Monster Hunter: World is a highly-rated Windows game for which players have reported startup issues on Reddit, Steam, and elsewhere. One MHW player’s Reddit post says: “Earlier today I was able to play MHW perfectly fine. A few hours later, whenever I try to launch the game, there is just a black screen, and nothing comes up.” Many players have reported MHW opening with a black screen or crashing at startup after updates. This is how you can fix Monster Hunter: World not launching on a Windows PC.
Verify the Monster Hunter Game Files
First, try repairing files for the Monster Hunter: World game, which is a quick and easy possible resolution to apply. Steam has a game troubleshooting option that scans for and repairs corrupted game files. This Steam webpage tells you how players can select that Verify option for games.
The Verify integrity of game files option in Steam
Set Borderless Screen Mode for Monster Hunter: World
Many players confirm setting a borderless screen mode for Monster Hunter can fix that game’s black screen startup crashing. You can change that setting via the game’s graphics_option file as follows.
- Activate the Explorer file manager by clicking on the pinned taskbar shortcut and opening the Monster Hunter: World installation folder.
- Right-click the graphics_option file and select Notepad on the Open with submenu.
- Change the screenmode setting in the graphics_option file to ScreenMode=Borderless if it’s set to ScreenMode=Fullscreen.
The ScreenMode=Borderless setting
- Click on the File menu at the top-left corner of Notepad to select Save.
Set Steam to Run in Compatibility Mode With Admin Rights
A few players have said they were able to fix Monster Hunter: World not launching by configuring Steam to run in compatibility mode with admin rights. Capcom also recommends players set Steam to run in admin mode to fix startup issues. This is how you can set those compatibility options for Steam.
- Right-click on your desktop shortcut to open Steam to select Properties.
- Select Compatibility to view the required configuration settings.
- Next, click the checkbox labelled Run this program in compatibility mode and select the Windows 8 platform within that setting’s drop-down menu.
- Select the box for the Run this program as an administrator option.
The Run this program as an administrator option
- To save all those Steam compatibility settings, click on the Apply and OK buttons.
Disable Third-Party Antivirus Software
MHW players confirm disabling third-party antivirus software can fix Monster Hunter: World not launching. Avast Antivirus is the third-party security app most players say they’ve needed to disable to kick-start MHW. If you have Avast or any other security software installed, try disabling its antivirus shield before starting Monster Hunter. To do this, open the context menu for your antivirus tool by right-clicking on its system tray icon; and select a turn-off or disable shield setting.
Disable options for Avast Antivirus
Should this potential solution fix Monster Hunter: World not launching, consider adding MHW to the antivirus tool’s exclusion list (whitelist). All security apps have whitelists you can add programs to exclude from their antivirus shields. Select to add the Monster Hunter: World installation folder to the exclusion list.
Delete Stracker’s Loader Files
Stracker’s Loader is a modding tool required for many MHW mods. That modding tool can cause Monster Hunter: World startup issues to arise after game updates, for which Stracker’s Loader needs updating. MHW Players confirm deleting three Stracker files from the game’s folder can fix Honster Hunter: World not launching. You can delete those three files like this.
- Go into the Explorer app and navigate to the MHW installation folder at this default path: Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Monster Hunter World.
- Press Ctrl to select the loader-config.json, loader.dll, and dtdata.dll Stracker files in that folder.
- Click Explorer’s Delete button within its Home tab or on the command bar.
Update the Graphics Driver on Your PC
Capcom confirms old, outmoded graphical drivers can cause Monster Hunter: World startup issues. For that reason, the game’s developer recommends players update graphics drivers to troubleshoot MHW technical issues. This is how you can update the driver for a Windows desktop’s or laptop’s graphics card.
- Open Run (press the Windows logo + R hotkey), enter dxdiag and click OK to start DirectX Diagnostic Tool. There you can see what graphics card your PC has by clicking Display.
- Next, start the Edge browser pre-installed with Windows 11/10 to open the NVIDIA or AMD page for downloading drivers.
- Select the graphics card model shown in the DirectX Diagnostic Tool and click on Submit or Search.
The NVIDIA driver download page
- Click Download to save the installer file for your graphics card’s driver.
The Download option for a NVIDIA driver
- Next, utilize the Ctrl + J Edge hotkey to view files downloaded with that browser.
- Click the driver installer package within the file download list.
- Go through the steps in the NVIDIA/AMD driver setup window to select an install option.
Reinstall Steam
A few players say reinstalling Steam fixed Monster Hunter: World not starting on their PCs. So, try that if other potential resolutions don’t work. However, note this will also remove games installed with Steam. Follow the guidelines on this Steam support page to reinstall that gaming client and preserve your installed games.
The Programs and Features Control Panel applet
Other Possible Ways to Fix Monster Hunter: World Not Launching
More troubleshooting methods can feasibly fix Monster Hunter: World not launching beyond those covered above. Try applying these extra potential fixes:
- Set Monster Hunter: World to run with admin rights.
- Reinstall your Monster Hunter: World game.
- Set a high-performance power plan for your Windows PC via the Control Panel. Also, set the global Power Management Mode setting in the NVIDIA Control Panel to Prefer Maximum Performance.
- Erase temporary file data in the Temp folder.
The resolutions covered in this guide are among the most widely confirmed ways to fix Monster Hunter: World not launching on Windows PCs. So, applying them will probably fix MHW not starting on most players’ PCs. However, I don’t promise guaranteed solutions, and you can submit a support ticket for MHW gaming issues from this Capcom page if more possible fixes are needed.
