7 Ways to Fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Not Launching on a Windows PC

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 has only been out since September 2024, but many players have already reported startup issues for that game on Steam, Reddit, and elsewhere. One Reddit poster said this: “Space Marine 2 on Steam won’t launch. It used to work just fine but now it doesn’t. When I hit play it just goes to stop and then right back to play.” Other players have reported black screen startup issues for Space Marine 2. These are some good ways to fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching on a Windows PC.

Verify the Space Marine 2 Game Files

Verifying (repairing) game files is quite a generic troubleshooting method for fixing many gaming issues. However, players have also confirmed they’ve fixed Space Marine 2 not launching by verifying its files. These Steam support and Epic help pages about verifying game files provide instructions for how to apply this potential solution.

The Verify integrity of game files

Set a DirectX Launch Option for the Game

Setting DirectX launch options is a confirmed way to fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching. Players who confirm this works have set a -d3d11 launch option for Space Marine 2. This is how you can set that launch option via Steam and Epic Games.

Steam

1. Bring up the window for the Steam gaming client.
2. Right-click your Space Marine 2 game in the sidebar and select Properties.
3. Input -d3d11 in the Launch Options box on the General tab. You can also try a -dx11 launch parameter.

The Launch Options box in Steam

Epic Games

1. Start Epic Games Launcher.
2. Click the round user button and select Settings.
3. Click Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 to expand that game.
4. Select the box with the Additional Command Line Arguments label.
   
   

   The Additional Command Line Arguments box

5. Input -d3d11 inside the text box.

If the DirectX 11 launch parameter does not work, try setting Space Marine 2 to start with DirectX 12. You can do that by inputting -dx12 inside the launch text box for Space Marine 2 within Steam or Epic Games.

End Epic Processes (Steam Fix)

If you’re a Steam user with Epic installed, try closing all Epic-related processes before starting Space Marine 2. Players have said that ending the Epic Online Services User Helper can fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching. You can end Epic processes via Task Manager like this.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to access the window for Task Manager.
2. Click on Processes to view that tab.
3. Right-click Epic Online Services User Helper and click End task.
   
   

   The End task option

4. Select to terminate any other Epic-related processes shown in the Processes tab.

Try Starting Space Marine 2 From its Installation Folder

Press the Windows key + E and open the Space Marine 2 game installation folder. If you’re a Steam user, the default installation path for that directory will be Program Files > Steam > steamapps > common > Space Marine 2.

1. Double-click the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 file to start the game.
2. If the game still doesn’t start, try double-clicking the start_protected_game file.
   
   

   The Space Marine 2 folder

3. If double-clicking the start_protected_game file doesn’t work, open the clientpc > root > bin > PC subfolder from the Space Marine 2 directory.
   
   

   The pc subfolder

4. Double-click the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Retail file.

Set Space Marine 2 to Run in Compatibility Mode

Some players have been able to fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching by setting that game to run in compatibility mode or with admin rights. These are two possible fixes you can apply from the same Compatibility tab. This is how you set Space Marine 2 to run in compatibility mode with elevated privileges.

1. Navigate to the Space Marine 2 game folder in File Explorer.
2. Next, right-click the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 folder to select Properties and Compatibility.
3. Click Run this program as an administrator to select that setting’s checkbox.
4. Select Run this program in compatibility mode option and select Windows 7 inside the drop-down menu for that setting.
5. Press Apply to save all selected options.
6. Click OK to close out of the Compatibility tab.
   
   

   The Compatibility tab

7. Repeat steps two to six for the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 – Retail file inside the Space Marine 2 > clientpc > root > bin > PC subfolder.

Add Space Marine 2 to Antivirus Exclusion Lists

Other players have managed to fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching by adding the game to their antivirus apps’ exclusion lists. For example, Bitdefender is one third-party antivirus tool SM2 players confirm they need to set a game exception for. So, try adding the Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 game file to the exclusion list for any third-party antivirus installed on your PC. Alternatively, it might be better to add the whole game folder to your security app’s exceptions list.

The Add an exclusion button in Windows Security

If there isn’t a third-party antivirus app on your PC, try applying this potential fix for Windows Security (Microsoft Defender). This Microsoft page tells you how users can set up software exclusions in Windows Security. Go through the Windows 11/10 steps there to add the Space Marine 2 game file or its entire folder to Windows Security.

Disable Overlay Features and Apps

The Focus Entertainment support service confirms overlay apps and features can cause Space Marine 2 black screen startup issues. To be more specific, software with overlay features like RivaTuner, GeForce Experience, and MSI Afterburner can cause issues. Note that RivaTuner integrates with MSI Afterburner and other overclocking apps. So, disable or close any such overlay features or apps on your PC before starting Space Marine 2.

The In-Game Overlay option

Other Possible Ways to Fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 Not Launching

The potential solutions above are only some of the possible ways you can fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching on Windows PCs. If Space Marine 2 still doesn’t start, try fixing the game with these extra troubleshooting methods:

• Select to run Space Marine 2 on a dedicated, high-performance graphics card if your PC has two GPUs.
• Reinstall the Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2 game (if possible to an alternative SSD drive).
• Download the latest 64 and 32-bit Visual Studio 2015-2022 packages from this Microsoft site page. Then run the downloaded files and select to install (or repair) Visual C++ runtime libraries.
• Update your graphics adapter’s driver.
• Run a System File Checker tool via the Command Prompt by executing the sfc /scannow command.
• Try applying a clean boot to disable non-essential startup items and services.

The troubleshooting methods covered here will likely fix Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 not launching on many players’ Windows PCs. We don’t promise guaranteed solutions for all, but there’s quite a good chance one of the above fixes will kick-start Space Marine 2 on your Windows PC. If you need more potential fixes for that game not starting, try contacting the Focus Entertainment support service from this page.