One of the most well-liked multiplayer shooting games in the large gaming community is Overwatch. On the other hand, players are complaining that the game won’t start on PC. The most common causes are out-of-date graphics drivers and missing or corrupt game files. Check out our guide to solve the Overwatch won’t launch on PC issue.
How to Fix Overwatch Not Launching on Windows 10
Let’s start by exploring some of the possible causes of this not-launching problem.
- can result in this error happening on your computer.
- The game’s launch problem has been noticed by a few people as a result of the Game DVR feature. One of the problems arising from this feature may be your computer.
- Your PC may be getting an Overwatch “game is running” problem due to outdated or missing graphics drivers.
- Unknowingly causing this problem are antivirus programs on sometimes.
- Let’s go right into the fixes for this problem so that you can relax and start playing Overwatch again.
Method 1: Restart the PC and Run Overwatch in Compatibility Mode
Many people have found that the issue with Overwatch not launching can be fixed by running the game in compatibility mode.
- From the desktop, right-click the Battle.net application shortcut, then select Open file location from the context menu.
- Once more, use the context menu to right-click on the Overwatch Launcher folder and select Properties.
- Navigate to the tab for compatibility.
- Select Windows 7 from the drop-down menu under the Compatibility Mode section and tick the box for Run this software in compatibility mode.
- Select Apply > OK to save the modified text.
Method 2: Deactivate the Game DVR Feature
With the Game DVR function, users can record any gameplay they like and take as many screenshots as they like. However, this feature may affect the game’s performance or even prevent it from running. To fix the fic overwatch not launching issue, take the next steps.
- To launch the Run dialog box, hold down the Windows and R keys.
- To open the Registry Editor window, type regedit and hit Enter.
- When the User Account Control popup box shows up, select Yes.
- Select the path from the list of options on the Registry Editor page.
- From the GameConfigStore folder, double-click the GameDVR_Enabled option.
- Next, set the Value data to 0 in the Edit DWORD Value pop-up and click OK to save the changes.
- Select the GameDVR_FSEBehaviorMode option by double-clicking it. To save the changes, click OK after changing the Value data to 0 in the popup window.
- Once more, take the following route:
- Give the Value option a double-click. To complete the changes, set the Value data to 0 on the Edit DWORD pop-up and click OK.
- After doing all of this, shut down the Registry Editor windows and disable the Game DVR.
- Give your computer a restart and see if the overwatch game running bug has been resolved.
Method 3: Repair Overwatch Game Files
The Overwatch won’t launch PC error could occur if some of the important game files are missing or corrupted. In this case, the only way to fully resolve this problem on your computer is to scan and restore the game files. Follow the steps showed below to do it.
- Open the Battle.net app for Blizzard.
- After choosing Overwatch, select Options.
- As indicated, select Scan and Repair from the dropdown box.
- To finish the process and relaunch the game, follow the on-screen directions.
Method 4: Update Graphics Driver
Overwatch sometimes crashes during launch due to out-of-date graphics drivers. Updating Windows 10’s graphics drivers will resolve this.
Method 5: Update Windows
An update will fix every problem or error in the Overwatch game. Read our guide on downloading and installing the most recent version of Windows 10.
Method 6: Disable Antivirus Temporarily (If Applicable)
At times, antivirus software flags specific programs as possibly dangerous for your computer. To keep them separated from the desktop, they stop the application from opening. This can be the cause if you discover that Overwatch does not launch whenever you try to open it.
Method 7: Delete msvcp140.dll Extension
Users of Overwatch have sometimes reported that the msvcp140.dll application extension stops the game from starting and running correctly. Thus, you might be able to play and enjoy Overwatch as earlier if you remove this addon.
- In the Windows search bar, type msvcp140.dll and select Open file location.
- In this case, use the context menu to select Delete by right-clicking on the highlighted msvcp140.dll file extension.
- Now, restart your PC to resume the game.
Method 8: Delete Game Cache
You are bound to have launch issues if the Overwatch game cache is corrupted because the game won’t load correctly in this case. To speed up the loading and processing of the game upon each launch, the games store some temporary files on the PC. Thus, the previously mentioned problem will result from those files becoming corrupted. To repair this correctly, take the next steps.
- The Task Manager window will open by holding down the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys.
- Select a Blizzard Update Client or agent.exe by right-clicking on it in the Processes tab.
- To end the program, choose the End task option found in the lower right corner.
- To enter the Run dialog box, press the Windows + R keys simultaneously.
- Enter %Programdata% in the proper field and hit the keyboard’s Enter key.
- Locate the Blizzard Entertainment folder inside the directory, then use the context menu to select Delete.
- Restart the game to find out whether the problem has been resolved.
Method 9: Delete Battle.net Tools
This problem could come up from the Blizzard Battle.net Tools desktop tool due to outdated, corrupted, or missing game directories. Thus, we shall examine the steps for removing the Battle.net files in this approach.
- The Task Manager window will open by holding down the Ctrl, Shift, and Esc keys.
- Select the agent.exe or a Blizzard Update Client by clicking the Processes tab.
- To end the program, use the End task option located in the lower right corner.
- To enter the Run dialog box, press the Windows + R keys simultaneously.
- Enter C:\ProgramData\ in the relevant field and hit the keyboard’s Enter key.
- Find the Battle.net folder inside the directory, right-click on it, and select Delete from the context menu.
- At last, launch the game again.]
Method 10: Reset Game Settings
You will need to reset the game settings if, after trying each of these solutions, the Overwatch won’t launch PC issue continues.
Note: All in-game options will be restored to their original settings if you reset the game.
- On your PC, open the Blizzard Battle.net application.
- Next, select the Settings option from the list by clicking on the Blizzard Logo.
- From here, go to GameSettings and choose Reset In-Game Settings, as shown below.
- To complete the reset of the settings, click on Done.
Check to see if the Overwatch won’t launch PC issue has been resolved for you by restarting the game. You can reinstall the game on your computer if the problem continues.