xlive.dll is the client library of Games for Windows Live (GFWL) - Microsoft's online service that many PC games of 2007-2013 were built around (GTA IV, Fallout 3, Dark Souls, Batman: Arkham Asylum and others). The service was shut down years ago, so an old game asking for xlive.dll is asking for a client that is no longer installed by default. There are two honest routes: install the archived GFWL client, or use the game's updated version that removed GFWL - most of those games got one.
Fix it automatically
Outbyte PC Repair checks Windows for corrupted system files, registry problems and leftovers from removed programs - the kind of damage behind errors like this one. Useful when you would rather not run the steps below by hand - the check and the diagnosis are free, and nothing is changed until you decide.
Download Downloads Outbyte PC Repair for Windows. Free by-category trial included.Quick answer
First check whether your game has an updated edition without GFWL - Steam versions of most affected games were patched to drop it, and verifying the game files brings that version in. If the game still needs GFWL, install the Games for Windows Live client (the archived Microsoft installer, xliveredist) and restart the game.
The client was a separate Microsoft install that older game installers started automatically. A fresh Windows has no trace of it.
Publishers patched many titles to remove GFWL entirely. An old disc or download build still looks for xlive.dll - the current build does not.
Uninstalling another old game or a cleanup tool can remove the shared GFWL files.
xlive.dll alone does not work - the client registers services and files around it. Copies from DLL sites are also a classic malware carrier for this exact filename.
Honest note: this is the clean fix. Games for Windows Live is dead; the less you depend on it, the fewer problems with saves and sign-in you will have.
It will not work on its own - the client installs services and registry entries the DLL depends on. And this filename is one of the most abused on DLL sites. Use the game's patched version or the archived client installer.
Usually the patched version migrates saves on first launch; some games needed a one-time manual copy. The game's community hub typically has the exact steps for your title.
The archived Microsoft client installs fine on Windows 10/11 and works offline. Its online features are gone, so expect sign-in errors you can skip - that is normal.
Outbyte PC Repair checks the system and shows what it found - then waits. Nothing is applied without your OK, and a restore point lets you undo changes.
Download Downloads Outbyte PC Repair for Windows. Free by-category trial included.