Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is an action video game that allows gamers to explore new things in this world. One who loves adventures can opt for this Witcher 3 game.
Mostly, Witcher 3 does not show any problems while running it on Windows 10. There are some situations where the game will not launch after clicking the play button.
You are not only the person who engaged with this problem. And there is no need to worry because we can fix it with simple and advanced methods.
Some users say that it is due to the antivirus & firewall apps, expired display adapters, mods, etc. The reasons for it may differ from one user to others.
The list of reasons and methods to fix the Witcher 3 Won’t Launch are given in the following sections.
Table of Contents
Problem Overview
CD Project Red developed this Witcher gaming series based on the fantasy novels of Andrzej Sapkowski. Witcher 3 is the sequel to the second part that is Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.
Witcher 3 video game is developed for multiple devices. We can download and install this game on our Windows 7/8/10 PCs. Apart from that, it runs on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
Nearly 30 Million users have purchased this Witcher 3 game and making it the best-selling video game all over the world. The game includes many activities, such as exploration, monster hunting, etc.
It troubles the user by not launching whenever we do so on our desktops. If you want to know why this problem occurs, then read the following steps.
There might be some other reasons for this Witcher 3 Won’t Launch, but the above are the major ones. Now, you have to move towards the following paragraphs to apply the tricks that can fix it.
Related Problems
Basic Troubleshooting Steps
There are a few simple ways that may solve the Witcher 3 Won’t Launch issue. Follow the procedure and execute the steps correctly.
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Disable Antivirus or Enable Gamer Mode
Witcher 3 shows these kinds of errors when the security apps on your PC are blocking its launching. What I meant to say is that it is your antivirus software that is causing Witcher 3 Won’t Launch issue.
In this situation, either you have to disable the antivirus on your Windows PC or else enable the gamer mode on your antivirus.
Apart from that, the user can overcome this issue by adding the Witcher 3 app to the exception list of your antivirus. By doing so, you have granted permissions to the game to run it without any issues.
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Run Witcher 3 as Administrator
We create two different kinds of accounts on our PCs, User, and Admin account. Compared to the Admin account, the User account possesses a limited number of access rights.
So, when any app or game is not running or launching, it might be due to insufficient permissions. It means you need full-access rights to use that particular app.
Therefore, run this Witcher 3 game as administrator to launch it without any issues. For that,
- Double-click This PC -> Open the Local Disk -> Open the Witcher 3 installation folder.
- Locate the .exe file of this game and right-click on it -> Choose Properties.
- Come to the Compatibility tab and enable the Run this program as an administrator option.
- After saving the changes, restart the computer.
Relaunch the game and check that it launches correctly or shows the same error.
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Perform a Clean Boot
By performing a clean boot on your computer, several users have rectified the Witcher 3 Won’t Launch error.
- Press Windows logo -> Type msconfig -> Click on the System Configuration.
- Once the new window appears on your screen, go to the Services tab.
- Check the Hide all Microsoft Services box and click the Disable All button.
- To save the changes, you have to click the OK button.
- After that, open the Task Manager by using Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys.
- Navigate to the Startup tab -> Select the startup items one by one -> Click the Disable button.
- After disabling all those startup elements, reboot the PC.
Now, check the Witcher 3 launches or not. If the game starts successfully, then enable the disabled services and apps and find the problematic one to remove it completely.
Steps To Fix Witcher 3 Won’t Launch Issue
When the situation is not changed and showing the same issue while trying to launch the Witcher 3, you can use the following advanced methods.
- Step 1
Disable or Uninstall Mods
Mods play a major role in boosting up the game performance and speed. Also, it increases the graphical settings and user interface.
Users install a variety of mods on the game to play it effectively. Though there are many benefits of using mods, it causes issues while playing or launching the game. If the Witcher 3 is not launching, then it might be due to the mods installed on the game.
Once remove all the mods and see the game is launching or not. If the game successfully starts, then install the mods one by one to check which mod is leading to this issue. In case if the game still not launch, then there are more tricks given below.
- Step 2
Update Device Drivers
To run the computer or hardware peripherals connected to it, we need to install the compatible and the latest drivers. If the drivers are corrupted and outdated, then our system shows many problems.
Check whether this Witcher 3 Won’t Launch error occurs because of your expired graphics drivers. If you say yes, then update them to launch the game correctly.
- Press Windows + X and select Device Manager.
- Expand the Display Adapters -> Right-click the Graphics Card that you are using currently (NVIDIA or AMD) -> Click Update Driver.
- In the pop-up window, click Search automatically for the updated driver software option.
- Now, it checks for the latest drivers and installs them automatically to keep them up-to-date.
- Once the driver update process is over, restart the computer.
Finally, launch the Witcher 3 game and check the problem still persists or not.
- Step 3
Run SFC (System File Checker)
Even the corrupted system files on our Windows computers will cause this problem. The best way to get rid of this issue is to run the SFC scan.
- Press Windows + X -> Click Command Prompt (Admin).
- After seeing the command prompt, type the following command and press Enter.
- sfc /scannow
- It starts checking the corrupted system files. Whenever it finds them, it simply replaces them with the original ones.
- Wait until the checking process gets completed successfully.
Finally, restart the PC and relaunch the game to know the problem is solved or not.
- Step 4
Verify the Integrity of the Game Files
If the Witcher 3 won’t launch even after running the System File Checker or SFC scan, then try this method. Verifying the game integrity is also an effective technique that resolves this issue.
It repairs all those corrupted game files and makes the game launch without any issues.
- First of all, launch Steam Client on your computer.
- You will see a lot of video games in the Library. From that, right-click the Witcher 3 and choose Properties.
- On the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Properties page, click on the Local Files tab.
- Finally, go with the Verify the Integrity of the Game Files option.
After finishing the process, see The Witcher 3 Won’t Launch is fixed on your PC or not.
- Step 5
Disable In-Game Overlays
Using Overlays on our game helps in text chatting, browsing the internet, and many more. But you know what! The overlay can cause many problems, including Witcher 3 Won’t Launch issue.
Therefore, disable the in-game overlay on your Steam using the below guidelines.
- Open Steam -> Right-click on the Witcher 3 -> Choose Properties.
- In the General tab, disable the Enable the Steam Overlay While In-Game option by unchecking its box.
- Exit the window and reboot the system.
- Step 6
Remove the GOG.DLL File
Most of the users use Steam as their default launcher. But some will use other launchers like GOG and Origin. If anyone has changed their launcher from GOG to Steam, then the game files are also transferred.
Since each launcher contains its own system files, the existence of other launcher’s system files can cause many issues. This Witcher 3 Won’t Launch might be due to multiple system files.
That’s the reason why remove the GOG.dll file to resolve this issue on your PC. For that, navigate the following path.
- Open Steam -> Steamapps -> Common -> The Witcher 3 -> bin folder.
- In the bin folder, remove the GOG.dll file from your computer.
After deleting, relaunch the game through Steam and check the problem is disappeared or not.
Tips To Avoid Witcher 3 Won’t Launch
Contact Official Suppor
If you correctly follow our instructions mentioned above, then you will definitely solve the Witcher 3 Won’t Launch issue by the end of the last method.
There are reports where several users have successfully fixed this problem on their Windows computers. But if you haven’t solved it, then try to reinstall the game cleanly on your PC.
Even after reinstalling freshly the game is not launching, then it might be some other reason that causing this issue. Keeping our own hacks aside, it is the best way to contact the technical support team of Witcher 3.
By providing the entire information about our problem, it will be easy for them to assist us in fixing the issue.
Final Words: Conclusion
At last, the Witcher gaming series is wonderful, and millions of people are becoming fans of these games. Like the first and second installments, the third one Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, gains more popularity.
That’s the reason why we have offered all those methods that can resolve the Witcher 3 Won’t Launch issue. Other than the above ones, if you have fixed it with your own hack, then share it with us.
Didn’t you understand any step or method given in this post? Then leave a message in the comment box. We will reach you within no time and helps in executing the steps easily.
