Fallout 4 offers you an improved experience in many aspects compared to its predecessors. But, many Windows users have complained that they cannot start this game on their computers. Fallout 4 won’t start because their devices do not fulfil the basic specification requirements. In that case, you do not have any other choice than to get another PC to play the game.
Does the game fail to start even when your device fulfils the requirements to run it? In that case, read to know some tricks by which you can get Fallout 4 running on your PC.
Fallout 4 Won’t Start: Causes and Solutions
There are many possible explanations for the problem you are experiencing. So, you must consider all of them to find the most appropriate solution. You can try the following methods on your PC if Fallout 4 or any other game cannot start:
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Close the Game and Start it Again
Do you see nothing on the screen after launching Fallout 4 on your computer? In that case, you need not move to advanced solutions right away. Instead, you can simply start the game again if you have not done so. And, for that, you must quit the game first. But, the process might still keep running in the background.
So, you must open Steam and close Fallout 4 if you find it running there. After that, you must check whether the process is running in your Task Manager. If it is, then opt for ending the task and waiting for a few minutes. Then, launch the game the usual way and check if Fallout 4 won’t start.
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Disable Your Antivirus Program
Your antivirus software might often mistakenly identify some game files as a threat and blacklist them. As a result, your PC might fail to launch the game. So, you must make sure whether that is indeed the case. After all, many users have reported that their antivirus software stopped them from launching a game. Do you find yourself in the same situation? In that case, you might need to disable the antivirus program while playing the game.
First, you must look for any Fallout 4 files on the blacklist of your antivirus app. If you find any, remove them and then disable the software. Then, check whether Fallout 4 won’t start. Thus, you must also consider getting another antivirus software for your PC.
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Switch to Borderless Windowed Mode
If the previously mentioned tricks did not work, you must try running the game in windowed mode. This would use only some part of the screen to play the game rather than all of it. And, your computer will need fewer resources to run the game that way. So, you might want to try out this solution as it has worked in many cases.
Go to the launcher for Fallout 4 and open its Options. Then, check the boxes given beside windowed mode and borderless. Start the game once you are done and see if your device can launch it. You can continue with the next step if Fallout 4 won’t start this way.
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Fix Corrupted Game Files
You might fail to launch Fallout 4 on your device because some files are corrupted. Now, this can happen under various circumstances, including malware attacks. In any case, you have to repair the corrupted file to successfully launch the game again. And, you can do that in the Steam app.
So, open Steam on your device and go to the Library. Then, right-click on Fallout 4 and open its Properties. After that, you must open the Local Files tab and opt for verifying the game files. Steam will then repair any corrupted game files it finds. This might resolve the Fallout 4 won’t start error.
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Run Fallout 4 in Compatibility Mode
Your PC might fail to launch Fallout 4 due to compatibility issues. In such cases, you can simply use compatibility mode to get it running on your device. This solution is quite an effective one and works in many cases. So, you might want to give it a try apart from the aforementioned tricks.
Right-click on the Fallout 4 icon and opt for running it in compatibility mode. Your PC will then emulate another system version compatible with the game. As a result, your computer might launch Fallout 4 successfully this time.
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Update/ Roll Back Display Drivers
Fallout 4 might also sometimes fail to start due to an issue with the display drivers. It might have been a long time since you have updated the drivers on your device. But, you can keep them up-to-date by downloading suitable update software. Apart from that, you can also update them manually every time.
Open the Device Manager and expand your display adapters. Right-click the one you are using and opt for updating its driver software. Then, check if your computer can launch the game. If it fails to do so, you can also try rolling back the display driver.
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Update the Game and Remove Mods
Are you using mods to make Fallout 4 more fun? Then, that might not always be a good idea. After all, mods can often cause trouble when trying to run games. So, you must consider removing all mods you have installed for Fallout 4. Then, check whether the problem persists.
Apart from that, you must also look for Fallout 4 updates on Steam. After all, developers keep releasing updates to fix various bugs and glitches in the game. So, download any updates as soon as possible, and that might fix the Fallout 4 won’t start issue.
Finally, Reinstall the Game….
You must try the aforementioned tricks to fix the Fallout 4 launching issue. But, what if none of them provides you with a solution? In that case, you must finally try reinstalling the game. You can do that by simply deleting all the game files except saved games from the File Manager. Then, download and install Fallout 4 again once you are done.
