War Thunder is among the most popular World War II multiplayer games. However, some players report that War Thunder doesn’t start when they click the Play in Steam. For example, a WT player said this on a Reddit post, “War Thunder not working… When I click play on Steam, it starts loading but then turns off without even opening the game window.” This is how you can fix War Thunder not launching on a Windows PC.
Run War Thunder in Compatibility Mode
A few players confirm that selecting compatibility mode can fix War Thunder not launching. The compatibility feature sets games to run as they would on earlier Windows platforms. This is how you can run War Thunder in compatibility mode:
- Open a File Explorer window and the SteamLibrary > steamapps > common > War Thunder > win64 folder.
- Right-click the aces file to select its Properties option and Compatibility tab.
The Compatibility tab
- Then, select Run this program in compatibility mode for Windows 8.
- Click Apply to set the changed settings and OK to exit.
If running the program in compatibility mode doesn’t work, try selecting additional options. Select the Run this program as an administrator and Disable fullscreen optimizations on the same Compatibility tab. Double-click the aces file to start the game from its installation folder.
Reinstall BattlEye
BattlEye is now the anti-cheat software for War Thunder. To address potential issues with BattlEye, try reinstalling that anti-cheat software. You can reinstall BattlEye as follows:
- Go to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\War Thunder\BattlEye folder in File Explorer.
- Right-click the Uninstall_BattlEye file and select Run as administrator.
The Uninstall BattlEye file
- Then, right-click the Install_BattlEye file to select Run as administrator.
Verify the War Thunder Game Files
Don’t overlook the Verify integrity option in Steam, which might repair corrupted or missing War Thunder files. If there aren’t any corrupted or missing WT files, however, then this troubleshooting method probably won’t work. This Steam page provides exact instructions for selecting the Verify option.
The Verify integrity of game files option
Delete War Thunder’s Cache
A corrupted War Thunder cache is a potential cause for that game not starting. War Thunder will recreate that cache if you delete it. These are the steps for erasing War Thunder’s cache:
- Open the installation folder for War Thunder.
- Select the cache folder by clicking on it once.
- Click Explorer’s Delete button to erase the selected cache.
The cache folder for War Thunder
Update Your Graphics Driver
Updating graphics drivers is a widely recommended way to fix War Thunder not launching because it’s a more graphically demanding game. You should try applying this troubleshooting method if you haven’t updated the driver for your graphics card in more than a year. KeenGamer’s guide for updating GPU drivers tells you about the different ways you can update them.
The page for NVIDIA graphics drivers
Temporarily Disable Antivirus
Malwarebytes, Avast, Norton, McAfee, and even Windows Security are antivirus utilities for which players report can cause War Thunder startup issues. So, try temporarily disabling any third-party antivirus package or Windows Security’s real-time protection before starting War Thunder. This page on Microsoft’s side tells you how users can turn off the Real-time protection setting in Windows Security.
The Real-time protection setting
Disable Conflicting Background Apps
Some third-party apps can cause War Thunder conflicts, preventing the game from starting. MSI Afterburner, Discord, Razer Synapse, and the NVIDIA App are four software packages that can conflict with War Thunder. You can close those background apps and others, as follows:
- Right-click a part of the taskbar to select its Task Manager option.
- Then, right-click third-party apps in the Processes tab to select End task.
The End task option
- Also, right-click the third-party program icons in the system tray area of the taskbar to select options for closing them.
- Start War Thunder with the unneeded background apps disabled.
Other Possible Ways to Fix War Thunder Not Launching
There are probably more ways you can fix War Thunder not launching beyond those above. These are some additional potential fixes for that game not starting:
- Remove War Thunder and reinstall it.
- Set a -windowed -no border launch option for War Thunder in Steam.
- Select the High performance graphical setting in Windows for the War Thunder (aces.exe) game.
- Rename the config.blk file in the C:\Users\[user folder]\AppData\Local\WarThunder folder to config_backup.blk.
I hope you fix War Thunder not launching with a troubleshooting method above. They are worth trying before submitting a support ticket to the Gaijin help service. This help page tells you how players can submit support requests to War Thunder’s help service.
