Being in Early Access means that a game is not yet finished and there are issues and crashes to deal with. This has been the case for Path of Exile 2 players who are encountering a ton of issues in-game, including bugs and crashes. That brings us to the “Could not overwrite executable” error that has been troubling players. So, is there any fix for it yet? If you are struggling with the same issue, consider reading this guide, as we have shared a few effective workarounds to help you fix it.
To be specific about the error, it pops up with a message that reads “could not overwrite executable with the new patched executable…”. Multiple threads and discussion forums have been filled with player reports of this error’s occurrence. This makes it pretty clear that it is a widespread issue rather than an isolated one. So, have the officials recognized the issue? What about some player-suggested fixes? More details on the same are shared below.
Path of Exile 2 Could not Overwrite executable Error: Is there any fix yet
So far, we do not have any new patches or an official acknowledgment for this particular error. Thankfully, we do have some potential workarounds that have worked for some players. While they are not guaranteed to work for all, they are worth a shot.
Reboot
The first thing you should try to fix the Failed to connect to instance error in Path of Exile 2, is restarting the game and running it as an administrator. To do this, right-click the game’s shortcut or executable, select Run as Administrator, and confirm the prompt. If this fails, go ahead and try the next fix.
The most popular fix (Rename the game’s .exe file)
So far, there has been one workaround that has seen the most success. Here’s a step-by-step guide to the fix:
- Right-click on the Path of Exile 2 shortcut or executable.
- Select Open File Location from the context menu. Now, right-click again on the game’s executable file in the new window and select Open File Location to reach the main installation folder. This is usually located in:
- C:\Program Files (x86)\Grinding Gear Games\Path of Exile 2 Or wherever you installed the game (e.g., D:\Grinding Gear Games\Path of Exile).
- Inside the installation folder, locate the following files:
- PathOfExile.exe (this is the main executable file).
- PathOfExile.tmp (a temporary file created during updates or processes).
- Delete the PathOfExile.tmp file.
- Right-click on PathOfExile.exe and select Rename. Change its name by altering or removing one character (e.g., rename it to PathOfExil.exe or PathOfExileNew.exe)
- Double-click the renamed executable file (e.g., PathOfExil.exe) to create the original file. Use this file now to launch the game!
- Once the game is running successfully, you can delete the renamed file if desired.
Just renaming
If the above-mentioned way does not fix the issue for you, locate the game’s installation directory where the executable files are stored (usually named PathOfExile.exe and PathOfExile.tmp). Rename the current PathOfExile.exe to something else, like PathOfExileBackup.exe, to preserve it as a backup. Then, rename the PathOfExile.tmp file to PathOfExile.exe. After renaming, relaunch the game and check if the issue persists. This is a quick and non-invasive fix that doesn’t require reinstallation.
Last resorts
Finally, if nothing works, start by verifying the game files through Steam so that no files are missing or corrupted. Right-click on the game from your library. After that, select Properties, and then go to the Installed Files tab. Here, select the Verify Integrity of Game Files option. Next, check for any available updates for the game, as patches may resolve known issues. If these steps don’t work, consider uninstalling and reinstalling the game on a faster drive.
And those are the workarounds we have for now for the Could not Overwrite Executable Error. We hope this was helpful and you were able to play the game without any further errors. Speaking about Path of Exile 2, click here to find out how to disable auto aim in the game. Also, stick around with Digistatement for more guides like this.
