Marathon is the latest multiplayer extraction for Windows, but some players report that the game doesn’t start on their PCs. For example, one player said in a Reddit post, “Marathon won’t actually launch, and I’m not seeing ANY solutions.” Some players might get refunded when the Marathon game doesn’t start after installing the game for the first time. However, you may be able to fix Marathon not launching by applying these troubleshooting steps.
Verify the Marathon Game
First, try the tried and trusted troubleshooting method of verifying the game to fix Marathon not launching. This troubleshooting doesn’t always work, but running a verification scan might repair missing or corrupted game files. You can verify the Marathon game by going through the steps on this Steam help page.
The Verify integrity of game files option
Completely Restart the Steam Client
Restarting the Steam client is a confirmed way to fix Marathon not launching. In fact, that is a troubleshooting method that the Marathon developers recommend applying. Try restarting your Steam client and then running it with admin rights like this:
- First, close the Steam window by clicking its X button.
- Next, right-click the Steam system tray icon and select Exit Steam.
The Exit Steam option
- Then right-click your Steam desktop shortcut and select Run as administrator.
- Go into Steam’s Library tab and click the Play button for Marathon.
Clear Steam’s Download Cache
Players confirm that clearing Steam’s download cache can fix Marathon not launching. Clearing Steam’s download cache might eradicate corrupted data. This page explains how to select the Clear Cache option in Steam to apply this potential fix.
The Clear Cache option in Steam
Update Windows
Updating Windows can fix Marathon startup issues because doing that will ensure your PC has a framework that’s compatible with modern anti-cheat software. This guide page on Microsoft’s site explains how you can update Windows. If you’re a Windows 10 user, try selecting the Windows 11 upgrade option in Settings.
The Windows Update tab in Settings
Disable the Focusrite USB MIDI Driver
Disabling the Focusrite USB MIDI driver is another player-confirmed way to fix Marathon not launching. The Focusrite MIDI driver seemingly conflicts with Marathon’s BattlEye anti-cheat software. If your PC has a Focusrite USB MIDI driver, try disabling it like this:
- First, right-click the Start button on the taskbar to select a Device Manager shortcut.
- Double-click on Sound, Video, and Game Controllers to expand that category.
The Device Manager window
- Next, right-click the Focusrite MIDI device and select Disable device.
- Select Yes when asked to confirm.
- Restart Windows and try playing Marathon again.
Apply a Clean Boot
Applying a clean boot will disable third-party startup items and services. This is the best way to disable background programs that might be conflicting with the Marathon game. To apply a clean boot, disable startup items and services with Task Manager and MSConfig, as instructed on this Microsoft help page. Then restart your PC and try playing Marathon again.
The System Configuration tool
Other Possible Ways to Fix Marathon Not Launching
If Marathon still doesn’t start, there are more troubleshooting methods that might kick-start that game. Try applying these additional ways to fix Marathon not launching:
- Add the Marathon game EXE file to antivirus exclusion lists.
- Delete the Marathon data folder in the C: > Users > [user folder] > AppData > Local > Temp directory.
- Reinstall BattlEye by running the Uninstall_BattlEye and Install_BattlEye files in the Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Marathon > battleye directory.
- Update the graphical driver for your GPU with a method in this KG guide.
I hope one of the troubleshooting methods above kick-starts Marathon on your PC. However, there isn’t any guaranteed way to fix Marathon not launching. If you need more potential fixes, try posting on the Marathon community forum, where you can report bugs.
