How to fix Helldivers 2 black screen on startup

If you're experiencing a black screen on launch in Helldivers 2, take comfort in knowing it's a common problem reported by numerous players.

As a relatively new addition to the gaming world, Helldivers 2, like many other new releases, is not immune to technical difficulties. Among these, the black screen at startup and the "Failed to create lobby" error stand out as a particularly common challenge for players.

In this guide, we will delve into several effective strategies to overcome this hurdle, ensuring you can enjoy your gaming experience with minimal disruption.

How to fix Helldivers 2 black screen on launch

To fix Helldivers 2 black screen on launch, manually edit the user_settings.config file to set fullscreen to false, as this player suggested. Additionally, to ensure the game always launches in windowed mode and avoid the black screen issue, you can make the user_settings.config file read-only.

To find the user_settings.config file, navigate to C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Arrowhead\Helldivers2 on your PC. Note that the AppData folder in Windows is hidden by default. To access it, you will need to enable the option to view hidden files and folders.

Another solution is to delete the user_settings.config file altogether. This solution has been widely confirmed by players across Reddit and the Steam Community forums as an effective fix. However, remember that this action will reset your game settings to default, necessitating a reconfiguration to your preferred settings.

An alternate workaround to fix the black screen on startup is to switch the game to borderless windowed mode before closing it. This change has been found to prevent the black screen issue upon the next launch. You can then switch back to fullscreen mode once the game has started without encountering any problems.

To summarise, here are the potential solutions to fix the Helldivers 2 black screen on startup:

• Edit the user_settings.config file to set fullscreen to false.

• Delete the user_settings.config file altogether.
• Switch the game to borderless windowed mode before closing it.

With that, we are wrapping up our guide on the Helldivers 2 black screen on startup. We hope you found our troubleshooting tips effective. Before you head off, make sure you check out our other Helldivers 2 troubleshooting guides on common issues in the game, such as matchmaking not working, multiplayer not working and more.