The small thing to remember

Check GPU compatibility first. Reinstalling the game cannot add graphics features that the hardware does not support.

Record the error and your graphics hardware

ERROR_INCOMPATIBLE_DRIVER points to a missing or faulty Vulkan driver. Pounce Light recommends comparing your graphics hardware with the current Steam requirements, including Vulkan 1.2 support.

Write down the complete error, operating system, GPU model, and driver version. On a laptop, check whether it has both integrated and dedicated graphics; a product family name alone is not enough to identify the chip.

  1. Copy the exact error text or take a screenshot.
  2. Identify the GPU model rather than only the laptop model.
  3. Open the official requirements and compare the graphics section.

Follow the guidance for your GPU family

The developer describes a case involving modern NVIDIA cards and AMD integrated graphics: outdated integrated drivers can interfere. Its page also records an NVIDIA selection in Steam's Vulkan extension settings helping some players.

Use the linked developer guidance to find the relevant vendor instructions. A suggestion for one graphics family is not a universal fix. Keep a record of each change so you can distinguish a fix from a coincidence.

Recognize a hardware limitation

Some older mobile NVIDIA Kepler GPUs and older Intel integrated graphics are unsupported. A driver package being available does not prove that it supports the features the game needs.

If the requirements do not match your device, stop experimenting with unrelated settings. Use the official help page for the exact hardware case rather than an anonymous driver-download site.

Check the original guidance

Details can change with the game. These are the sources checked for this note.

This is an independent reference, not a hands-on test of your device or game build.