By setting the launch options of your game on Steam, you change the internal game settings before its running. This is helpful for you to get around incompatible graphics issues, such as your D3D device failed error.

To set the launch options:

1) Launch your Steam client and go to your game library.

2) Right click the game that is incurring the error and select Properties.

3) Click SET LAUNCH OPTIONS.

4) In the dialog popping up, type “-dxlevel 81” and click OK. (This forces your game to be launched using an earlier version of DirectX.)

*Note that if you are trying to play Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Left 4 Dead 1 or 2, or Portal 2, you should type “-dxlevel 90“.

5) Close the Properties window and launch your game.

6) If the problem persists, open the Properties window of your game and click SET LAUNCH OPTIONS again.

7) Type the following line in the dialog and click OK (this forces the game to run with a set resolution):

-w 1280 -h 720

*Note that you should change the 1280 and 720 to the width and height of the recommended resolution on your computer respectively.

8) Close the Properties window and run your game. If this method works for you, you won’t see the error again.

Wessex_Greenlands said:

So on the website for downloading the driver the only options are "studio driver" and "Game Ready Driver" - I take it I need the studio driver?