Helldivers 2: How to fix black screen on start-up error

❘ Published: 2024-02-26T13:10:55

Running away from a flamethrower enemy in Helldivers 2

Arrowhead Studios

There’s nothing worse than wanting to boot up a new game and experiencing issues. With Helldivers 2, there have certainly been some problems plaguing those trying to save the galaxy, with the black screen on start-up being one of the main errors. Here is all we know on the issue and any fixes.

Helldivers 2 has become one of the biggest launches of 2024, so far, and players are loving their missions to defend Super Earth. While Arrowhead Game Studios is still trying to fix server issues due to the increasing player count, some users have found other errors that are stopping them from enjoying this galactic adventure.

While getting a black screen right on start-up isn’t an uncommon problem, there are different methods to fix it depending on the game. If you’ve made sure that Helldivers 2 is up-to-date after patch 1.000.009, here’s everything you can do to get your game working.

Helldivers 2 players will have to fight against tough aliens.

Helldivers 2 black screen on start-up: How to fix

Many Helldivers 2 players have reported that they’ve been getting locked out of the game right after starting it. While opening the game in fullscreen, their screen would turn completely black and freeze without giving any audio feedback.

If you’re experiencing a black screen on start-up after opening Helldivers 2, there are a couple of things you can do to fix it:

Check if all your drivers are up-to-date.
Verify your Game Files on Steam. To do so, go to your Steam Library, right-click on Helldivers 2, and go to “Properties.” Look for the “Local Files” tab, then select the “Verify integrity of game files” option.
Manually edit the “user_settings.config” file to stop your game from opening on fullscreen. To do so, you can go to “C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Arrowhead\Helldivers2.” Find the “user_settings.config” file, and delete it.

And that’s everything you needed to fix the Helldivers 2 black screen on start-up issue. If you want to know more about Arrowhead Game Studios, you can check our guides below: