.

To access these settings, you can consult your PC manufacturer’s documentation or follow these instructions: Run Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and select Restart now under Advanced startup. From the next screen, select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > UEFI Firmware Settings > Restart to make changes.

To change these settings, you will need to switch the PC boot mode from one enabled as “Legacy” BIOS (also known as “CSM” Mode) to UEFI/BIOS (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface). In some cases, there are options to enable both UEFI and Legacy/CSM. If so, you will need to choose for UEFI to be the first or only option. If you are unsure how to make any necessary changes to enable the UEFI/BIOS, we recommend that you check your PC manufacturer’s support information on their website.  Here are a few links to information from some PC manufacturers to help get you started:

While the requirement to upgrade a Windows 10 device to Windows 11 is only that the PC be Secure Boot capable by having UEFI/BIOS enabled, you may also consider enabling or turning Secure Boot on for better security.


For a list of the known launch issues acknowledged by the dev team, head on over here. Don’t be surprised to see a patch released as early as next week to tackle some of the issues the game is dealing with at launch. Once we know more, we’ll let our readers know.

Source: EA Help, Microsoft Support

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