How to Fix the God of War Ragnarok Black Screen on PC

Now that God of War Ragnarok is finally out on PC, and there are rumors about a Days Gone Remaster following suit, long-time franchise fans who don’t own a PlayStation 5 can jump into the action-adventure game. But there’s a problem. Many of those players find themselves faced with a black screen in God of War Ragnarok—an issue leading many to refund the game or uninstall it for a later date.

Potential Fixes for the Black Screen Error in God of War Ragnarok

When you launch God of War Ragnarok on PC, do you wind up with a black screen before it inevitably crashes to desktop? If you’re dealing with this genuinely annoying bug, here are a few potential fixes that may resolve the problem:

• Restart the game, Steam, and/or your PC.
• Close out of the game and launch it as an administrator.
  • Right-click the .exe and select Properties.
  • Choose Compatibility, then Run this Program as Administrator.
  • Apply.
• Update your OS/graphics drivers/game.
• Ensure you meet the game’s minimum system requirements.
• Verify the game’s files.
  • Right-click the game in your Steam library.
  • Select Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files.
  • Let the check run and download any missing/corrupted files.
• Close out of background applications.

Depending on the components within your computer, that last fix may not be an issue whatsoever. For low-end systems, there’s a chance that, while attempting to run God of War Ragnarok, your PC doesn’t have the available resources to allocate to background processes while also handling the game’s extravagant graphics. It’s worth a try, though!

Related: What Are the God of War Ragnarok PC System Requirements? – Answered

What Causes a Black Screen Error?

As of right now, God of War Ragnarok has a ‘Mixed’ rating on Steam, with countless users enduring graphical glitches, crashes, and black screen errors that prevent most from enjoying the experience. Unfortunately, the port is rather messy overall. It’s a bug-riddled game on PC despite running nearly flawlessly on PS5.

There is no direct known cause for the black screen error in God of War Ragnarok, but we hope the studio behind the port will fix the problem soon!

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Despite the current slew of issues plaguing the game, God of War Ragnarok does include numerous PC features we want. What do you think of the port? Let us know over on the official Insider Gaming community forums!