FM2020 Not Working. Will not start.

[PurpleDaddy13]

I've been playing FM2020 regularly, without issue, until yesterday, when suddenly the game crashed. Completely closed.

I tried to start the game again, it at gets stuck on same screen as the "cover" of the game. Will not progress from there. I tried validating the integrity of the files. Did not change

I have UNINSTALLED the game, downloaded, and reinstalled the game. EXACT SAME ISSUE! Game keeps stalling at the same point. Will not load!

How can I fix this issue? If the game will not load even after UNINSTALLING, redownloading, and reinstalling, something is wrong with the game and download.

[John Wood]

Hi PurpleDaddy13, could you please delete your cache and preferences folder as per the instructions in this guide:

https://community.sigames.com/faq/football-manager-2020/238_how-to/241_pc/how-to-delete-my-preferences-andor-caches-folder-r841/

And if that doesn't work please contact support here:

https://support.sega.co.uk/hc/en-gb/requests/new

[PurpleDaddy13]

Sorry, that does not work. The problem lies with Steam or FM2020. I spent a week exchanging emails with SEGA tech support trying to get the issue resolved the last time. Once got FM 20 running again, it worked a a few days, then crashed again. Another week of email exchanges to get the issue resolved, only to have tech support claiming need to re-install Windows - which is completely bogus.

Do you realize that FM17 still works. No issues. Every other software product on my laptop works! IT IS JUST FM20 that crashes.

I purchased FM20 about a year ago, and never had an issue until August - when FM20 updated, Steam updated, and my nVidea graphics card driver updated. Ever since the updates, FM20 will crash and not open.

Even last night, after getting it to work again, played for a while, saved the game, closed the game. Today, when I try to open the game - the game won't start!!
The issue is 100% Steam/FM20 - and tech support does nothing to resolve the issue!

[Neil Brock]

Originally posted by PurpleDaddy13:

Sorry, that does not work. The problem lies with Steam or FM2020. I spent a week exchanging emails with SEGA tech support trying to get the issue resolved the last time. Once got FM 20 running again, it worked a a few days, then crashed again. Another week of email exchanges to get the issue resolved, only to have tech support claiming need to re-install Windows - which is completely bogus.

Do you realize that FM17 still works. No issues. Every other software product on my laptop works! IT IS JUST FM20 that crashes.

I purchased FM20 about a year ago, and never had an issue until August - when FM20 updated, Steam updated, and my nVidea graphics card driver updated. Ever since the updates, FM20 will crash and not open.

Even last night, after getting it to work again, played for a while, saved the game, closed the game. Today, when I try to open the game - the game won't start!!
The issue is 100% Steam/FM20 - and tech support does nothing to resolve the issue!

Do you get any kind of error message when the game first launches and crashes? If so, what does it say?

Are you trying to run any custom graphics/skins or any other add-ons with the game? Your save games, what folder location are they on your system? By default it should be - C:\Users\YOUR USERNAME\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2020\games

Let us know, thanks.

[PurpleDaddy13]

No, No, and No.... NO ERROR MESSAGES. NO CUSTOM SKINS OR GRAPHICS. GAME SAVE SAVES ARE THE STEAM DEFAULT LOCATION - WHICH CREATES PROBLEMS BECAUSE EVEN SEGA TECH SUPPORT WAS CLUELESS AS TO WHERE THE FILES ARE SAVED!

Case in point - played FM20 yesterday. When finished, saved game properly, exit the game, turn off my computer. Today, when I tried to load FM20 - GAME WOULD NOT LOAD!!!!!

NEVER AN ERROR MESSAGE. ALWAYS FREEZES AT THE SAME POINT ON THE LOADING SCREEN (Game cover shot of players walking off field with trophy). Have to use Task Manager to close the game, as it just remains stuck at that loading screen.

Every time this happens, I have to do the same damn thing - copy all the FM20 folders to a temporary folder, start the game, go through the CREATE NEW GAME PROCESS, select a new team, etc. Save the new FAKE game. Exit out of FM20. Then copy back of the FM20 folders back into FM20, transferring all the files except for 5 new files that were created by the new start. The I can start FM20 again, play the game. But after saving and closing the game, it's a 50-50 chance whether or not the game will open the next time I try to play the game.

These issues started in August - around the same time that Steam, FM20, and my NVidia graphics card all updated at the same time. Before that, never had a problem with FM20.

Considering that I don't have any issues with any other software, and that I still have FM17 on the same computer, and that works fine - the issue is 100% FM20!



Oh, and one more point. FM20 LOST my most recent save. The save I had played for the past few days - and had been able to save, and reopen, is now GONE!! Searched File Explorer. File doesn't exist anymore.
The last save found is from Sep 19, 2020. However, the new game file had been saved on 9/20, 9/21, 9/22, and 9/23 - each time it saved, and was able to open the next day.
Why would the save file DISAPPEAR? Whatever Steam/FM20 did with their "update" has completely ruined the game!

[PurpleDaddy13]

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! No one in tech support (Steam, SEGA) can resolve the problem. I have sent everything requested, and still it is always the same, stupid responses :"Did you do x, y, z" as if Tech Support people are absolutely clueless, and can only read off a script.



Ever day, I have to do the same stupid thing in order to play:
1. Go the the Football Manager 2020 folder, then copy all the sub-folders to a temporary folder.
2. Make sure that the Football Manager 2020 folder is now empty.
3. Start Football Manager 2020, create a new game.
4. Save new game as (DELETE THIS to remember the game save file to delete.
5. Go to Temporary Folder and copy all the sub-folders and pas them back into into Football Manager 2020.
6. When copying the files back into the Football Manager 2020 Folder, there are ALWAYS 5 conflicts. Have to keep the NEW versions of these files:
-------- config.xml (4 different versions of the same file name, each with a different file size)
-------- example.lft
7. Once the above mentioned files are kept, then I can start the game again, load my save, and play the game.
8. When finished playing, save the gave file, properly exit out of the game.

However, EVERY TIME that I go to play the game again, I have to go through that asinine process again!!!
This should not happen. It only started in August, and ever since the first time, it has been a constant issue.

[Penqvino]

Originally posted by PurpleDaddy13:

No, No, and No.... NO ERROR MESSAGES. NO CUSTOM SKINS OR GRAPHICS. GAME SAVE SAVES ARE THE STEAM DEFAULT LOCATION - WHICH CREATES PROBLEMS BECAUSE EVEN SEGA TECH SUPPORT WAS CLUELESS AS TO WHERE THE FILES ARE SAVED!

Do you have Onedrive installed? LIke, your own documents and files are located inside a "onedrive"-folder?

Did the support got your logfiles from the crashed sessions?

[PurpleDaddy13]

Originally posted by Penqvino:

Do you have Onedrive installed? LIke, your own documents and files are located inside a "onedrive"-folder?

Did the support got your logfiles from the crashed sessions?

I avoid OneDrive as much as possible, with everything.

SEGA tech support did ask for the log files - which is interesting, as I doubt they ever used/read the files, because their "advice" demonstrated that that they didn't use the lofiles. Worse, they didn't seen to understand how Steam installs software.


This were so much better when you could just go to a a store, buy a game, install the game via disks to your computer, and play the game...... STEAM ruined everything. Even when you buy a game - with disks - you still have to download the game from Steam. Absolutely STUPID!! Plus the way Steam installs games, causes problems.

[Sackis28]

My friend I had the same problem for 10 days. I finally made it work when i put an advanced threat exception on bitdefender for the game. Try it in your antivirus.