How to Fix Fallout 4 Won't Start | Proven Techniques [2024]

Fallout is a series of action-adventure game that you regularly play and enjoys on your computer.

But you notice when you click on the Fallout 4 game icon to launch or start the game, the game does not start properly.

Don’t worry. You are not alone who is sailing in the same boat.

If you are looking for solutions to solve your Fallout 4 game issue, you are in the right place.

As a gaming enthusiast and specialist, I will show you some of the best proven and practical strategies to solve the Fallout 4 issue on your Windows PC.

Don’t miss any part and precisely follow the tutorial.

So, let’s dive deep to know what solutions you have to solve your Fallout 4 issue.

Reason for the Fallout 4 won’t Start

After analyzing the problem, I will find some possible reasons for Fallout 4 launching or starting problems on Windows computers.

This section will discuss these possible reasons to know more about the Fallout 4 launching issue on your Windows computer.

Here are the possible reasons the Fallout 4 won’t start:

Corrupted Game Files

One of the most common causes of Fallout launching troubles in Windows 11 or 10 is corrupted game files. Your game may become conflicting if the game files become corrupted.

You’ll need to repair or reinstall your game to fix the Fallout starting problem on your Windows 11 or 10 PC.

Also, check out our separate post on how to fix Valorant freezing and crashing.

Outdated GPU Drivers

Fallout not starting on a Windows machine is most commonly due to outdated GPU drivers. It’s possible that if you don’t keep your driver up to date, Fallout won’t launch on your Windows 11 or 10 computer.

So, to avoid Fallout not opening issues on your Windows 11 or 10 computer device, make sure your driver is always up to date.

Conflict Antivirus Applications

Antivirus software is another reason. Many antivirus programs might cause problems when they conflict with other applications or programs.

Some third-party antivirus systems have been found to interfere with the Fallout games, resulting in a launching problem.

In this case, you can fix the issue by disabling or removing third-party antivirus software.

Incompatibility Issues

Incompatibility issue is another most common reason for Fallout 4 launching problem. Every game needs minimum hardware requirements to play the game on a PC.

If your PC doesn’t meet the minimum hardware requirements, you can not launch or start playing the game.

So, to solve the problem, you need to upgrade your PC hardware to launch and start the game smoothly on your computer.

Admin Privileges

The Fallout 4 game launching error may appear on your computer if you do not have administrator access on your device. Some games require administrator access to work effectively.

So, start your game with admin privileges to start your game ideally and prevent the Fallout 4 launching error.

How to Fix Fallout 4 won’t Start

The Fallout 4 not launching or starting issue is common for Windows Fallout 4 gamers.

Many Fallout 4 gamers repeatedly reported that they face the launching or starting error when they try to start or launch the game on their Windows 11 or 10 computer.

You’re concerned and annoyed by the issue because no one enjoys being stopped in this way, right?

In the previous section, you’ve seen the possible reasons for the Fallout 4 not launching or starting issues on your Windows computer so far. This section will show you several tested and proven solutions to solve the problem.

Let’s dive right in to know the solutions to resolve your issue.

Also, check out my complete minecraft biomes list to explore the unknown.

Here are the steps to fix the Fallout 4 won’t start:

1. Restart your Game

If you fail to launch or start the Fallout 4 game on your Windows 11 or 10 computer, you can restart your game to solve the problems.

To do this, first, you need to exit the Fallout 4 game and Steam Client application entirely from the Task Manager and then relaunch the game.

Here are the steps to restart your game:

• Close the Fallout 4 game and Steam Client
• Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
• Click on the More details button to expand the Task Manager window if the Task Manager window is not expanded already.
• Find Fallout 4 game and Steam Client application under the Processes
• Select Fallout 4 game and Steam Client application one by one.
• Right-click on it to open the context
• Select End task to exit the selected program completely.
• Run your game and Steam Client application with administrative privileges.
• Check to see whether your problem is solved or not. If not, then follow the next solution.

2. Run Game in Compatibility Mode

You can try to solve your Fallout 4 launching or starting issue by running the game in Compatibility Mode.

Compatibility Mode is a feature that helps to run a program in all kinds of OS environments. For this reason, using this feature can help to solve your problem.

Here are the steps to run the game in Compatibility Mode:

• Select your Fallout 4 game icon on your desktop. Or, open your game file location and select the .exe file.
• Right-click on it and choose Properties.
• Select the Compatibility
• Check the Run this program in compatibility mode
• Select Windows 8 from the drop-down menu.
• Click on the Apply button to save the changes.
• Click on the OK
• Run your game.
• Check to see whether your problem is solved or not. If not, then follow the next solution.

3. Run Game in Windowed Borderless Mode

If your game is not open with windowed borderless mode, you may face your PC’s not starting or launching problem.

Windowed Borderless Mode on your system help to run your game smoothly and handle the game efficiently. So, you need to run or open your game with windowed borderless mode.

Here are the steps to run the game in Windowed Borderless Mode:

• Open your Steam Client application on your computer.
• Go to the Library
• Select and right-click on Fallout 4 in the list of available games.
• Choose Properties to open the game Properties window.
• Select the General
• Click on the Set Launch Options at the bottom of the window.
• Type -windowed -no border in the text field.
• Click on the OK button to save the changes.
• Relaunch your game.
• Check to see whether your problem is solved or not. If not, then follow the next solution.

4. Update GPU Drivers

When your GPU drivers are outdated, you may face Fallout 4 not starting or launching issues on your computer.

Outdated drivers can create different issues on your system, such as applications not working, not responding, not starting, etc. By updating the latest version of drivers, you can effectively solve the problem.

So, to solve the Fallout 4 not starting or launching problem, you need to always be up to date with your GPU drivers.

Here are the steps below to update your GPU drivers:

• Press Windows Key + X on your keyboard and select Device Manager from the list. Or,
• Type Device Manager on the Windows search bar and press Enter key to open the Device Manager.
• Select the Display adapters option and click on it to expand to see the drivers list.
• Select and right-click on it and choose Update Driver.
• Click on the Search automatically for drivers option to update the driver automatically.
• Wait some time to complete your driver updating process.
• Relaunch the game and check to see whether your problem is solved.

5. Uninstall Antivirus Application

Sometimes antivirus programs might cause problems when they conflict with other programs.

In this case, you need to disable or remove the third-party antivirus software to solve the issue.

Here are the steps to uninstall the antivirus application:

1. Press Windows Key + I on your keyboard to open the Windows Settings App.
2. Click on the Windows icon to open the Start menu, and then click on the Settings icon to open Windows Settings under the pinned apps.
3. Select the Apps tab from the left side panel.
4. Select the Apps & features option.
5. Find your installed antivirus application.
6. Click on the three-dot menu and choose the Uninstall button.
7. Click on the Uninstall button again.  
8. Relaunch the game and check to see whether your problem is solved.

Final Thoughts

Fallout 4 not launching or starting issues on Windows computers is familiar for the Fallout 4 gaming community.

After analyzing the problem, I discover some possible reasons for Fallout 4 launching or starting problems on Windows computers. Here I discuss these possible reasons for the Fallout 4 launching issue on your Windows PC.

Here, I also demonstrate five proven and valuable techniques to solve the Fallout 4 not launching or starting issues on your Windows computer so far.

You can successfully solve your Fallout 4 not launching or starting issues quickly by applying these proven and tested methods.

If you find a solution, please let me know which strategy worked for you.

I hope this article is beneficial for you. If you’re interested in learning more about similar topics, you can also browse other posts.