No Man’s Sky Black Screen After Startup

No Man’s Sky Black Screen After Startup: How to FIX

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No Man’s Sky Black Screen After Startup: “No Man’s Sky, a survival exploration game developed and published by Hello Games, was released in August 2016.

It is accessible on platforms including PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows. While the game has generally received favorable reviews from PC gamers on Steam, many users have reported encountering a frustrating black screen issue during startup.

Players experiencing this problem find that the game freezes on a black screen when they attempt to launch it. Compounding the issue, there is no audio during this time, leaving players with no indication of progress.

The only option available to exit the situation is to force close the game using the Alt+F4 keys, which can be quite exasperating for those affected. This persistent bug has become a notable concern within the gaming community.”

Fix: No Man’s Sky Black Screen After Startup

There is a significant likelihood that the black screen issue in No Man’s Sky may arise from compatibility problems between your PC configuration and the game’s system requirements.

Additionally, factors such as outdated graphics drivers, missing or corrupted game files, an outdated version of the game, DirectX-related issues, conflicts with overlay applications, and excessively high in-game graphics settings can all contribute to the occurrence of a black screen during launch.

To avoid these issues, it’s advisable to review the game’s system requirements provided in the link to ensure your computer meets the necessary specifications for optimal performance.

1. Disable Full-Screen Optimizations

  • To begin, navigate to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\No Man’s Sky\Binaries\Win64 folder. If you have installed the Steam client or the game in a different location, please go to that specific directory.
  • Next, locate the No Man’s Sky.exe file, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  • In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab and disable the option for Fullscreen Optimizations by unchecking the corresponding box.
  • Finally, click Apply, then OK to ensure your changes are saved.

2. Run the game as an Administrator

To prevent any user account control prompts related to permission issues, ensure that you launch the game executable file with administrative privileges. It’s also advisable to run the Steam client as an administrator on your computer. Here’s how you can do this:

  • 1. Locate the No Man’s Sky executable shortcut on your desktop or in your file directory.
  • 2. Right-click on the shortcut and choose ‘Properties‘ from the context menu.
  • 3. Navigate to the ‘Compatibility‘ tab in the properties window.
  • 4. Check the box that says ‘Run this program as an administrator.’
  • 5. Click ‘Apply‘ and then ‘OK‘ to confirm your changes.

By following these steps, you can help ensure a smoother gaming experience without interruptions from user account control notifications.

3. Check Graphics Driver Update

Ensure that your graphics driver is up to date on your computer, as an outdated or corrupted driver can lead to various problems. Keeping your GPU driver current can also resolve black screen issues that may occur in games or applications. Here’s how to check for updates:

  • 1. Press the **Windows + X** keys together to access the Quick Link Menu.
  • 2. From the options provided, select **Device Manager**.
  • 3. Expand the **Display adapters** section by double-clicking on it.
  • 4. Locate your dedicated graphics card, right-click on it, and choose **Update driver**.
  • 5. Opt for **Search automatically for drivers** to let the system find any available updates.
  • 6. If an update is found, it will download and install automatically.
  • 7. After the process is complete, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.

Following these steps can help maintain optimal performance for your system.

4. Update No Man’s Sky

If you haven’t refreshed your No Man’s Sky game in a while, it’s important to ensure that you have the latest updates installed. Here’s how to check for and install any available patches:

  • 1. Launch the Steam client on your computer.
  • 2. Navigate to your Library and select No Man’s Sky from the list on the left.
  • 3. The client will automatically check for any updates. If an update is found, be sure to click on the “Update” button.
  • 4. The installation process may take a few moments. Once it’s complete, exit the Steam client.
  • 5. To finalize the updates, restart your PC before launching the game again.

This will ensure you have the most recent improvements and features available to enhance your gaming experience.

5. Check System Resources

If you’re experiencing slow loading times or prolonged startup when playing No Man’s Sky on your PC, it’s a good idea to monitor your system resources after launching the game. Here’s how to check if your RAM or CPU usage is excessive:

  • 1. Press **Ctrl + Shift + Esc** to open the Task Manager.
  • 2. Navigate to the **Processes** tab.
  • 3. Identify the tasks that may be consuming too many resources and select them.
  • 4. Click on **End Task** for each selected item, one at a time.
  • 5. After you’ve finished, restart your computer to apply the changes immediately.

This process can help improve your gaming experience by freeing up system resources.

6. Disable Overlay Applications

Some players have reported that overlay applications can operate in the background during gameplay, consuming valuable system resources and potentially leading to gameplay issues.

If you’re not utilizing any specific overlay software for chat, screenshots, or recording gameplay, it may be beneficial to disable these overlays before starting the game. Here’s how you can do that:

  • 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
  • 2. Locate No Man’s Sky, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  • 3. In the Properties window, go to the General tab and uncheck the option for “Enable Steam Overlay.”
  • 4. Return to the Library and restart No Man’s Sky to see if the black screen problem persists.

7. Check Windows Updates

It’s quite common for your Windows operating system to become outdated over time, which can significantly affect your gaming performance in addition to potentially introducing bugs and stability problems.

To ensure you’re getting the best experience possible, it’s advisable to regularly check for and install any available Windows updates. Here’s how you can do that:

  • 1. Press the Windows key and the ‘I’ key simultaneously to access the Windows Settings.
  • 2. Navigate to the ‘Update & Security‘ section and click on it.
  • 3. In the Windows Update area, select the option to ‘Check for updates.’
  • 4. If an update is found, click on ‘Download and install‘ to proceed.
  • 5. Allow the update process some time to complete.
  • 6. Finally, restart your computer to implement the changes right away.

By keeping your system updated, you can greatly enhance your gaming experience and minimize potential issues.

8. Lower in-game Graphics Settings

Consider adjusting the graphics settings within the game menu to see if that resolves the issue. It may be beneficial to turn off V-Sync, shadow effects, and anti-aliasing. Additionally, switching to a lower display resolution could help address any problems associated with black screens.

9. Update DirectX

An obsolete or absent DirectX version can lead to a variety of problems when starting or playing a game. To resolve these issues, consider the following steps to update DirectX:

  • 1. Visit the official Microsoft website to download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer to your computer.
  • 2. Proceed to install or manually update your DirectX version.
  • 3. After completing the installation, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.

10. Press ALT+TAB Key Combo

Several PC users experiencing issues have reported that utilizing the ALT + TAB key combination allows them to toggle between active applications.

By continuously pressing ALT + TAB, you can navigate between open programs and return to your game to see if the issue persists.

This action effectively transitions the display from full-screen to windowed mode and back, which may resolve the black screen problem.

11. Try Disabling Overlay Apps

Certain widely-used applications feature overlay programs that may operate in the background, potentially leading to gaming performance issues or complications during game launch. To resolve these problems, it’s advisable to disable these overlays by following the steps outlined below:

**Disabling Discord Overlay

  • 1. Open the Discord application and click on the gear icon located at the bottom of the window.
  • 2. In the App Settings menu, navigate to the Overlay section and toggle off the “Enable in-game overlay” option.
  • 3. Click on the Games tab, find No Man’s Sky, and ensure that the in-game overlay is disabled for this game.
  • 4. To ensure the changes take effect, restart your computer.

**Disabling Xbox Game Bar

  • 1. Press the Windows + I keys simultaneously to access Windows Settings.
  • 2. Select the Gaming option, then proceed to the Game Bar section and disable the “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game Bar” feature.
  • 3. If you have trouble locating the Game Bar settings, use the search function within Windows Settings.

**Disabling Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay

  • 1. Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience application and go to the Settings menu.
  • 2. Under the General tab, turn off the “In-Game Overlay” feature.
  • 3. Restart your computer to ensure that the changes are applied before relaunching the game.

Additionally, remember to disable other overlay applications such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB control software, or any other third-party overlays that may be running in the background, as they can also interfere with your gaming experience.

12. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

To effectively resolve various gaming issues or errors on your computer, it’s important to reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime. Here’s how to do it:

  • 1. Open the Start Menu by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard.
  • 2. In the search bar, type “Apps & Features” and select it from the results.
  • 3. Scroll through the list to find the Microsoft Visual C++ programs installed on your system.
  • 4. Click on each program and choose the Uninstall option.
  • 5. Head over to the official Microsoft website to download the latest version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.
  • 6. After the download is complete, run the installer to set it up on your computer.
  • 7. Finally, restart your system to apply the changes.

This process should help eliminate any gaming-related errors you may be experiencing.

13. Verify Game Files and Repair

To ensure your game runs smoothly, it’s advisable to check and automatically repair any corrupted or missing files through the game client. Here’s how you can do that on Steam:

  • 1. Launch Steam and navigate to your Library.
  • 2. Locate No Man’s Sky in your game list and right-click on it.
  • 3. Select ‘Properties‘ from the dropdown menu and then click on the ‘Local Files‘ tab.
  • 4. Choose ‘Verify Integrity of Game Files…‘ from the options available.

This process will check all the installed files for any discrepancies and rectify any issues it finds. Allow the verification to finish completely. After it’s done, close the Steam client and restart your computer to implement the changes.

Once your computer has rebooted, open Steam again and attempt to launch No Man’s Sky.

We hope you find this guide useful. If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment below!

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