Kingdom Come Deliverance II has had rave reviews, but some players can’t play it because that game doesn’t start on their PCs. For example, this is what a player said on Reddit, “I bought the game (Kingdom Come Deliverance II) a few days ago and just cannot run it… I click play from Steam, it loads into a black screen and I see a yellow cursor before it just crashes.” This is how you can fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching on a Windows PC.
Close Riot Vanguard
Riot Vanguard is anti-cheat software for games like Valorant and League of Legends. Some players say they were able to fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching by closing Riot Vanguard before starting the game. If Riot Vanguard is installed on your PC, try closing that program by right-clicking its system tray icon and selecting a close (exit) option for it.
Run the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
The Program Compatibility Troubleshooter can resolve compatibility issues for the game by applying recommended settings. Some players confirm utilizing that troubleshooter can fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching. This is how you can run that troubleshooter:
- Click File Explorer on your taskbar and open a Steam > steamapps > common > KingdomComeDeliverance2 > Bin > Win64MasterMasterSteamPGO folder path.
- Right-click the KingdomCome.exe file to select Properties and Compatibility.
- Next, press the Run compatibility troubleshooter button.
- Click Try recommended settings > Test the program in the troubleshooter.
The Program Compatibility Troubleshooter
- Next, press the Next button.
- Select Yes, save these settings if this potential resolution works. If it doesn’t, you can select No, try again using different settings.
Add Kingdom Come Deliverance II to Antivirus Exclusion Lists
Players have said they were able to fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching by adding the game to antivirus exclusion lists. If you have a third-party security app, add the game’s folder to its exclusion list. Those players who don’t have third-party antivirus tools should add the installation folder for Kingdom Come Deliverance II to the Windows Security’s exception list, as outlined in the Exclusions section of this Microsoft page.
The Windows Security antivirus exclusion options
Add Kingdom Come Deliverance II to Firewalls’ Allowed Lists
Firewalls can also cause startup issues for games now allowed through them because they can block their connections. So, check if the KingdomCome.exe game is allowed through any third-party firewall installed on your PC. You can also add Kingdom Come Deliverance II to the Windows firewall as instructed in this Microsoft guide.
The Allowed apps for Windows firewall
Delete the Shader Cache
A corrupted shader cache folder, which stores pre-compiled graphics, can cause game startup issues to occur on Windows PCs. Deleting the shaders folder for Kingdom Come Deliverance II can remedy that potential cause. These are the steps for deleting the shader cache:
- Open the Explorer folder navigator using its Windows logo + E hotkey.
- Go to the C:\Users\<user folder>\Saved Games\kingdomcome2\shaders folder.
- Right-click shaders to select Delete.
Press the Esc Key
Does your Kingdom Come Deliverance II game get stuck on the loading screen? If so, try pressing the Esc key during its initial load. Players confirm that repeatedly pressing Esc can fix the game when it gets stuck loading. One player said, “Launch the game new. Keep pressing ESC (escape) like 60 times until you see the normal menu where you can load the saved games.”
Reinstall the Game on a Solid-State Drive (SSD)
SSD (solid-state drive) is a system requirement for Kingdom Come Deliverance II. If you’ve installed the game on an HDD, that could be why it’s not starting. The solution in this scenario is to reinstall (or move) the game on alternative SSD storage. If you don’t have alternative SSD storage, consider purchasing an external SSD drive for games. This is how you can reinstall Kingdom Come Deliverance II on an SSD:
- Go into Steam’s Library tab.
- Right-click Kingdom Come Deliverance II to select Manage > Uninstall.
The Uninstall option in Steam
- Click Uninstall when prompted to confirm.
- Next, select the uninstalled Kingdom Come Deliverance II game and click Install.
The installation options
- Select your alternative SDD storage by clicking on it.
- Click Install to reinstall the game.
Other Possible Ways to Fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II Not Launching
If the potential solutions above aren’t enough to fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching on your PC, there are other troubleshooting methods you can try. These additional possible fixes might also kick-start the game for some players:
- Repair the Kingdom Come Deliverance II game files with a Steam verification scan.
- Set Kingdom Come Deliverance II to run with administrator rights.
- Set a -dx11 or -dx12 launch option for Kingdom Come Deliverance II in Steam.
- Cleanly install the latest graphics card driver for your GPU (select Perform a clean installation in NVIDIA installers).
- Install or repair 64 and 32-bit Visual C++ 2015–2022 Redistributable packages, which you can download from this Microsoft page.
The potential resolutions covered above can potentially fix Kingdom Come Deliverance II not launching on many players’ PCs. You’ll probably need to apply multiple potential fixes to find one that works for you. There’s also a Kingdom Come Deliverance II technical help service that you can ask for more potential resolutions by clicking Contact support on this PLAION page.
