Ever since its release in the year 2020, Phasmophobia has been revered as an all-time great by fans of the horror genre. The game has maintained a steady level of popularity throughout the years, as seen by the large number of players who continue to take pleasure in it even now.
This is a game that will put your bravery to the test as you venture into haunted areas and investigate paranormal happenings. Nevertheless, gamers have reported running into problems while attempting to open the game via Steam. This may be quite irritating, particularly if you were looking forward to playing the game.
Unfortunately, some users of the well-known online gaming platform Steam have reported having trouble starting the game. This problem might be upsetting, especially for people who are anxious to play the game. Here is our guide on Fix: Phasmophobia won’t launch on Steam.
Article Contents
Why Phasmophobia won’t launch on Steam?
Short Answer: Phasmophobia won’t launch on Steam because of compatibility difficulties, damaged game files, obsolete drivers, and conflicts with other apps.
1. Problems with Compatibility
Compatibility problems are one of the main causes of Phasmophobia’s potential failure to debut on Steam. The game could not work with the player’s operating system or it might need particular hardware that the machine doesn’t have.
Before downloading a game from Steam, it is critical to review the system requirements. The game needs a DirectX 11-compliant video card, an Intel Core i5 CPU, a 64-bit operating system, Windows 8 or higher, and 8 GB of Memory.
2. Virus-ridden Game Files
Corrupt game files might be another reason why Phasmophobia fails to launch on Steam. The game may not start up or crash while you’re playing if the game files are corrupted or destroyed.
A botched update, power interruptions during download or installation, or other system flaws might all be at blame for this problem. Players can use Steam to check the integrity of the game files to resolve this problem.
3. Unproductive Drivers
Outdated drivers may potentially prevent Phasmophobia from starting. Drivers are crucial pieces of software that allow the hardware of the computer to interact with the operating system and other programs.
Players may experience problems starting or playing the game if their hardware drivers—for their graphics card, audio system, or other devices—are out of the current.
4. Applications That Conflict
Due to problems with other programs or software on the computer, Phasmophobia could not launch. Some programs may prevent the game from starting or cause it to crash while it is being played.
5. Antivirus Programs
Launching Phasmophobia on Steam may encounter problems with antivirus software as well. Players might not be able to begin the game because the program may mark the game files as potential threats. Players might not be able to begin the game because the program may mark the game files as potential threats.
6. DLL files that are corrupt or missing
If the DLL files on the computer are damaged or missing, Phasmophobia may not run. Several programs can use the codes and data in Dynamic Link Library (DLL) files at once. The game might not start or crash if these files are corrupted or missing.
Fix: Phasmophobia won’t launch on Steam
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Method 1: Turn off optimizations for full-screen mode
It’s possible that having the game optimized for the full screen will cause it to crash or prevent it from starting up properly. Thus, you need to turn off the full-screen optimization.
You may also try running the game with administrative privileges, as this is frequently another factor that contributes to similar issues. The process is uncomplicated and uncomplicatedly simple due to the fact that both parameters are available in the same spot.
Go to the game’s desktop shortcut, right-click on it, and then pick Properties from the menu that appears. This will allow you to do any of the two repairs described above.
Now, choose the Compatibility tab and make sure the boxes next to Disable fullscreen optimization and Start this application as an administrator are checked. To save the changes, you need to click the Apply and Ok buttons. Check to see if the problems with Phasmophobia crashing when it is first started up and not starting still persist.
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Method 2: Make sure that Admin Permissions are turned on
In order to zero down on the source of the issue, you must also examine the administrative permissions.
You can go to the game folder without leaving the Steam client by right-clicking on Phasmophobia and selecting “Open file location” from the context menu that appears. You will then be able to right-click on the game executable file and select the compatibility tab from the menu that appears.
You will discover several choices in this section; all you need to do is check the box next to “Admin Permissions” to activate them. When it comes to bothersome problems connected to Phasmophobia not starting on Steam, that should be largely it from here on out.
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Method 3: Reinstall the Game
Reinstalling the game is the final step that has to be taken at this point. You should not anticipate any kind of reaction from the game while you are experiencing these difficulties. Thus, you need to entirely uninstall the game from your own computer and then offer it a swift restart afterward.
You will then be able to open the client yet another time and install the game onto a disk other than the one you originally used. In the event that all goes according to plan, you will be able to go through the launching issues at this point. When it comes to coping with Phasmophobia mistakes, then, bear this in mind.
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Method 4: Keep the Graphics Drivers up to Date.
Although an old driver for the graphics card is the most common cause of system crashes, you should still make sure that all of the system’s drivers and software are up to date. This comprises the operating system, audio drivers, motherboards, CPUs, and any other necessary components.
Hence, the first thing you should do is update the drivers for your graphics card and then check to see whether Phasmophobia crashes when it starts up or while you’re playing.
Nvidia just published their Game Ready Driver lately. Choose your operating system and any other system requirements, and then download and install the program. If the issue is still there, try updating all of the software, from the operating system to the audio drivers, and checking again.
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Method 5: Put an end to any applications that aren’t essential
Because there are so many games, it is common for third-party applications to create crashes in games by forcibly inserting themselves between different operations.
Because of this, the first thing that has to be done to fix the problem of Phasmophobia crashing on startup or failing to run is to shut down any superfluous programs, and then we may try to launch the game again.
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Method 6: Check the integrity of the files
On their own computers, players will have to fire up the Steam client, navigate to the Library tab, and then right-click on the Phasmophobia icon. After selecting Properties from the drop-down menu, players will have to navigate to the tab labeled “Local Files” to check the integrity of the game.
After then, Steam will initiate a procedure that will check the validity of the files that have been installed on the users’ computers. This check will take a few of minutes to complete. After that, it will be necessary for players to check for the most recent version of the game and then upgrade it to the most recent patch.
If you do this, you will probably be able to fix the crashing problem that a lot of people are having with Phasmophobia.
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Method 7: CPU and GPU overclocking should be avoided
Overclocking the graphics processing unit (GPU) and the central processing unit (CPU) might cause the system or the game to crash. As a result, it is imperative that players reset their systems to their default settings if they find that they are experiencing frequent crashes in the horror game after having overclocked them.
Because increasing a machine’s clock speed subjects it to additional strain, doing so is something that gamers who are using older systems are strongly encouraged not to do.
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An experienced gaming content writer who emphasizes on offering the most recent information and how-to tutorials for the trending titles. Being a Hardcore gamer himself, he likes to try an array of games and likes to spend his time exploring them. He likes to unwind by listening to R&B music when he’s not writing about gaming stuff.