Symptom · installation
It will not install, or it installs and will not start
Downloads that stall at the same percentage, launchers that update forever, games that open to a black screen and close again. These are separate faults with separate fixes, and the first job is working out which of them you have.
If the download stalls, check free disk space first and move to a wired connection second. If the game installs but will not start, update the graphics driver, run the launcher’s file verification, and disable any overlay software — in that order. Between them those five checks resolve the large majority of installation and startup faults, and none of them takes more than a few minutes.
Work out which fault you have
Four faults look similar from the desktop and are fixed differently. Match yours before reading further.
| What you see | What it usually is | Where to read |
|---|---|---|
| Progress bar stops and stays stopped | Disk space, connection, or a corrupted partial file | Downloads that stall |
| Installer or launcher errors out | Permissions, quarantine, or missing system components | Installation failures |
| Nothing visible happens on launch | A process that starts and exits, commonly graphics or overlays | Nothing happens |
| Black screen, then back to the desktop | Driver, display mode, or damaged game files | Black screens and crashes |
Downloads that stall or restart
Check free space before anything else
This is first because it is instant and because the error message rarely mentions it. A game needs room for the finished installation plus working room for the files it unpacks, so the space required partway through can be well above the advertised install size. If the drive is close to full, clear space and resume rather than restarting the download.
Stalls at the same percentage every time
A repeatable stall at an identical point suggests a specific file that cannot be written or fetched, rather than a general connection problem. Most launchers have a repair or verify function that discards the partial download and fetches the missing pieces again; that is the correct tool here. If the launcher has no such option, deleting the partially downloaded content and starting again is the equivalent.
Stalls at different points, or restarts from zero
This pattern points at the connection. Wi-Fi that is merely adequate for video can drop for long enough to abandon a transfer without you noticing. Use Ethernet for the download if the machine can reach a port, pause other large transfers, and if the launcher offers a bandwidth cap, leave it unlimited overnight rather than throttling it.
The speed is a fraction of what you pay for
Game downloads come from content distribution networks whose throughput varies by time of day and by how close a server is to you. Distance from the rest of the world puts a real ceiling on some Australian connections regardless of the plan speed. Before concluding something is broken, test a large download from a different source; if that is also slow, the problem is the connection and not the launcher.
Installation failures
Permission and location errors
Installing to a protected system directory, a removable drive, or a network location causes failures that report as generic errors. Install to a normal local drive, in the default location the installer proposes. On Windows, if an installer fails immediately, running it as administrator once is a reasonable test; if that fixes it, the underlying issue was the install location’s permissions.
Security software has quarantined part of the install
Security products occasionally quarantine components of games and launchers, particularly the parts that check for tampering. This is normally a false positive: the file behaves in ways that resemble something worth flagging, and the product errs towards caution. The standard remedy is an exclusion for the game’s installation folder, added in the security product’s own settings, followed by a file verification to replace anything already removed.
Add an exclusion for a specific folder rather than switching protection off, and only when the files came from the vendor’s own site in the first place. If you are unsure where an installer came from, delete it and download it again from the vendor directly. General guidance on keeping devices secure is published by the Australian Cyber Security Centre at cyber.gov.au.
Missing system components on Windows
Many Windows games depend on redistributable runtime libraries that are installed alongside the game rather than being part of the operating system. When one is missing or damaged, the game reports a missing file by name and refuses to start. Reinstalling the runtime packages that shipped with the game, usually found in the installation folder, addresses this; a launcher’s repair option often does it automatically.
macOS and Linux specifics
On macOS, an application downloaded outside the App Store is subject to the operating system’s own checks before it will open, and the first launch may need to be approved through the system settings rather than by double-clicking again. On Linux, the usual causes are a missing graphics driver package for your distribution, a compatibility layer that needs a different runtime version, or file permissions on an executable that did not survive being copied between filesystems. In both cases, the vendor’s own platform notes are the authority, because the details differ by distribution and by operating system version.
You click play and nothing happens at all
A process that starts and exits within a second leaves no window and no message, which makes this feel like the hardest fault on the page. It is usually one of four things.
- The process is already running. A previous session that did not shut down cleanly holds the lock and the second attempt exits silently. End the game’s processes in the task manager or activity monitor, or simply restart the computer.
- An overlay is injecting into the game. Overlays from chat, capture, streaming and hardware-monitoring software insert themselves into games and are a frequent cause of instant exits. Disable every overlay, test, then re-enable them one at a time to find the one responsible.
- The graphics driver is refusing the mode the game asked for. Update the driver from the graphics vendor’s own site, restart, and try again.
- The game files are incomplete. Run the launcher’s verification. This is slow but conclusive, and it is the right step whenever the fault survives a restart and a driver update.
Black screens and crashes on startup
A black screen that never resolves
On a first launch, several minutes of black screen or a static logo is expected while the game compiles shaders for your graphics card. On later launches it is not. If the screen stays black but the audio plays, the game is running and the display mode is the problem: try windowed mode, which can usually be forced from the game’s configuration file or with a launch option, then set the resolution and refresh rate to match your monitor before returning to full screen.
Crashes to the desktop within seconds
Work through these in order, testing after each one rather than doing them all at once: update the graphics driver; verify game files; disable overlays; disconnect secondary monitors and any controllers; and if the machine has both integrated and discrete graphics, make sure the game is being given the discrete one. That last point catches a surprising number of laptop crashes.
Crashes that started after an update
An installation that worked yesterday and fails today points at what changed: a game patch, a driver, or an operating system update. Game patches sometimes reset configuration files, and a graphics setting that was fine before may no longer be valid. Deleting or renaming the game’s settings file so it is regenerated at default values is a fast test, and costs only your customisations.
What to watch out for
Searches for startup errors surface a great many “fixer”, “repair” and “driver updater” downloads. Drivers should come from the hardware vendor or the operating system’s own update mechanism, and nothing else needs to be installed to make a game start. Scamwatch, at scamwatch.gov.au, publishes guidance on fraudulent software and support offers of this kind.
What to include if you contact the vendor
A support request containing these five items is usually answered once. One that says the game will not start usually is not.
- The exact error text or code, transcribed rather than described.
- Your operating system and version, and whether it is fully updated.
- Your graphics card and the driver version currently installed.
- What you have already tried, specifically: verification, driver update, overlays disabled.
- When it last worked, if it ever did, and what changed around that time.
About the game covered here
The product this site covers, Enlisted, is an online multiplayer first-person shooter set in the Second World War. Its sign-up is offered for desktop computers only — Windows, macOS and Linux — and runs as register, confirm the email address, then sign in and launch. System requirements and supported configurations are published by the vendor at enlisted.net and are not restated here, because hardware requirements change with updates and a third-party copy goes stale.
Paid placement: the advertising network pays Vanguard Hub a commission for registrations that come through this link. The troubleshooting above is unaffected by that arrangement.
If the game now starts but performs poorly, continue to performance and frame rate. If it starts and plays but the connection is the problem, go to connection, ping and matchmaking.