If you are reading this, you have likely just experienced one of the most frustrating moments in PC gaming history.
You are deep in the rain-soaked, gothic streets of Batman: Arkham City. You have just grapnel-boosted across the map to stop a political prisoner from being executed. You hit the counter button perfectly. And then... FREEZE.
A dialogue box pops up. It reads:
"Fatal Error. QA Approved Build. January. Verified."
Your heart sinks. You click OK. The game dies. The Bat is down.
For over a decade, this specific error message has haunted players. But what does it actually mean? And more importantly, how do you stop it from ruining your 100% completion run?
Let’s break it down.
The "Fatal Error – QA Approved Build – January Verified" is a tragic artifact of a time when games were optimized for a specific snapshot of technology. It is a ghost in the machine—a validation check that became a lock-out as the world updated its drivers.
But the Dark Knight does not give up, and neither should you. By forcing DX9, disabling PhysX, or granting a DEP exception, you can force that stubborn "QA Approved" build to finally approve of your modern gaming rig.
The Verified Verdict: Use -dx9 launch option first. If the error persists, add the DEP exception. In 95% of cases, the "January Verified" fatal error will never bother you again.
Now, go glide off the Wonder Tower. Gotham needs you.
Have a different solution for the "Fatal Error QA Approved Build" on Arkham City? Share your January verified fix in the comments below.
The "QA_APPROVED_BUILD_JANUARY_2011" fatal error in Batman: Arkham City is a frequent issue for modern PC users, typically caused by corrupted configuration files or permission conflicts. 🛠️ Top Fixes 1. Clear Local Game Data The "QA Approved" Nightmare: Fixing the Batman: Arkham
The most effective solution is often deleting the game's configuration folder in your Documents. Go to Documents\WB Games. Delete the Batman Arkham City GOTY folder. Relaunch the game (it will regenerate clean files). 2. Adjust Compatibility & Permissions
Permissions errors frequently trigger the "QA Approved" crash message.
Navigate to your game installation folder (usually Steam\steamapps\common\Batman Arkham City GOTY\Binaries\Win32). Right-click BatmanAC.exe and BmLauncher.exe. Go to Properties > Compatibility. Check Run this program as an administrator. Set compatibility mode to Windows 8 or Windows 7. 3. Disable Windows Exploit Protection
Some users found that Windows security settings block the game from launching correctly. Search for Exploit protection in your Windows search bar. Go to Program settings > Add program to customize. Add the path for BatmanAC.exe.
Turn OFF all override settings for this specific executable and apply. 4. Direct X & PhysX Settings
Instabilities with DirectX 11 or outdated PhysX drivers can cause fatal errors on newer GPUs. Open the game launcher and go to Settings. Disable DirectX 11 features. Have a different solution for the "Fatal Error
Turn PhysX to OFF or download the NVIDIA PhysX Legacy Driver if you are using an NVIDIA card. Community Tips
“"DELETE the Batman Arkham City GOTY folder in Documents this is what fixed it for me. If it shows another Fatal Error January 2011, DELETE again." — Logical_IronMan” Reddit · r/BatmanArkham · 7 years ago
“"The solution was to turn off Exploit protection specifically for BatmanAC.exe... I sincerely hope this helps someone that was as desperate as I was!" — User on r/BatmanArkham” Reddit · r/BatmanArkham · 2 years ago If the game still won't launch, I can help you:
Batman Arkham City Review, DX11 Explored - Page 3 | HotHardware
A QA approved build signifies that the game version has been tested and approved by the quality assurance team. However, issues like the described fatal error indicate that thorough testing may sometimes miss critical bugs.
To understand the fix, we must first understand the language of the error. This is not random gibberish. It is a debugging tag left inside the game’s executable by Rocksteady Studios’ Quality Assurance (QA) team. Game: Batman Arkham City Issue: Fatal Error Build
The Paradox: Why are you getting a "QA Approved" error if the build is breaking your game? Because that tag indicates a mismatch. The game thinks it is running in a verified environment, but your PC’s hardware, drivers, or software hooks are triggering a failsafe. Essentially, the game is having a heart attack because the environment is too new for its "approved" parameters.
xlive.dll bypass:xlive.dll (from a trusted source like “Ultimate GFWL Disabler”) and place it in the game’s Binaries\Win32 folder. This tricks the game into thinking GFWL is present.