Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has had some rave reviews. However, many players report black screen issues are spoiling their Space Marine 2 fun. For example, a player’s Steam post says this, “I’ve been booting up the game (SM 2), the intro is lagging behind, and after that, I get stuck in a black screen.” Some players also report Space Marine 2 black screen crashes occur at cutscenes in the game. This is how you can fix the Space Marine 2 black screen bugs on a Windows PC.
Read also: 7 Ways to Fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC
Run Space Marine 2 With Admin Rights
Some players confirm they’ve fixed Space Marine 2 black screen bugs by running that game with administrator rights. This particular resolution is especially recommended for fixing black screen startup issues. You can configure Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to run with admin rights like this.
- Press the Windows logo + E hotkey to open the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 game installation folder in Explorer. The default Steam path for that directory is Program Files > Steam > steamapps > common > Space Marine 2.
- Right-click the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 file to select Show more options (in Windows 11) > Properties.
- Click Compatibility > Run this program as an administrator to select that setting.
The Run this program as an administrator checkbox
- Press Apply to save the compatibility options selected.
- Close the Space Marine 2 properties window by clicking OK.
Verify the Files for Space Marine 2
Verifying the Space Marine 2 game will scan for and repair corrupted or missing game files. Applying this possible fix probably won’t work for everybody, but it could be worth a try nonetheless. Check out these Steam help and Epic Games pages for instructions about how to verify game files.
The Verify button
Set a DirectX 11 Launch Parameter
Setting a DirectX 11 launch parameter has fixed Space Marine 2 black screen bugs for some players. Doing this configures Space Marine 2 to start with the DirectX 11 API. You can set a DX11 launch option for SM 2 within Epic Games and Steam as follows.
Steam
- Run the Steam program and select Library within its tab bar.
- Right-click Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 inside Steam’s left sidebar to select Properties.
The launch options in Steam
- Enter -dx11 within the text box for launch options.
Epic Games
- Start Epic Games to open the window for that software.
- Click the round profile button at the top-right corner of Epic to select Settings.
- Scroll down and click Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to access its command line setting.
- Select the box for the Additional Command Line Arguments.
The Additional Command Line Arguments option in Epic
- Input -dx11 inside the text box for command line arguments.
Set a Windowed Launch Parameter
Some users also confirm setting a windowed launch parameter for SM 2 can fix Space Marine 2 black screen bugs. Doing this will configure the game to start in a windowed mode. To apply this possible fix, go through the steps for the previous resolution. However, input a -windowed launch parameter rather than -dx11.
Temporarily Disable Antivirus Shields
A few SM 2 players say they fixed Space Marine 2 black screen errors by temporarily disabling antivirus shields before starting the game. Turning off an antivirus shield will ensure it can’t cause startup issues by flagging game files. These are the steps for turning off Windows Security’s antivirus shield.
- Double-click the Windows Security shield icon inside the system tray.
- Click on Virus & threat protection and Manage settings.
The Manage settings navigation option
- Toggle off the Real-time protection option.
The Real-time protection option
- Try playing Space Marine 2 again.
If this works, consider adding the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 game folder to Windows Security’s exclusion list. This Microsoft page tells you how users can add folders and apps to that exclusion list. Then, turn the Real-time protection option back on.
Update Graphics Drivers on Your PC
Black screen gaming issues can sometimes happen because of faulty or outmoded graphics drivers on players’ PCs. The solution in this scenario is to install the latest graphics driver available for your video card. This KeenGamer guide to updating drivers tells you how players can install new graphics card drivers in different ways.
The NVIDIA driver page
Reinstall Space Marine 2 (Preferably on an SSD)
An interesting thing to note about Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is that it has an SSD storage system requirement. This doesn’t necessarily mean the game won’t run at all when installed on hard disk drives. However, players have reported moving SM 2 onto SSDs (solid-state drives) has resolved Space Marine 2 black screen issues on their PCs.
If you have installed Space Marine 2 on a hard drive, try reinstalling it on alternative SSD storage if you can. However, I recommend reinstalling Space Marine 2 even if you don’t have alternative drive storage. You can reinstall the Space Marine 2 game like this.
Steam
- Start your Steam app and click Library to see your games.
- To remove the game, right-click Space Marine 2 and select Manage > Uninstall (click twice to confirm).
The Uninstall option in Steam
- Next, click Space Marine 2 and the Install button for it.
- Click the Install to button and select alternative SSD storage if possible.
- Press Install to finish.
Epic Games
- Run Epic and click Library to access the games.
- Click the three-dot menu button for Space Marine 2 and Uninstall.
The Uninstall option in Epic
- To reinstall, click the image for Space Marine 2.
- Click Browse to select a folder on SSD storage if possible, and press the Select Folder button.
- Click Install to finish.
Those potential resolutions are more widely confirmed ways to fix Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 black screen bugs on Windows PCs. That doesn’t mean they’ll work for everybody, but there’s a reasonable chance one will resolve the Space Marine 2 black screen gaming issue on your PC. You can submit a support ticket to the game’s help service from this Focus Entertainment page if more potential fixes are needed.
