Players have posted about a Skate black screen bug on Retbit, Steam, and other forums. This is what a player said about that bug, “Unplayable on PC right now… Once the game [Skate] launches, I get stuck on a black screen.” This black-screen issue is one of the most widely reported bugs in Skate. Here are some ways to fix the Skate black-screen bug on Windows PCs.
Wait at Least Five Minutes
First, note that Skate can take some time to start when you launch the game for the first time. So, be prepared to wait at least five minutes for Skate to start when the black screen appears. If the game remains stuck on a black screen after five minutes, proceed to apply the troubleshooting methods below.
Verify the Skate Game
Check if there might be any corrupted game files causing the Skate black screen bug. You can do that by running a verification scan for Skate, which will repair corrupted or missing game files. This page on Steam’s website tells you fhow players can verify game files. EA app users can select to Repair skate as covered on this support page.
The Verify the integrity of game files option
Select a High Performance Graphics Setting for Skate
Some players have fixed the Skate black screen bug by selecting the Windows High performance graphics setting for the game. Selecting that option is mostly recommended if your PC has dual GPUs, but you can still try it if it doesn’t. You can select that option like this:
- Click on the Search box in the taskbar.
- Next, input graphics settings into the search box.
- Then, click on Graphics settings in the search results.
- Click the Add desktop app option.
- Select the Skate EXE game file in its installation folder.
- Click on the Add option.
- Then, click on the Skate game added and select the High performance drop-down option.
The High Performance graphics settings
Switch to a Different App When Starting Skate
This troubleshooting method is a rather strange workaround for the Skate black screen bug; many players confirm to have worked for them. To apply it, you must start Skate and then quickly switch to Steam or a browser software. These are the exact steps for applying this potential fix:
- Launch your Skate game via Steam.
- Then, quickly switch to Steam to make that the active window. Alternatively, quickly open a tab in a web browser like Chrome.
- When Skate has fully launched in the background, click on the game window to start playing.
Set a DirectX 11 Launch Option for Skate
If you’re a Steam user, try setting a DirectX 11 launch option for Skate. Setting that launch option will set the game to utilize the DirectX 11 API. These are the steps for setting a DX11 launch option within Steam.
- Open the Library tab in your Steam software.
- Click the Skate game in the sidebar with the right button to select Properties.
- Input -dx11 inside Skate’s launch options box.
The launch options
Move Skate to a Different Drive
Players have also confirmed that moving Skate to different drives can fix the Skate black screen bug. However, only players who have alternative drives (external or partitioned) can apply this potential fix. This is how you can move Skate to a different drive with Steam:
- Start your Steam software.
- Click the Steam menu to select Settings.
- Select the Storage tab.
- Click Add Drive on the drop-down menu.
The Add Drive option
- Then, select a drive to move games onto and click Add.
- Select the drive that includes your Skate game in the drop-down menu.
- Then, select the checkbox for your Skate game on the Storage tab.
- Click on the Move button.
The Move option
- Select your alternative drive to move it to and click Move.
An alternative way to move a game to a different drive would be to reinstall it. Reinstalling will more likely repair any corrupted or missing files. However, moving the game preserves settings and saved game data better.
Those troubleshooting methods for fixing the Skate black screen bug have worked for some players who’ve applied. So, maybe one of them might fix that black screen issue for you as well. If the bug persists, click Contact Us on this page to ask EA’s support service for further potential fixes.
