Destiny 2 PC Stuck on Initializing [FIX]

Destiny 2 being stuck on initializing is a fairly common issue many players encounter while trying to launch the game. There can be a number of issues that can cause Destiny 2 to be stuck on initializing in the launcher, ranging from corrupted files to bad network connection or even faulty cache files interfering with the connection of the game. You can easily fix Destiny 2 PC Stuck on Initializing by simply following the methods listed in this guide further down below.

The error appears when a user tries to update Destiny 2. The download bar is stuck on “initializing” and not progressing any further.

Destiny 2 Stuck On Initialization (Image by eXputer)

Key Takeaways

Destiny 2 PC Stuck on Initializing is a fairly common problem that puts the user in an infinite loop and prevents the user from updating the game successfully.

Here are all the reasons why your Destiny 2 might be stuck on initializing:

Corrupted game Files.
Poor internet Connection.
Insufficient permission.
Anti-virus blocking access to important files.
Battle.net settings download speed limit..
Faulty cache files.

Here are all the methods through which you can fix the Destiny 2 PC Stuck on Initializing error.

Fix Corrupted Game Files.
Launch as an Administrator.
Checking your Internet Connection.
Disable antivirus.
Delete the Blizzard.net cache.
Increase the download speed.
Close any Battle.net background process.
Reinstall the Destiny 2.

Fix Corrupted Game Files

Corrupted game files are always responsible for various issues that may hamper the game in many different ways, like crashing and freezing. In this particular scenario, Battle.net is stuck on a loop, unable to find the necessary files in order to continue with the download. Therefore, due to missing/corrupted files, your game may be stuck on initializing.

There are a few methods to fix this issue, but the most effective one is temporarily removing the game from the directory. Here is how you can easily remove the game from the directly without redownloading the entire game again.

Start the update of Destiny 2, and after 5 to 10 minutes, pause the update.
Now, find the Destiny 2 game directory.
Rename the Destiny 2 folder to any alternative name.
Now, Click on the install button on the battle.net launcher when you open the launcher again.
Before the launcher starts installing the game, go back to the directory folder and change the Destiny 2 folder to its original name.
Lastly, simply relaunch battle.net and click on the install button to see if battle.net will detect any missing or corrupted game files.

You can also try verifying your game files to resolve this issue.

Launch As An Administrator

Destiny 2 being stuck on initializing might occur due to the inability of the launcher to find the appropriate files needed to continue the initializing process of the game. So, it’s necessary to ensure that the Battle.net launcher has permission to read and write any files necessary for the initializing process by opening the application with the administrator. Here is how you can open the launcher as an administrator.

Find the Bettle.net launcher shortcut on the desktop, or simply search for it in the search bar down below.
Now, right-click on the application and select “Run as administrator” to run the launcher as admin.

If your issue is fixed by using administrator privilege on the launcher, then you can use the following method to ensure the launcher is started as admin every time you launch it.

Start by right-clicking the battle.net launcher and selecting the properties option.
Opening app properties. (image captured by eXputer)
Go to the compatibility tab and enable “run this program as an administrator.”
Activating the Run this program as an Administrator option in app properties. (image taken by eXputer)
Finally, click on apply and select the OK button to finalize.

Checking Your Internet Connection

Your internet connection might be the reason why blizzard.net might not be able to continue with the initializing process properly. First off, check your internet connection speed to see if it is stable. So, to test your internet connection, you can visit Speedtest.net or Fast.com.

Checking the Internet Connection Speed at speedtest.net. (image taken by eXputer)

So, if you’re getting a decreased or unstable internet connection speed, you can try to fix it by just power cycling your internet connection. Here are some simple steps to power cycle your router/modem. However, you can also follow our guide on How to Restart Modem.

To power cycle, you have just to turn off your internet connection’s main router/modem.
Now, wait approximately 5 to 10 minutes.
After waiting 5 to 10 minutes, restart your internet connection again to power cycle your router successfully.

Disable Antivirus

Your Windows Defender and virus protection software may be interfering with the battle.net launcher and making it unable to access files on the system properly. So, you must temporarily disable the virus and threat protection to see if it fixes the issues. Here are the steps on how you can easily disable Windows Defender. However, make sure to turn it back ON once you’re done playing the game.

Start by pressing the Windows+I on your keyboard to open the settings menu.
Now, search for Windows security settings and open “virus and threat protection”.
Opening Virus and Threat Protection Settings in Windows Settings app. (image captured by eXputer)
Click on manage settings in the “virus and threat protection settings” section.
Opening Virus and Threat Protection Options in Virus and Threat Protection Settings. (image copyrighted by eXputer)
Finally, switch off the “real-time protection” option to disable the Windows Defender real-time protection.
Turning Off Real-Time Protection in Windows Virus and Threat Protection Settings. (image taken by eXputer)

If you’ve confirmed that the antivirus solution was the issue, then enable the shield back on. Instead, try whitelisting the Destiny 2 installation folder within the antivirus.

Delete The Blizzard.Net Cache

The blizzard.net launcher stores temporary files on the computer so that the launcher can effectively launch the game with the proper settings. These files may have been corrupted at some point and might have been interfering with the initializing process. So, all you have to do is simply delete the blizzard.net cache folder to reset the cache files of the blizzard.net launcher.

Start by pressing the Windows+R buttons on the keyboard.
Once the run dialog opens, type %appdata% and press ok to open the appdata folder.
Opening the Appdata Folder Using RUN app. (image captured by eXputer)
Once the Appdata folder is open, go into the local folder and find the battle.net folder.
Finally, simply right-click and delete the cache folder.

Close Any Battle.Net Background Processes

Another effective method to fix the issue is to relaunch the battle.net launcher completely, but there may be battle.net processes running in the background even after closing the launcher. So, in order to ensure a complete reset of the battle.net launcher, you have to close any blizzard-related programs that may be running in the background. Here are the steps to close any background applications.

Start by right-clicking the taskbar and selecting Task Manager.
Opening the Task Manager by Right-Clicking the Taskbar. (image taken by eXputer)
Now, find any blizzard-related processes and close them by right-clicking and selecting the end task to close the process.
Ending a Task in the Task Manager. (image copyrighted by eXputer)

Reinstall the Game

If none of the methods listed above are working towards fixing the issue, then your final course of action is to completely reinstall the game from scratch. Completely reinstalling games has been shown to fix issues like these that won’t be fixed by attempting various known solutions like those listed above. Here is how you can easily uninstall the game from the battle.net launcher.

Launch battle.net and open the Destiny 2 section.
Now, press the options button and select the uninstall option to uninstall the game successfully.
You can reinstall the game to see if the issue is fixed.

Final Words

Applying all the different methods listed above will surely be able to fix your battle.net launcher because these are the most used methods that will get your Destiny 2 out of the initializing loop. However, you can always check the Destiny 2 server status page to see if the issue is server-side or not.

Here, my error guide for Destiny 2 PC Stuck on Initializing error comes to an end. However, you can check out our other error fixes, game guides, and gaming content by visiting eXputer.