Troubleshooting and Tech Support

[SamBC]

This post will compile some common troubleshooting tips, both general ones and specific to this game. These are not official support information from 2K, though some points link to such.

UPDATE: Please note that updates, especially large ones, and new DLC, will tend to break some or all mods. If you have problems after an update, always try disabling mods. If you use a saved config when starting a new game, that will enable the mods that were enabled when it was saved. Always try starting a new game from scratch with mods disabled as a first step in troubleshooting.

2K have said the following about support:

Początkowo opublikowane przez JosephB2K:

Hey all. As a heads up, if you're having any issues with Civilization VI or run into a bug, please contact 2K Support. Although we will be monitoring our Steam and 2K Forums, and our social media accounts, the best way to get an issue resolved is to let 2K Support know.

Please contact 2K Support at the link below.

http://2kgam.es/helpme2k

Thanks again, and enjoy playing Civilization VI!

If you're having trouble sorting things out for yourself, with the advice in this post or any other, don't hesitate to contact 2K Support at http://2kgam.es/helpme2k - and also you can check whatever official advice for the game 2K Support have posted, at http://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/sections/206390527-Civilization-VI

2K Support is also, as far as I understand, the official route to log problems and bugs with 2K.

Windows needs to be up-to-date for the game to work, especially KB2919355 and KB2919442 for Windows 8 - see http://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/228886707-A-Note-For-Windows-8-Users and http://steamcommunity.com/app/289070/discussions/0/340412122406720383/

To reiterate, however, it's not just Windows 8 - please make absolutely sure that your Windows is up to date, fully up to date. If you get errors trying to update, there are helpful things about this in various places online. Your computer failing to update does not mean it is fully updated.

Alienware LightFX seems to be causing some problems, removing or renaming the DLLs from it seems to resolve problems - see user report at http://steamcommunity.com/app/289070/discussions/3/340412628172233878/

Save games don't load if the filename has had the case of the file extension changed. It must be exactly as the game saves it, and some tools (such as emailing) puts the extension in block caps. 2K Support has info on this at http://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/articles/230056647-Game-Fails-to-Load-Save-Files

If you are having problems with distorted or sped up audio, change the default quality of your output device to 48kHz.

Some nVidia users reporting problems find that they are resolved by disabling "share" in GeForce Experience (GFE). Update July 2017: problems have become more widespread in a recent update to GFE. If you experience crashing problems, and have GFE, try enabling "share" if it's disabled, and disable it if it's enabled. If the game then starts, you can try switching it back - many users report it continues to work. Some users report that doing this doesn't help, but completely removing GFE does. Update late July 2017: there are reports that updating to the latest GFE resolves this. Also that sharing is now "in-game overlay".

New video drivers from both AMD and NVidia came out for the game's first patch. Please make absolutely sure that your graphics drivers are fully up to date.

Some people report fewer problems in windowed or borderless windowed mode.

As always, it's worth trying verifying files and re-installing/repairing the redists the come with the game. To verify, right click on the game in your Steam library, select "properties", select the "local files" tab, and the bottom button should be "verify integrity of game cache". To do the redists, in the same tab, click "browse local files", and navigate to the _CommonRedist folder. Within that folder, you should find DirectX and vcredist folders. In the DirectX folder, run DXSETUP.exe; In the vcredist folder, you will find 2012 and 2015 folders. In each of those, run both the x86 and x64 installers; they may ask you to "repair or uninstall", if the redist did already install - select "repair". You may also get some meaningful error messages when trying to do this.

You may get an error message when running the game directly, rather than through the Steam client. That error should help you to find the underlying problem - try Googling. It's usually due to a failure of Windows to update properly.

There are some options set to off by default in AppOptions.txt that should help with getting data to the devs. One in particular should be helpful - "EnableBugCollection = 0"; change that to 1 and I understand it will be sending crash reports to the devs.

The Windows Defender problems seem to be resolved for most people now, but the original notes about them are below:

A lot of people seem to be having problems in the last day or so (23-24 October 2016), with failures to start or install, or long (possibly indefinite) load times. This appears to be related to Windows Defender or Microsoft Security Essentials in some way; possibly there has been an update. You can add an exclusion for Civ6 to the configuration of these tools. Instructions for doing this are at https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/instantanswers/64495205-6ddb-4da1-8534-1aeaf64c0af8/add-an-exclusion-to-windows-defender (and similar instructions should be available for different versions of Windows). You'll want to exclude the Civilization VI directory in your Steam library folder.

2016-10-26: It's been reported that Windows Defender has had updated definitions to resolve this issue, as noted below. If you can verify that your definitions are up to date, try removing any exclusion for the game and seeing if the game works fine now.

To verify which signatures are installed, open Windows Defender (or Microsoft Security Essentials) from the Start Menu, click the “Update” tab. If the “Virus definition version” is 1.231.410.0 or greater, then you already have the fix. If not, click the "Update definitions" button to grab the latest. Also note your machine will normally update 1x per day without any action, so it should be good tomorrow.

[bcursor]

Początkowo opublikowane przez GeoGem:

Początkowo opublikowane przez bcursor:

I cannot load my saved games. I cannot create new game. It stuck on loading please wait. this game is out for 6 years???

the link they have posted does not exist anymore https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/instantanswers/64495205-6ddb-4da1-8534-1aeaf64c0af8/add-an-exclusion-to-windows-defender

I have added civ6.exe, civ folder, mygames/civ folder. No luck. I have to try 4-5 times (restart steam, restart pc etc.) to load my saved game. This is frustrating

Same issue here

reinstalling the logi g-hub solved the issue for me.

[AreyUral]

No new leaders, no save, no turn off mods !
game reinstalled. subsribes reloaded/
Need help

[Johny Le Sac]

[4019679.016] [Localization]: StartupErrorMessages.xml
[4019679.016] [Localization]: Input XML does not contain database entry tags. GameData, GameInfo or Database
[4019681.949] [Localization]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019681.949] [Localization]: Passed Validation.
[4019681.972] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019681.973] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[4019682.780] [FullTextSearch]: Initializing FullTextSearch
[4019683.349] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019683.361] [Gameplay]: Passed Validation.
[4019683.894] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019683.894] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[4019684.939] [HallofFame]: Database found. Checking versions...
[4019684.941] [HallofFame]: Database is up-to-date!
[4019699.249] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[4019749.489] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019749.489] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[4019755.637] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019755.637] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[4019778.163] [Gameplay] ERROR: FOREIGN KEY constraint failed
[4019778.163] [Gameplay] ERROR: FOREIGN KEY constraint failed
[4019778.164] [Gameplay]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019778.167] [Gameplay] ERROR: Invalid Reference on CivilizationLeaders.CivilizationType - "CIVILIZATION_MONGOLIA" does not exist in Civilizations
[4019778.184] [Gameplay]: Failed Validation.
[4019780.372] [Configuration]: Validating Foreign Key Constraints...
[4019780.372] [Configuration]: Passed Validation.
[4019781.038] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context
[4019980.267] [FullTextSearch]: FTS - Creating Context

I can't load my game anymore, I always get an error loading game. I have verified my game files and I don't use any community mods.

I can play Mongolia just fine in singleplayer.

[StoryMan1]

So theres a issue with my game where once I can get in, none of the options for playing it comes up, so I cant go to settings or single player or even exit the game. Every time I try closing it my computer glitches. What gives?

[Plaidygami]

Not sure if it's just me, but most of the new leaders from the Leader Pass DLC have weird eyes. The white of their eyes is black and it looks really odd (the rest of the eye looks fine, i.e. the pupil and iris). Other leaders have normal eyes. Anyone else have this issue?

5600X, 6800XT, graphics set to High.

EDIT: Exception - The new Cleopatra seems to have normal eyes.

[Empty Skies]

Can't uninstall the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game. 23GB of useless ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ files on my PC yet Steam will not uninstall Civ VI for some unfathomable reason.

Oh, and the official forum support is atrocious.

[rura]

i can't run the game program in right way

when i have clicked the button of play game, the ui of steam show my program is running， but nothing happened

i don't find the program of Sid meier's Civilization VI in processes in windows task manager too

my system version is Windows 10 Pro 21H2
installed on 4/15/2022
os build 19044.2728

thank for ur help, my friend

[MunMun]

DLCs dosen't show up for me anymore, cant load save games. Tried methods to bypass launcher but it dosen't work for me

[bombomkaka1337]

I bought rise and fall and gathering storm but I can't choose australia or macedonia. My friend has the same add-ons, but he can play for them

[saucier_nicolas]

Update not loading properly, game unplayable as it tries to load (unsuccessfully) the update in loop.

[Kelryth]

Początkowo opublikowane przez bombomkaka1337:

I bought rise and fall and gathering storm but I can't choose australia or macedonia. My friend has the same add-ons, but he can play for them

Macedon and Australia are separate DLC and not part of the expansions.

https://i.postimg.cc/RV0H2mRT/image.png

[madkono]

tried to launch civ VI. said i may not have permission. tried launching from the steam app, same thing. i uninstalled and when i started to teinstall, it's frozen on download paused. it wouldn't let me log in to 2k support. i play nearly everyday for years, and can play any other game except civ VI. can someone please help!!!

[Ragnell Avalon VTuber]

As a heads up, I had the 2K Launcher pitch a fit today and say that I don't own the game (lmao), and the launch option and LaunchPad methods for bypassing the 2K Launcher have both been lobotomized, as the actual Civ6 exe now checks for LauncherPatcher.exe and piggybacks to the 2K Launcher if you try and run the exe directly, so if you wanted to play you're now at the mercy of our corporate overlords.

[Claudiogav]

Civ 6: Challenge for January: I extracted an artifact. This action blocked my turn. Seems like there's no direction to owner civ window

[Sir_Elrond]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Claudiogav:

Civ 6: Challenge for January: I extracted an artifact. This action blocked my turn. Seems like there's no direction to owner civ window

I am also stuck with "Choose an artifact". I found somewhere else on Internet that I can finish my turn anyway with Shift + Enter. Then I apparently have to dig up another artifact to unblock the situation. I will try that and let you know.