"PATCHMANIFESTERROR_VERSIONFAIL"

Mikeyd0577

After doing all of the steps in the suggested KB article to fix this issues (which didn't work and I wasted 14 hrs on a reinstall); I was informed by customer support of this:

On a PC:

By default, your launcher files are found here: C:\Program Files (x86)\Zenimax Online\Launcher

Please delete this Launcher folder.

Then, log in to your account on our website and click on the "Download Game" button on the page.

Please allow the launcher to download completely. It should recognize that your computer has game files, so when you click on the client it may say "play" or "repair."

This is the only thing that worked for me.

Ranique

The issue is much more complex as support wants to aknowledge. There are basically two issues.

1: patch manifest error and a non playable game. This happens rarely. The standard reaction by support is to ninja fix it. I think it happend twice in the last 6 months for some players

2: patch manifest error but a playable game. I got this one every third update on average. There is nothing wrong, but the client keeps saying it. When I launch eso.exe manually it is solved anyways and it is always fixed by the next patch till another patch later on ruins it again.

It is mostly annoying, but not a big thing. Just sloppy work from the devs imo.

KerinKor

This error randomly plagues many people and ZOS never bother replying, many people like myself hav etired their snake-oil procedures and they don't work.

I gave up, I now run the game by setting up a shortcut to ESO.EXE directly and only use the launcher to patch.

Most likely you'll find you can too, the 'error' is clearly a bug ZOS can't fix, scores (hundreds?) of people have seen it and while sometimes the 'repair' function works, mostly it seems reading the innumerable threads on here over the last 12 months about this error, it doesn't.

KerinKor

@Ranique, it happens every patch to someone or other.

Allyhoo811

When I have this issue, I can usually resolve it by just closing and then reopening the launcher. For whatever reason that fixes things and I get the shiny "Play" button instead of the mean, nasty "Repair" button.