Raft Black Screen After Startup: How to FIX

Raft Black Screen After Startup: Redbeet Interactive and Axolot Games have made significant strides with their multiplayer survival open-world crafting game, ‘Raft‘, which was released in June 2022 exclusively for Windows and Linux systems. However, following a recent update, numerous players have reported encountering a frustrating black screen issue when attempting to launch the game on their PCs.

According to various user reports, affected players find the game frozen on a black screen with no accompanying audio. After several moments of inactivity, the only recourse for players is to exit the game by pressing Alt+F4, leaving them unable to engage with the game. This bug has proven to be quite vexing for the player community.

Raft Black Screen After Startup: How to FIX

There is a significant likelihood that the black screen issue in Raft stems 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Additionally, factors such as outdated graphics drivers, missing or corrupted game files, an outdated version of the game, DirectX-related issues, conflicts with overlay applications, and high in-game graphics settings can all contribute to this black screen problem during launch.

To avoid compatibility issues, it is advisable to review the game’s system requirements through the provided link to ensure your computer meets all necessary specifications.

Run the game as an Administrator

To prevent any user account control problems related to permissions, it’s important to launch the game executable with administrative rights. Additionally, you should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your computer. Here’s how you can do that:

  • 1. Right-click on the Raft executable shortcut on your desktop or in your file explorer.
  • 2. Choose ‘Properties‘ from the context menu, then navigate to the ‘Compatibility‘ tab.
  • 3. Check the box that says ‘Run this program as an administrator.’
  • 4. Finally, click ‘Apply,’ then ‘OK‘ to confirm and save your settings.

By following these steps, you can ensure smoother gameplay without interruptions.

Check Graphics Driver Update

To determine if your PC’s graphics driver is outdated, follow these steps, as an outdated or corrupted GPU driver can lead to various problems, including black screen issues with games or applications. Here’s how to check for updates:

  • 1. Press the Windows + X keys simultaneously to access the Quick Link Menu.
  • 2. From the menu, select Device Manager, and then double-click on Display adapters.
  • 3. Locate your dedicated graphics card, right-click on it, and select Update driver.
  • 4. Choose the option to Search automatically for drivers.
  • 5. If an update is found, your system will proceed to download and install it automatically.
  • 6. After the installation is complete, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.

This process can help resolve any graphics-related issues you may be experiencing.

Update Raft

If you haven’t refreshed your Raft game in a while, it’s important to ensure you have the latest updates installed. Follow these steps to check for updates and apply any available patches:

  • 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
  • 2. Select Raft from the list on the left.
  • 3. The system will automatically search for any available updates. If an update is found, be sure to select the Update option.
  • 4. The installation process may take a few moments. Once it’s complete, exit the Steam client.
  • 5. Finally, restart your computer to implement the changes, and then you can relaunch the game.

Check System Resources

If you’re experiencing slow loading times or prolonged startup while playing Raft on your PC, it’s a good idea to monitor your system resources after launching the game. Follow these steps to determine if your RAM or CPU usage is elevated:

  • 1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  • 2. Navigate to the Processes tab and identify the tasks that are running.
  • 3. To close any unnecessary tasks, select the task and click on “End Task.” Remember to do this for each task individually.
  • 4. After you’ve finished, restart your computer to apply the changes immediately.

This process can help improve your game’s performance by freeing up system resources.

Disable Overlay Applications

Some players have reported that overlay applications can operate in the background during gaming sessions, which may lead to performance issues by consuming valuable system resources.

To mitigate these potential problems, it’s advisable to disable overlays before starting your game, especially if you don’t rely on any specific overlay tools for chatting, capturing screenshots, or recording gameplay. Here’s how to do it:

  • 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
  • 2. Locate Raft, right-click on it, and select Properties.
  • 3. In the Properties window, go to the General tab, and uncheck the box labeled “Enable Steam Overlay.”
  • 4. Return to the Library and restart Raft to see if the black screen problem persists.

Following these steps may help enhance your gaming experience.

Check Windows Updates

It’s quite common for your Windows operating system to become outdated over time. When this happens, you may experience not only performance issues in your games but also potential bugs and stability problems. Therefore, it’s advisable to regularly check for Windows updates and install the most recent version when available. Here’s how you can do that:

  • 1. Press the Windows + I keys simultaneously to access the Settings menu.
  • 2. Navigate to Update & Security, then click on Check for updates in the Windows Update section.
  • 3. If an update is available, choose the option to Download and install it.
  • 4. Allow some time for the update process to finish.
  • 5. Finally, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect immediately.

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Lower in-game Graphics Settings

Consider adjusting the graphics settings within the game menu to see if it resolves your issue. You might want to turn off features like V-Sync, shadow effects, and anti-aliasing. Additionally, running the game at a reduced display resolution may help address any problems related to black screens.

Update DirectX

An outdated or missing DirectX version can lead to various problems when launching or playing games. To resolve this, it’s advisable to update DirectX by following these steps:

  • 1. Visit the Microsoft website to download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer onto your computer.
  • 2. After downloading, proceed to install or manually update your DirectX version.
  • 3. Finally, restart your computer to ensure that the changes take effect.

Press ALT+TAB Key Combo

Certain users experiencing issues on their PCs have reported that utilizing the ALT + TAB key combination allows them to toggle between active applications.

By repeatedly pressing ALT + TAB, you can cycle through your open programs and return to your game to see if the issue has been resolved. This action effectively switches the display from full-screen to windowed mode and back to full-screen, which may help alleviate the black screen problem.

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Try Disabling Overlay Apps

Certain widely-used applications feature overlay programs that may operate in the background, potentially leading to performance problems or difficulties when launching games. To resolve these issues, it is advisable to disable these overlays by following the steps outlined below:

Disable Discord Overlay

  • To begin, open the Discord application and locate the gear icon positioned at the bottom of the screen.
  • Next, navigate to the App Settings and select the Overlay option.
  • Here, enable the in-game overlay feature. Proceed to the Games tab, where you will find Raft on the list; select it.
  • Afterward, disable the in-game overlay option by toggling it off. For the changes to take effect, it is recommended to restart your computer.

Disable Xbox Game Bar

To access the Windows Settings, press the Windows key and the ‘I’ key simultaneously. Navigate to the Gaming section and select Game Bar.

Here, you can disable the option for recording game clips, taking screenshots, and broadcasting through the Game Bar.

If you have difficulty locating the Game Bar settings, simply use the search feature within the Windows Settings to find it quickly.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay

To begin, open the Nvidia GeForce Experience application and navigate to the Settings menu. Select the General tab and turn off the In-Game Overlay feature.

After making this adjustment, it is recommended to restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect before you start your game again.

Additionally, remember to deactivate any other overlay applications that may be running in the background, such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, or any similar third-party overlay tools.

Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

To effectively resolve various gaming issues or errors, it is advisable to reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime on your computer. Follow these steps to do so:

  • 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++ entries.
  • 4. Click on each entry 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, proceed with the installation on your computer.
  • 7. Finally, restart your system to apply the changes.

This will help ensure that any lingering gaming issues are addressed.

Verify Game Files and Repair

It is advisable to check the game files and automatically repair any issues using the game client.

To do this, follow these steps:

  • 1. Launch Steam and navigate to your Library.
  • 2. Locate Raft in your game list and right-click on it.
  • 3. Select Properties, then head over to the Local Files section.
  • 4. Click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files.”

This will initiate a verification process, which will check all installed game files to identify any missing or corrupted files. Allow the process to complete fully. Once it has finished, close the Steam client and reboot your computer to ensure changes take effect.

After your computer restarts, reopen Steam and attempt to launch Raft once more.

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

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