Sometimes, anti-virus software (like Windows Defender, AVG, or Norton) mistakenly identifies game DLL files as threats and quarantines them.
The “(Top)” error can be a conflict between the game’s renderer and Steam’s overlay hook, which injects a DLL into the game’s top-level process.
The most common cause of this error is a conflict or corruption within the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages.
Black Ops 3 is an older title (released in 2015) that relies on specific versions of C++ libraries to function. Modern Windows PCs often have newer versions installed, or—in the case of a fresh Windows install—the specific older versions the game demands are missing. When the game executable tries to call upon these libraries and fails, it defaults to the generic "DLL could not be loaded" message. Download the Game’s Specific Requirements:
Simply installing the latest C++ package often isn't enough. You need to ensure the game can "see" the specific libraries it needs.
Download the Game’s Specific Requirements:
Restart and Play:
Black Ops 3 relies heavily on specific Microsoft Visual C++ runtimes (especially 2013 and 2015). A corrupted or missing version triggers this DLL error.
How to fix:
The Steam overlay can sometimes conflict with DLL injection on startup. Restart and Play:
To fix a problem, you must understand it. Unlike standard "missing DLL" errors (e.g., d3dx9_43.dll missing), this error is unique to Black Ops 3.
Common Culprits:
