Sea of Thieves Crashing or Not Loading on Xbox One and Series X/S: Released in 2018, Sea of Thieves has established itself as a leading action-adventure video game, providing players with an immersive open-world multiplayer experience centered around pirate life.
Players can engage in activities such as sailing ships, combat, looting, and exploring—all essential elements for creating a legendary pirate saga.
Developed by Rare and published by Microsoft Studios, this title has garnered significant acclaim. However, following a recent update, many players on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S have encountered issues, including crashes and problems with the game failing to load during startup.
If you’re among those experiencing these difficulties, there’s no need to panic. Startup crashes can arise from a variety of factors, and often, developers may not have immediate solutions.
This problem appears to be particularly prevalent among users of both the Xbox One and the newer Xbox Series consoles, especially with the latest game releases.
While waiting for a patch from the developers, you may consider attempting some manual troubleshooting steps to resolve these issues and enhance your gaming experience.
Fix: Sea of Thieves Crashing on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
If you’re experiencing crashing issues on your Xbox console, there are several potential solutions and workarounds you can try.
We’ve compiled a comprehensive list of methods below, so be sure to go through each one systematically until you find a resolution.
Often, outdated game or system software can lead to these problems. Reinstalling game files or performing a console reset might also help to resolve the issue.
1. Go Offline Status
To resolve potential issues with launching the game, consider switching your Xbox console to offline mode before attempting to start Sea of Thieves again. Although this process may take a few minutes, it’s a worthwhile step to try.
Here’s how to do it:
- 1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the guide.
- 2. Navigate to the profile section, which is located as the last option on the right.
- 3. Select “Profile & system.”
- 4. Go to “Settings” and then choose “General.”
- 5. Next, select “Network Settings” for your Xbox console.
- 6. Finally, opt for “Go offline.”
After completing these steps, return to your game library and try launching Sea of Thieves once more.
2. Check for Game Updates
Using an older version of a game can lead to various compatibility challenges, not just bugs. Therefore, it’s advisable to ensure your game is always up to date. Here’s how you can check for updates:
- 1. Press the Xbox button on your controller.
- 2. Navigate to My games & apps, then select See all.
- 3. Click on Manage, followed by Updates.
- 4. If there is an available update, your console will begin downloading and installing the latest patch automatically.
3. Check System Updates
Before drawing any conclusions, it’s important to verify if your console requires any system updates. An outdated system version or a temporary glitch could be causing the issue you’re experiencing.
To check for updates on your Xbox console, follow these steps:
- 1. Press the Home button to access the Dashboard menu.
- 2. Navigate to the bottom of the menu and select Settings.
- 3. Click on All Settings, then choose System.
- 4. From there, select Updates.
- 5. If an Update Console option appears, click on it and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the update.
After the update is finished, it’s advisable to restart your console to ensure all changes take effect.
4. Uninstall and Reinstall Sea of Thieves
If you’re experiencing persistent issues with Sea of Thieves on your Xbox console, a complete uninstall and reinstall of the game might help resolve the problem. This could address any potential corruption or missing files within your game. Here’s how you can go about it:
- 1. Start by pressing the Xbox button on your controller to access the Guide menu.
- 2. Navigate to **My games & apps**, then select **See all** and choose **Games**.
- 3. Next, look for the **Ready to install** tab and select **Queue**.
- 4. Find **Sea of Thieves** in the list of games available for reinstallation.
- 5. Press the **Menu** button on your controller.
- 6. Choose **Manage game & add-ons** or **Manage app** from the options presented.
- 7. Select **Sea of Thieves**, and then click on **Uninstall all**.
- 8. Confirm your choice by selecting **Uninstall all** once more.
- 9. Allow the uninstallation process to finish.
- 10. After the game has been uninstalled, reboot your console to ensure all changes take effect.
- 11. Once your system is back up, press the Xbox button again to open the Guide menu.
- 12. Go to **My games & apps**, select **See all**, and then navigate to **Games**.
- 13. Access the **Ready to install** tab once again and click on **Install** for Sea of Thieves.
- 14. Finally, wait for the installation to complete, and then restart your console one last time.
Following these steps should help you get a fresh installation of the game.
5. Reset the Console
If you’ve exhausted all other troubleshooting methods without success, consider performing a factory reset on your Xbox console. Follow these steps to restore your device to its original settings:
- 1. Press the Xbox button on your controller to access the Guide menu.
- 2. Navigate to **Profile & System**, then select **Settings**.
- 3. Go to **System**, followed by **Console Info**.
- 4. Choose the option to **Reset Console**.
- 5. A prompt will appear asking if you want to reset your console. Here, select **Reset and Remove Everything**. Please note that this action will erase all user data, including accounts, saved games, settings, and all installed applications and games.
- 6. While there is an option to **Reset and Keep My Games & Apps**, this might not resolve the issue in most cases.
- 7. After making your selection, your Xbox will begin the process of deleting and resetting itself to factory defaults.
- 8. Wait for the process to finish, and then restart your console.
We hope this guide proves useful in resolving your issue. If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out in the comments below.