Crash on Startup

[Waheed]

Every time i launch the game it crashes to desktop at the loading screen. even on the Beta JustInCaseWeNeedIt. i am not sure why it crashes even tho i have no CDLC installed.

[cessna734rk]

Same here. no CDLC, JustInCaseWeNeedit installed. opens up a white box then crashes back to steam.

[Waheed]

Originally posted by cessna734rk:

Same here. no CDLC, JustInCaseWeNeedit installed. opens up a white box then crashes back to steam.

yeah it's ridiculous how ubisoft is trying to force people to subscribe to RS+ by disabling a game we literally paid money for. (including multiple DLCs. and they wonder why people pirate their games

[Grandpa Abe]

Same issue here and I've tried everything. If what you're saying about forcing us to move to RS+ then f@#k Bugisoft. I've spent some cash buying the game and some DLCs, we should be able to play forever. Moreover, the RS+ says "not available for your country" so it's useless for me anyway

[Cannabis Crow]

Same here. White box then closes

[Waheed]

Ubisoft need to figure their sh*t out. this will make me just pirate it.

[Spawn]

Same here. Good thing I speed money in the Game and 40+ DLC song and now I can play it.

[Glorp]

was also having this issue, found this video and now it works perfectly again
https://youtu.be/7sh2p-0SrrE

[TheN8IV]

Originally posted by Ommi:

was also having this issue, found this video and now it works perfectly again
https://youtu.be/7sh2p-0SrrE

I checked my folder and there is no D3DX file....

[Lasagna_Cat]

Originally posted by Waheed:

Ubisoft need to figure their sh*t out. this will make me just pirate it.

Same, every couple months I swear it's a new issue with this game

[GuinUK]

Is this fix still working? Didn't for me and wondered if I had done something wrong.

[MellOH!]

Try out JustInCaseWeNeedit, if you have that already and it still doesn't work exit steam from task manager. go into the steam.exe properties, go to compatibility mode run as admin.
Also if you have an oculus (meta) device i.e. a quest connected it can crash the game there is a fix on RSMods for it though hope this helps. just changing my steam privileges to admin made it work for me

[IncredibleGamingYT]

Just bought this game 30 min ago and it wont even start up

[Eagles Fly]

Not sure if this is related at all...
When I try to start RS2014 from my start menu shortcut, it hangs on the white screen with the "R" in the lower right corner, every time.
Tried launching it from within my Steam library and it loaded with no problems. Not sure what the issue is, doesn't make sense.

[arf_me]

Originally posted by GuinUK:

Is this fix still working? Didn't for me and wondered if I had done something wrong.

**Title: [FIXED] Rocksmith 2014 Remastered - Steam Not Running, DLC Missing, Crashing at Launch, and Scaling Issues on High-Core CPUs (i9-13980HX)**
**Title: [FIXED] Rocksmith 2014 Remastered - Steam Not Running, DLC Missing, Crashing at Launch, and Scaling Issues on High-Core CPUs (i9-13980HX)**

---

### The Initial Problem:

Rocksmith 2014 Remastered would crash immediately before launching on my laptop with an Intel Core i9-13980HX. As a workaround, I tried installing the CDLC mod. That allowed the game to open **without needing to limit the CPU cores**, but it completely broke the connection to Steam.

I started getting a popup that said:

> **Rocksmith 2014 Edition - Remastered is attempting to launch with optional parameters shown below:**
> `-uplay_steam_mode`
> *If you did not request this launch or do not understand these options, select Cancel.*

I also got an error saying: "Please make sure Steam is running to launch the game." I couldn't access the in-game store, my DLC and cloud saves vanished, and the Steam overlay wouldn't work.

After digging deeper, I discovered a combination of issues causing this and finally fixed them without reinstalling Windows. This guide walks you through the solution step by step.

---

**System Context:**
- CPU: Intel Core i9-13980HX (24 cores / 32 threads)
- OS: Windows 11

---

### STEP 1: Limit CPU Threads to Prevent the Game From Crashing

Rocksmith crashes on launch if your system has more than 31 logical processors — **unless** you’re using CDLC (which I do not recommend).

#### Option A: Task Manager Method
1. Launch Steam
2. Open **Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)**
3. Go to the **Details tab**
4. Right-click `Steam.exe` > **Set Affinity**
5. Uncheck **CPU 31** (leave CPUs 0–30 checked)
6. Launch Rocksmith from within Steam

#### Option B: Batch File Method (Recommended for Repeat Use)
1. Create a `.bat` file on your desktop with the following content:
```batch
start "" /affinity 7FFFFFFF "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steam.exe"
```
2. Use this file to launch Steam before playing Rocksmith.

---

### STEP 2: Fix the Hypercropped Display (Zoomed-In UI)

If Rocksmith is launching zoomed in or with only part of the UI visible, fix it by changing DPI scaling settings:

1. Navigate to:
```
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Rocksmith2014\Rocksmith2014.exe
```
2. Right-click > **Properties**
3. Go to the **Compatibility** tab > click **Change high DPI settings**
4. Check:
- "Override high DPI scaling behavior"
- Set scaling to **Application**
5. Click OK and Apply

---

### STEP 3: Delete Residual Registry Entries (Critical Fix)

Even after uninstalling Rocksmith and Steam, **registry keys can remain** that cause Steam to launch the game in a broken state. This is what causes the `-uplay_steam_mode` popup, the "Steam must be running" error, lack of Steam overlay, and DLC/store/cloud issues.

#### Here's how to remove all Rocksmith-related registry entries:
1. Press `Windows + R`, type `regedit`, then press Enter
2. Press `Ctrl + F` and search for the following terms one by one:
- `Rocksmith`
- `Rocksmith2014`
- `221680` (Rocksmith's Steam AppID)
3. For each result found:
- **Right-click the key or folder on the left side and delete it**
- Press **F3** to continue searching until no results remain
4. **DO NOT delete anything referring to your Real Tone Cable or USB audio devices**
5. After cleaning all entries, **reboot your computer**

---

### STEP 4: Reinstall Rocksmith Clean

Now that your system is clean of old registry entries:

1. Reinstall Rocksmith from Steam
2. Launch Steam using your batch file or CPU affinity workaround
3. Launch Rocksmith directly from your Steam Library (not a shortcut or mod launcher)

---

### STEP 5: Final Check

Once in-game, confirm:
- ✅ No popup showing `-uplay_steam_mode`
- ✅ No "Please make sure Steam is running" error
- ✅ Steam overlay works (`Shift + Tab`)
- ✅ DLC and store content loads
- ✅ Cloud saves sync
- ✅ No crash at launch

---

### A Note on Mods:

While installing CDLC allowed the game to open without limiting CPU threads, it also completely **broke the connection to Steam** — removing access to DLC, store, cloud saves, and overlay. I do **not** recommend using CDLC or mods until the base game is fully working and stable.

---

### You're Done.

After cleaning the registry, limiting CPU threads, and setting DPI scaling correctly, Rocksmith should launch and run without issues.

Hope this saves someone else hours (or days) of frustration.

-Arf

Helpful discussions for my journey:

https://steamcommunity.com/app/221680/discussions/0/3758850346176960438/

steam://openurl/https://steamcommunity.com/app/221680/discussions/1/2798376099466185226/?ctp=8

[toymachinesh]

the registry clean one is interesting, good find