Sea of Thieves Black Screen After Startup: “Sea of Thieves, an engaging action-adventure multiplayer game developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios, invites players to immerse themselves in the thrilling life of pirates.
For enthusiasts of maritime exploits, the game offers a variety of experiences, including ship navigation, combat, exploration of uncharted territories, and treasure hunting. However, some players have encountered a frustrating issue characterized by a black screen upon startup.
Reports from numerous users indicate that when they attempt to launch the game, they are met with a persistent black screen, often accompanied by a complete lack of audio.
In many cases, the only way to exit this state is by using the Alt+F4 keyboard shortcut, leaving players unable to enjoy the game. If you find yourself facing this problem, be sure to consult our guide for effective solutions to resolve the Sea of Thieves black screen issue.”
Fix: Sea of Thieves Black Screen After Startup
The likelihood of encountering a black screen issue in Sea of Thieves is significantly influenced by your PC’s compatibility with the game’s system requirements.
Various factors could contribute to this problem, such as outdated graphics drivers, corrupted or missing game files, an outdated version of the game, DirectX-related issues, conflicts with overlay applications, or high in-game graphics settings.
To minimize the risk of compatibility problems, it’s advisable to review the game’s system requirements at the provided link. This will help ensure that your computer meets the necessary specifications for optimal gameplay.
1. Disable Full-Screen Optimizations
- To begin, navigate to the directory located at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Sea of Thieves\Binaries\Win64.
- If you have installed the Steam client or the game in a different location, make sure to go to that specific path instead.
- Once you locate the Sea of Thieves.exe file, right-click on it and select Properties from the context menu.
- In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab and look for the option labeled “Enable Fullscreen Optimizations.” Uncheck this option to disable it.
- Finally, click on Apply followed by OK to confirm and save your changes.
2. Run the game as an Administrator
To prevent user account control issues related to permissions, it’s important to launch the game executable file with administrative privileges. Additionally, ensure that the Steam client is also run as an administrator on your computer. Here’s how to do it:
- 1. Locate the Sea of Thieves shortcut on your desktop or in your files.
- 2. Right-click on the shortcut and select ‘Properties‘ from the context menu.
- 3. Navigate to the ‘Compatibility‘ tab in the properties window.
- 4. Look for the option labeled ‘Run this program as an administrator‘ and check the box next to it.
- 5. Click ‘Apply‘ and then ‘OK‘ to confirm and save your changes.
Following these steps will help ensure a smoother gaming experience.
3. Check Graphics Driver Update
It’s important to verify whether your PC’s graphics driver is up to date, as an outdated or corrupted driver can lead to various issues. This is particularly relevant if you’re experiencing black screen problems with games or applications. To check for updates, follow these steps:
- 1. Open the Quick Link Menu by pressing the Windows + X keys simultaneously.
- 2. From the menu, select Device Manager, then locate and double-click on Display adapters.
- 3. Right-click on the graphics card you are currently using.
- 4. Choose the option to Update driver, then select Search automatically for drivers.
- 5. If an update is available, your system will download and install it automatically.
- 6. Finally, restart your computer to ensure all changes take effect.
4. Update Sea of Thieves
If you haven’t updated your Sea of Thieves game in some time, it’s important to ensure you have the latest version installed. Follow these steps to check for and apply any available updates:
- 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
- 2. Select Sea of Thieves from the list on the left side of the screen.
- 3. The client will automatically search for any available updates. If an update is found, click on the Update button to start the installation.
- 4. Be patient, as the update process may take a little while to complete. Once the installation is finished, close the Steam client.
- 5. To ensure all changes are applied, restart your computer, and then attempt to launch the game again.
This process will help you enjoy the latest features and improvements in Sea of Thieves.
5. Check System Resources
If you experience slow loading times or prolonged startup when playing Sea of Thieves on your PC, it’s important to monitor your system’s resources after launching the game. Follow these steps to check 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 you wish to terminate.
- 3. Select each task individually and click on End Task to close it.
- 4. After addressing the tasks, restart your computer to apply the changes immediately.
This process can help improve your game’s performance.
6. Disable Overlay Applications
Some players have reported that overlay applications running in the background while gaming can significantly utilize system resources, potentially leading to performance issues during gameplay.
To mitigate these problems, it is advisable to disable any overlays before starting the game, especially if you are not utilizing dedicated overlay tools for chatting, taking screenshots, or recording your gameplay. Here’s how to do it:
- 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
- 2. Locate Sea of Thieves, right-click on it, and select Properties from the context menu.
- 3. In the Properties window, go to the General tab and uncheck the box that says “Enable Steam Overlay.”
- 4. Return to your Library and restart Sea of Thieves to see if the black screen issue persists.
By following these steps, you may improve your gaming experience.
7. Check Windows Updates
It’s quite likely that your Windows operating system may become outdated over time. When this happens, you might notice a decline in your gaming performance, along with potential bugs and stability problems. Therefore, it’s important to regularly check for and install the latest Windows updates when they are available. Here’s how you can do it:
- 1. Press the Windows key and the letter I simultaneously to access the Windows Settings menu.
- 2. Once there, navigate to the “Update & Security” section.
- 3. Click on “Check for updates” in the Windows Update area.
- 4. If an update is found, click on “Download and install.”
- 5. Allow some time for the update process to complete.
- 6. Finally, restart your computer to ensure the updates take effect immediately.
8. Lower in-game Graphics Settings
Consider adjusting the graphics settings within the game menu to see if this improves performance.
Specifically, you might want to turn off features such as V-Sync, shadow effects, and anti-aliasing.
Additionally, lowering the display resolution could help resolve any issues related to black screens.
9. Update DirectX
An outdated or absent DirectX version can lead to various problems when launching or playing a game. To resolve this issue, consider the following steps to update your DirectX.
- First, visit the Microsoft website to download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer onto your computer.
- Next, proceed to manually install or update your DirectX version.
- After completing the installation, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
10. Press ALT+TAB Key Combo
Several users experiencing issues on their PCs have reported that using the ALT + TAB keyboard shortcut allows them to toggle between open applications.
By repeatedly pressing ALT + TAB, you can cycle through your active programs and then return to your game to see if the issue has been resolved.
This action may switch the display from full-screen to windowed mode and back to full-screen, potentially addressing any black screen problems you may encounter.
11. Try Disabling Other Overlay Apps
Certain widely-used applications can run overlay programs that operate in the background, potentially leading to gaming performance issues or difficulties with launching games. 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.
- 2. Click on the gear icon located at the bottom to access settings.
- 3. Navigate to the “Overlay” section under App Settings.
- 4. Ensure that the “Enable in-game overlay” option is activated.
- 5. Switch to the “Games” tab and select “Sea of Thieves.”
- 6. Finally, toggle off the “Enable in-game overlay” option.
- 7. Restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
**Disabling Xbox Game Bar:
- 1. Press the Windows + I keys simultaneously to access Windows Settings.
- 2. Click on “Gaming” and then select “Game Bar.”
- 3. Turn off the option for “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar.”
- 4. If you cannot locate the Game Bar settings, use the search function within the Windows Settings menu to find it easily.
**Disabling Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:
- 1. Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience application.
- 2. Go to the “Settings” section.
- 3. Click on the “General” tab and disable the “In-Game Overlay” option.
- 4. Restart your computer to apply these changes, and then relaunch the game.
Additionally, it is important to consider disabling other overlay applications such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, or any other third-party overlay programs that may be running in the background. This can further enhance your gaming experience and minimize potential conflicts.
12. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime
To resolve various gaming-related problems or errors, it’s essential to reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime on your computer. Follow these steps to complete the process:
- 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. Navigate to the official Microsoft website to download the most recent version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.
- 6. After downloading, proceed with the installation on your computer. Finally, restart your system to apply the changes effectively.
13. Verify Game Files and Repair
To ensure your game runs smoothly, it’s advisable to check the integrity of the game files and perform a repair through the game client.
**For Steam Users:
- 1. Launch the Steam client and navigate to your Library.
- 2. Locate Sea of Thieves, right-click on it, and select “Properties.”
- 3. Head over to the “Local Files” section.
- 4. Choose “Verify Integrity of Game Files.”
- 5. This action will initiate a verification process to identify any missing or corrupted files.
- 6. Allow this process to finish, then exit the Steam client and restart your computer to implement any necessary changes.
- 7. After your system restarts, reopen Steam and attempt to launch Sea of Thieves once more.
**For Epic Games Launcher Users:
- 1. Open the Epic Games Launcher on your PC.
- 2. Go to your Game Library and click on Sea of Thieves.
- 3. Select “Settings,” then click on “Verify.”
- 4. After the verification is complete, close the launcher and restart your PC to ensure all changes take effect.
We hope this guide proves useful! If you have any further questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
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