How to Troubleshoot and Fix the Black Screen Issue in Palworld

The black screen issue in Palworld is primarily caused by incompatibility with DLSS, which may not be supported by your graphics card. While this is a common cause, other factors—such as outdated or corrupted GPU drivers, misconfigured compatibility settings, corrupted cache data, and account issues—also contribute. These are the leading causes identified by several affected users.

Having discussed the causes, let’s move on to the solutions. It’s highly recommended that you restart your computer first, as this simple action can sometimes resolve issues without additional system changes.

Additionally, ensure that your system meets the minimum game requirements, as failing to do so can lead to black screen issues.

1. Add -ngxdisableota to the Palworld Launch Options

The command -ngxdisableota in the launch options prevents Palworld from attempting to load the Unreal Engine 5 DLSS plugin, which is unsupported by graphics cards predating the RTX series. This unsupported feature could be the cause of your black screen issue.

1.1 Steam Users

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on Palworld and select Properties.
   
3. Enter -ngxdisableota in the launch options field.
   
4. Launch Palworld to see if the issue has been resolved.

1.2 Non-Steam Users

1. Right-click on the Palworld shortcut and select Properties. If you lack a shortcut, navigate to the game’s installation directory and create one while holding the shift key.
   
2. Append -ngxdisableota to the end of the file path in the Target field.
3. Click Apply, then OK to save changes.
4. Launch Palworld using the shortcut to check if the black screen issue has been resolved.

2. Configure Compatibility Settings

Incompatible default settings may cause games to crash or display a black screen. We suggest configuring compatibility settings, such as disabling full-screen optimization and running the program as an administrator, which may prevent these issues.

Compatibility settings offer various options, including the ability to run older programs on the latest Windows version by emulating an older system’s configuration.

1. Right-click on Palworld on your desktop, or navigate to the game’s directory through File Explorer.
2. Choose Properties and go to the Compatibility tab.
   
3. Here, select Disable fullscreen optimizations and Run this program as an administrator.
4. Click Apply, then OK to save the new settings.
   
5. Start Palworld to test if the issue remains. If it does, revisit the Compatibility settings, activate Run this program in compatibility mode, and select Windows 8 from the dropdown menu.

3. Roll Back to the Old GPU Driver

Rolling back to a previous GPU driver can help determine if the current driver is causing problems. Some users found that by either rolling back or updating their GPU driver, they were able to resolve the issue.

1. Right-click on the Start Menu and choose Device Manager.
   
2. In Device Manager, look for Display Adapters and locate your GPU driver.
3. Right-click on the GPU driver and select Properties.
4. Switch to the Driver tab and click on Roll Back Driver. If the option is grayed out, download an older GPU driver from the manufacturer’s website.
   

4. Delete XblGrts|DeviceKey from the Windows Credentials Manager

Deleting the XblGrts|DeviceKey from the Windows Credentials Manager has reportedly fixed the black screen issue for some users. This suggests that an Xbox account problem can also lead to the black screen in Palworld.

1. Press the Win key to open the Start Menu.
2. Type Credential Manager and select it.
   
3. Click on Windows Credentials.
4. Find XblGrts|DeviceKey under Generic Credentials.
5. Click the dropdown next to it and select Remove, then click Yes to confirm.
   
6. Try running Palworld again to see if the problem has been fixed.

5. Update the GPU Driver

It is always advised to keep the GPU driver updated, especially if experiencing black screen issues. Outdated or corrupt drivers can be the root cause. Make sure to check for any pending updates for your GPU driver and install them accordingly.

1. Launch the GPU vendor application (such as GeForce Experience or AMD Radeon Software).
2. Head over to the Drivers section and select Check For Updates.
3. If updates are available, download and install them.
   
4. Restart your computer after the updates and check if the problem is resolved.

6. Delete the Win64 Folder from the Palworld Directory

It’s safe to delete the Win64 folder when facing issues with an application or game; the folder will be recreated upon launching Palworld. This action may resolve black screen issues caused by corruption in the Win64 folder.

1. Press Win + E to open File Explorer.
2. Go to the game’s installation folder.
3. Navigate to Pal > Binaries and delete the Win64 folder.
   
4. Restart Palworld to see if the black screen issue has been resolved.

7. Verify the Game Files

Corrupted game files could be behind persistent black screen issues. If the problem is still ongoing, some of the game files might be corrupted.

7.1 Steam

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on Palworld and select Properties.
   
3. Choose Local Files from the left panel.
4. Select Verify integrity of game files.
   
5. After the verification process is complete, start Palworld to check for the issue.

7.2 Xbox

1. Launch the Xbox app.
2. Right-click on Palworld and select Manage.
   
3. Click on Files and then Verify and Repair.
   
4. Confirm by clicking Yes.
5. After the process is completed, try running Palworld again.

If none of these solutions work for you, consider reinstalling the entire game to rule out any issues caused by corrupted files.