SMG setup for Dead by Daylight

Game guidesDead by Daylight Updated16 October 2026
Working Medium setup difficulty Menu key Home

SMG is loaded by its loader and attaches with F2 in the Dead by Daylight main menu. Before the first launch, remove antivirus software and turn off Windows protection.

Requirements

0 of 2 items

Tick what matches your PC:

  • Windows 10 21H2–22H2 or Windows 11 21H2–23H2
  • A licensed copy of Dead by Daylight on Steam or Epic Games

System requirements

  • Operating system Windows 10 or 11 Builds 21H2 – 23H2
  • Processor Intel or AMD
  • Graphics card NVIDIA or AMD
  • Game mode Borderless window or windowed
  • Launchers Steam or Epic Games
  • Built-in spoofer Yes

Preparation

0 of 6 steps
Remove third-party antivirus and anti-cheats Kaspersky, Avast, ESET and the like, plus FaceIT and Riot Vanguard, conflict with the loader. They must be uninstalled, not just paused.
  1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps (or Control Panel → Programs and Features).
  2. Uninstall any third-party antivirus (Kaspersky, Avast, AVG, ESET, 360, Malwarebytes, etc.). Pausing or disabling is not enough — the antivirus driver stays resident.
  3. Uninstall the FaceIT AC and Riot Vanguard anti-cheats if present — they block third-party software at the kernel level.
    • FaceIT is the CS2 anti-cheat, Vanguard is the Valorant one. If you don't play those games, they are safe to remove.
After removing an antivirus, restart the PC — some of its services only unload after a reboot.
A full walkthrough covering every case: How to turn off Windows Defender in Windows 11 and 10: fully or for one folder
Fully disable Windows Defender The #1 cause of “it won't launch”. Disable it for real: manually first, then remove it from startup, reboot, and finish it off with Defender Control.
  1. Step 1. Turn protection off by hand. Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage settings and switch every toggle off:
    • Real-time protection — Off.
    • Cloud-delivered protection — Off.
    • Automatic sample submission — Off.
    • Tamper Protection — Off. Turn this one off first, otherwise the others switch themselves back on.
  2. Step 2. Disable reputation-based protection. In Windows Security → App & browser control → Reputation-based protection → Settings, turn everything off (SmartScreen, potentially-unwanted-app blocking).
  3. Step 3. Remove Defender from startup. Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) → Startup apps tab, find Windows Security notification icon and click Disable.
  4. Step 4. Restart your computer. This is mandatory — some Defender services only unload after a reboot.
  5. Step 5. Finish with Defender Control. Download Defender Control (archive password: r1xon), run it as administrator and click Disable Windows Defender — the tile turns red.
    • If your antivirus deletes the utility itself, protection is still active — go back to step 1. The file ships zipped on purpose so Defender can't wipe it before it's disabled.
Don't skip steps 3–4. “I turned the toggles off but it didn't help” almost always means Defender came back after restart because it was left in startup.
A full walkthrough covering every case: How to turn off Windows Defender in Windows 11 and 10: fully or for one folder
Disable Core Isolation Memory Integrity blocks the driver from loading. Takes a minute to switch off.
  1. Open Windows Security → Device security → Core isolation details.
  2. Turn off Memory Integrity and restart the PC.
A full walkthrough covering every case: Core Isolation in Windows 11 and 10: what it is and how to turn it off
Update Visual C++ and DirectX Up-to-date runtimes keep the loader and overlay from crashing at start.
  1. Install Visual C++ Redistributable x64 and restart the PC.
  2. Update DirectX if you haven't in a while.
  1. In the Dead by Daylight graphics settings, choose windowed or borderless window mode.
  2. On Windows 11, download Vulnerable Driver Disabler, run the file, confirm the registry change and restart the PC.

Launch

0 of 12 steps
  1. Download the loader with the Download Loader button.
  2. Run the loader — it asks for administrator rights by itself.
  3. Paste your key and press Log In.
  4. Wait for the download to finish and press Inject.
  5. The loader asks whether to turn on the built-in spoofer. If you have had bans in the game, answer Yes — and do so on every launch: the spoof lasts until the PC restarts.
  6. If you turned the spoofer on, enter a seed key — your own to get the same serial numbers every time, or 0 for random ones — and press Enter.
  7. To the second question — clean anti-cheat traces — answer Yes once after each ban.
  8. Wait for the message that the cheat has loaded.
  9. Start Dead by Daylight and wait for the main menu.
  10. Press F2. The game will freeze a few times — this is expected.
  11. Open the menu with Home.
  12. Attention: restart the PC before launching other games after playing with the cheat.

Problems & fixes

17
Couldn't load vulnerable driver
Windows refuses to load the loader's driver. Turn off Defender and SmartScreen, disable core isolation, uninstall antivirus software and FACEIT. Then run the Vulnerable Driver Disabler file — it lifts the vulnerable driver block, which Windows 11 always needs — and restart the PC.
An empty error or the PC restarts
  • Turn off User Account Control (UAC).
  • Run the game launcher — Steam, BSG Launcher or another — as administrator.
  • Sync the Windows clock twice in a row.
  • The error also shows if you waited too long before pressing F2 after the cheat started: start again and press F2 as soon as the game loads.
The loader says Windows Defender is on
Defender is not fully off. Turn it off with Defender Control (the “Turn off Windows Defender completely” block above), then open the command prompt as administrator and run sc query wdfilter
The service must be STOPPED. If it is not, restart Defender Control as administrator and turn Defender off again.
Cannot map physical address 0x1000
Almost always another anti-cheat is in the way: uninstall FACEIT, Riot Vanguard and ACE. Uninstall antivirus software — turning it off is not enough — and turn off Defender with SmartScreen. One more cause is the Windows build: 24H2 and 25H2 are not supported by most products, check the system requirements of yours.
C0000001
Check the Windows build with the winver command and compare it with the product's system requirements — it is almost always the reason. Make sure Defender is off and restart the PC.
Failure connect
The loader could not reach the server. Check the product status — maintenance may be under way. If the status is fine, turn on a VPN and run the loader again.
Critical error occured
Turn off Defender and SmartScreen, disable core isolation, uninstall antivirus software and FACEIT. Then right-click the loader file, open Properties and, if there is an Unblock checkbox at the bottom, tick it and press Apply.
Server internal error #684
This error is cleared only by support. Message us with a screenshot of the error, your key and the e-mail you used for the purchase.

Advanced setup — only if it still won’t launch

Use a VPN for download and activation CIS ISPs often block the activation servers. A VPN is needed while downloading the loader, activating the key and injecting — you can turn it off before joining a match.
  1. Use a full VPN — an app that routes all traffic, not a browser proxy or extension: half the support tickets come from exactly this. In Happ and similar clients turn on TUN mode.
  2. Turn the VPN on before downloading the loader and activating the key. If something won't load, switch country (Europe or the US usually work).
  3. After a successful inject you can turn the VPN off before the match to avoid extra ping.
A VPN fixes most endless-loading and “key won't activate” problems.
No VPN of your own? Get R1XON VPN from us, from $2.09, for PC and phone
Sync Windows time A wrong system clock breaks key authorization against the license server.
  1. Open Settings → Time & language → Date & time, enable Set time automatically and click Sync now.

FAQ

4
Which key opens the menu?
Home. First attach the cheat: press F2 in the game's main menu and wait until the stutters stop.
Does the Epic Games version work?
Yes, Dead by Daylight from both Steam and Epic Games is supported. Pirated copies are not.
Do I need a separate spoofer?
No, a HWID spoofer is built into the loader and offered on every launch. Turn it on if you have had bans in the game, and after a new ban also answer Yes to cleaning anti-cheat traces.
Which Windows builds are supported?
Windows 10 21H2–22H2 and Windows 11 21H2–23H2. Builds 24H2 and 25H2 are not supported — check yours with the winver command.

Still stuck?

Run R1XON Checker first — it pinpoints most launch problems in 30 seconds. If it still fails, attach the checker report to your support ticket and we’ll sort it out fast.