Halo Infinite is a popular first-person shooter for which players report startup technical issues. This is what a Halo Infinite player said on Reddit: “Me and my buddies 8 beers deep last night wanted to play Infinite but had our night ruined because, for some reason, the game crashes during the initial loading screen. Has anyone else faced this issue?” Yes, of course, and players can’t play Halo Infinite regardless of how it fails to start. This is how you can fix Halo Infinite not launching on a Windows 11/10 desktop or laptop.
Verify Halo Infinite Game Files
First, try verifying the Halo Infinite files, which is a routine troubleshooting method for fixing games that don’t start. Sometimes, this might fix corrupted or missing files that can cause startup issues. If you’re a Steam user, you can select to verify the files for Halo Infinite by going through the steps on this Valve help page. Alternatively, you can select to repair the Halo MS Store app as outlined on this Microsoft page.
The Verify integrity of game files option
Set Halo Infinite to Run as Administrator
A few players have been able to kick-start Halo Infinite by setting the game to start with admin rights. Note that this potential solution is primarily for Steam users who can access the game’s folder. This is how you can start Halo Infinite with elevated privileges.
- Open a File Explorer window, and go to the default C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Halo Infinite folder path.
- Right-click the HaloInfinite.exe file to select Properties > Compatibility.
- Next, select Run this program as administrator to add a checkmark to that box.
The Run this program as an administrator
- Click Apply > OK to set the admin option you’ve selected.
Disable High-Resolution Textures
Many players confirm that disabling high-resolution textures can fix Halo Infinite’s not launching. These textures are enabled by default and can cause technical hiccups for the game. You can apply this potential fix within Steam and the Xbox App as follows.
Steam
- Start Steam to view the Library tab in that software.
- Click Halo Infinite to select that game.
- Next, click Manage My DLC in Steam.
The Multiplayer Hight-Rest Textures option in Steam
- Unselect the High-Res Textures checkbox.
Xbox App
- Open the Xbox app and select the Halo Infinite game.
- Click the three-dot menu button for Halo and select Manage Game.
The Manage Game option
- Click the High-Res texture checkbox to deselect that setting.
- Press the Apply Changes button.
The High-Res Textures checkbox in the Xbox app
Disconnect Unneeded Game Controllers
Players have also said they were able to fix Halo Infinite not launching by unplugging USB controllers connected to their PCs. Do you have a gamepad connected to your PC when trying to start Halo? If so, try starting the game without the controller plugged in to see if that helps.
Roll Back Graphics Drivers
Rolling back (not updating) graphics drivers is another way to fix Halo Infinite not launching players confirm worked for them. This highlights buggy new graphics drivers can cause Halo startup issues. If you’ve recently installed a new driver, try rolling back to the previous one like this.
- Right-click the button that opens the Start menu and select Device Manager.
- Next, double-click Display adapters to view that category of devices.
The Device Manager option
- Now right-click the GPU (graphical processor unit) device to select Properties.
- Press the Roll Back Driver button on the Drivers tab if you can.
The Roll back driver option
- Select an option to explain why you’re rolling back the driver and click Yes to confirm.
- Restart your PC to finish.
Disable the Steam Overlay (and Others)
The Steam overlay can cause Halo Infinite crashing issues, which could affect the game’s startup. You can disable that potential cause by deselecting the setting for the Steam overlay. This is how you can turn off that overlay feature.
- Bring up your Steam client.
- Click Settings > Steam to access the options window.
- Turn off the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game setting on the In-Game tab.
The Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game
I also recommend disabling overlays in other software. For example, MSI Afterburner, Discord, and GeForce Experience are software that incorporate alternative overlays. Disable the overlays in any of those software packages installed on your PC.
Disable PowerToys
Some players confirm exiting PowerToys can fix Halo Infinite not launching. Do you have the PowerToys customization software for Windows installed on your PC? If so, try disabling that app to ensure it’s not running in the background when starting Halo Infinite like this.
- Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc hotkey to access Task Manager.
- Go into the Processes tab and look for PowerToys there.
- Right-click any PowerToys process to disable that background app.
The End task option
- Try starting Halo Infinite.
There’s a reasonable chance one of the potential resolutions covered above could fix Halo Infinite not launching on your PC. They probably won’t work for everybody, but are worth trying nonetheless. If you need more possible fixes, try submitting a ticket to the game’s help service as instructed on this Halo Support page.
