The issue with Sea of Thieves won’t launch, black screen or stuck in the splash screen on Steam could be caused by several things, including corrupted game files, hardware problems, or outdated graphics drivers, to name a few. To fix this, you’ll need to use several troubleshooting steps.

Sea of Thieves is a first-person action-adventure game presently available on Steam and Windows Store or Microsoft store, created by Rare and distributed by Microsoft Studios. In the game, players sail around an open environment aboard a pirate ship. The game is described as a “shared-world adventure game,” which means that players will see one other frequently throughout their journeys, making alliances and even going head-to-head. The player assumes the character of a pirate on a quest to become the ultimate pirate legend by completing trips for various trading companies. Players must attain level 50 with at least three of the trading firms to become a Pirate Legend.

When you play Sea of thieves won’t launch on Steam? Here’s how to fix it

When you play Sea of Thieves, one of the issues you could run into is the game not launching. Windows PC players can try clicking the game’s shortcut on their desktop or via the Steam Launcher, but no response will be seen.

This is what you’ll need to do to make the game work.

Fix #1 Check Sea of Thieves minimum system requirements

The first thing you should do in this issue is make sure your computer meets the system requirement for Sea of Thieves. You need at least the minimum system requirements to be able to launch the game properly.

Minimum requirements

OS: Windows 10

Processor: Intel Q9450 @ 2.6GHz or AMD Phenom II X6 @ 3.3 GHz

Memory: 4 GB RAM

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 650 or AMD Radeon 7750

DirectX: Version 11

Storage: 50 GB available space

Recommended requirements

OS: Windows 10

Processor: Intel i5 4690 @ 3.5GHz or AMD FX-8150 @ 3.6 GHz

Memory: 8 GB RAM

Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 or AMD Radeon R9 380x

DirectX: Version 11

Storage: 50 GB available space

Fix #2 Check antivirus software

Antivirus software can block the game from opening in some cases. Turn off your antivirus software’s real-time protection feature for a while to check if this is the source Sea of Thieves not launching issue.

If Sea of Thieves will launch with your antivirus turned off, you’ll need to add Sea of Thieves to the antivirus’s exception list.

• Step 1: Click the Start Menu button.
• Step 2: Click Settings.
• Step 3: Click Update & Security.
• Step 4: Click Window Security.
• Step 5: Click Virus & threat protection.
• Step 6: Click Manage settings.
• Step 7: Click Add or remove exclusions.
• Step 8: Click Add an exclusion.
• Step 9: Click Folder.
• Step 10: Locate and select the game folder.

Try to run Sea of thieves if this will fix the issue.

Fix #3 Check Windows defender firewall

If your computer’s firewall software prevents Sea of Thieves from starting, the game will not launch. Turn off your firewall for a few minutes to see if the problem goes away. If this solves the Sea of Thieves not launching problem, add the game to the exceptions list.

• Step 1: Type Windows Firewall in the search bar on your desktop and then click the icon that appears in the results.
• Step 2: Choose Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
• Step 3: Scroll down until you find Sea of Thieves, then check all boxes.
• Step 4: Click the OK button.

Try to run Sea of thieves after you have added the game to the exception list.

Fix #4 Update Windows Operating System

Updating your Windows Operating System is always a good idea. The most recent updates include several performance improvements, bug fixes, and increased security measures, which should improve your gameplay experience and resolve the Sea of Thieves not launching issue.

• Step 1: Right click the Start button.
• Step 2: Select Settings. This will open Windows settings.
• Step 3: Select Windows Update found on the bottom left menu of the new windows that appears which will take you to the Windows Update tab section.
• Step 4: Select Check for updates.

After you have the latest versions of Windows updates, try to check the if it will launch.

Fix #5 Update graphics drivers

One of the reasons why playing games such as Sea of Thieves not launching is because of an outdated graphics card driver. Ensure that your computer has the latest GPU drivers installed from the graphics card manufacturer, as this will give numerous performance enhancements as well as bug patches that will aid you in fixing the launching troubles you’re having.

• Step 1: Type Device Manager in the search bar on your desktop and then click the icon that appears in the results.
• Step 2: Click the Display adapters icon.
• Step 3: Right-click the dedicated graphics card you are using to play the game and then select Update driver.
• Step 4: Choose Search automatically for drivers.

After you have installed the latest drivers, try playing Sea of Thieves. If this does not fix the issue try the other solutions below.

Fix #6 Run as admin

Because it can’t access some Windows components, the Sea of Thieves game might not launch. To guarantee that the game has full access to the components it need, try running it with local admin account if you have multiple accounts on your computer.

• Step 1: Right-click on the Sea of Thieves exe file from its installation folder.
• Step 2: Select Properties.
• Step 3: Select the Compatibility tab.
• Step 4: Make sure to mark the Run this program as an administrator box.
• Step 5: Select Apply then Ok.

Fix #7 Verify game files

Because of corrupted or missing game files, there’s a chance the game won’t start. To fix this problem, you’ll need to utilize the advanced options of Steam client to check the integrity of the game files.

• Step 1: Open Steam client.
• Step 2: In your Steam launcher, click Library. This will open your Library page.
• Step 3: Find Sea of Thieves then right-click Sea of Thieves in your Library and select Properties. This will let you go to the General tab.
• Step 4: Choose the Local Files tab and Select the Verify integrity of game files. This will let you verify Sea of Thieves game files.

Fix #8 Disable overclocking

Overclocking your GPU, CPU, and RAM can boost performance. Overclocking hardware above the manufacturer’s recommended settings, on the other hand, can cause a variety of issues, including game start troubles. Disable overclocking tools like MSI afterburner in order for the game to run correctly and for launching issues to be resolved.

Fix #9 Reinstall the game

Consider deleting and reinstalling the game if it still won’t launch. This will wipe your game clean and replace all of the game’s files with fresh ones.

Uninstalling

• Step 1: Open the launcher.
• Step 2: Go to the library tab.
• Step 3: Right-click on Sea of Thieves then click on manage then uninstall.
• Step 4: Select uninstall again to uninstall the game.

Installing

• Step 1: Open the launcher.
• Step 2: Go to the Library tab.
• Step 3: Right-click on the game then click on install.
• Step 4: Click next to proceed with the installation.

Check to see whether the game’s issues have been resolved.

These are the most effective fixes for the cases reported with won’t launch issues you’re having with Sea of Thieves.