6 Ways to Fix the Helldivers 2 Black Screen Bug on a Windows PC

Many players have reported that Helldivers 2 doesn’t start because of a black screen startup bug. A player’s Reddit post said this about the bug: “I played some Helldivers 2 earlier today, but I had to log off the game because I had to do something… I (later) booted up the game on Steam, but when I did, all I saw was a black screen and nothing else.” This is how you can fix the Helldivers 2 black screen bug on a Windows PC.

Looking for more Helldivers 2 guides from KeenGamer?

• 6 Ways to Fix Helldivers 2 Stuttering and FPS Drops on a Windows PC
• 7 Ways to Fix Regular In-Game Helldivers 2 Crashing on a Windows PC
• 6 Ways to Fix the Helldivers 2 “Failed to Join Game Lobby” Error on a Windows PC
• 8 Ways You Can Fix Helldivers 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC
• 4 Ways to Fix the Msvcr110.dll Helldivers 2 Error on Windows PCs

Install or Repair Visual C++ 2015-2022

Sometimes, the Helldivers 2 black screen bug occurs because of missing Visual C++ Redistributable runtime components. You can address this potential cause by installing (or repairing) runtime components with 64 and 32-bit Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 packages. This is how you install or repair Visual C++ 2015-2022 components with those packages:

1. First, open this Microsoft website page.
2. Click the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 download links for X64 and X32 system architecture.
3. Next, open your download folder containing the VC_redist.x64.exe file.
4. Double-click VC_redist.x64.exe to open a Microsoft Visual C++ window.
5. Select I agree to accept terms.
   
   

   The Run the program as an administrator

6. Press the Install or Repair button in the Visual C++ window.
7. Repeat the three previous steps for the downloaded VC_redist.x86.exe (32-bit) file.

Turn Off Overlay Features

Some players say they’ve fixed the Helldivers 2 black screen bug by disabling the Steam and GeForce Experience overlays. Software like Discord and AMD Adrenalin also have overlay features that might cause black screen issues. Try disabling overlays in all software packages installed on your PC that include them.

The Steam overlay setting

Set Helldivers 2 to Run as an Administrator

Players have confirmed on Reddit that running the game with administrator rights can fix the Helldivers 2 black screen bug. The best way to do this is to set the game to always run with administrator rights from its folder. You can set Helldivers 2 to start with elevated privileges like this:

1. Open File Explorer (press Windows logo key + E) and navigate to Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Helldivers 2 > bin.
2. Click the helldivers2.exe with the right mouse button to select Properties and Compatibility.
3. Select Run this program as an administrator, which is the option for setting elevated software privileges.
4. Save the setting selected by clicking Apply > OK.
   
   

   The Run this program as an administrator checkbox

5. For an optional step, you can also try running the game outside Steam by double-clicking the helldivers2.exe file.

Erase the User_settings.config File

Some players have also said on Reddit that they fixed the Helldivers 2 bug by deleting the  user_settings.config file. Erasing that file restores the default settings for the game. You can erase the user_settings.config file like this:

1. Click the pinned File Explorer shortcut that’s on the Windows taskbar.
2. Go to the C:\Users\your user name\AppData\Roaming\Arrowhead\Helldivers2 folder path.
3. Right-click user_settings.config and select Delete.

To ensure you can see the required folders and files, select the Hidden Items checkbox in File Explorer. You can do that in Windows 10 by selecting Hidden items on the View tab. Windows 11 users can select that option by clicking View on the command bar and selecting Show > Hidden items.

Disable Steam Input

Another troubleshooting method confirmed to work by some players is to disable Steam input for controllers. It seems Steam controller input can conflict with Helldivers 2. This is how you can disable Steam input for Helldivers 2:

1. Bring up Steam’s Library tab.
2. Click the Helldivers 2 game in the sidebar with your mouse’s right button to select Properties.
3. Next, click the Controller tab.
   
   

   The Disable Steam Input option

4. Select the Disable Steam Input option on the Override for Helldivers 2 drop-down menu.

Reinstall Helldivers 2

Finally, try reinstalling your Helldivers 2 game as a last resort. This potential fix will likely work if there are corrupted or missing game files causing the Helldivers 2 black screen bug. Go through these steps to reinstall Helldivers 2:

1. Start Steam and click Library inside its tab bar.
2. Next, right-click the Helldivers 2 game to select Manage and Uninstall options.
3. Click Uninstall when prompted.
   
   

   The Uninstall option in Steam

4. To reinstall, click the Install option for Helldivers 2 in Steam.

The possible resolutions discussed above have fixed the Helldivers 2 black screen bug for many players. They are some of the best ways to fix that gaming issue in that respect. You can also ask the Arrowhead help service for more potential resolutions by clicking Submit a request on this support page.

Best Guides for HELLDIVERS 2

What Are Scout Striders and How to Kill Them

Best Farm for Easy Medals, Requisition Slips and XP

6 Ways to Fix Helldivers 2 Stuttering and FPS Drops on a Windows PC

4 Ways to Fix the Msvcr110.dll Helldivers 2 Error on Windows PCs

7 Ways to Fix Regular In-Game Helldivers 2 Crashing on a Windows PC

6 Ways to Fix the Helldivers 2 “Failed to Join Game Lobby” Error on a Windows PC

8 Ways You Can Fix Helldivers 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Why Lost Planet 2 Did It Better Than Helldivers 2

Best Ways to Find Bile Titans and Kill Them