Black Screen when starting a new game

[Brucasco]

Hello, i bought the game with the Anniversary Edition and i would like to play it for the first time (i checked and my PC fulfills both minimun and reccomended requirements).

The menu loads well as well as the creation menu which allows me to download mods correctly (i don't have any mods installed at the moment).

But whenever i click on "New Game", Alduin's loading screen shows up but after some seconds i get a Black Screen with horses sounds on loop and the only thing i can do is to close Window's session to exit it.

I installed the Unofficial Patch to see if it could solve this problem but it still persists. Can anyone help me please?. Thank you very much in advance.

I am trying not to enter the game much so i don't reach the 2 hours limit before the refund.

[smr1957]

The following is from BLACK SCREEN subsection of
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2266129651
in the PINNED TOPIC Helpful Links and References, Section 5 - General Troubleshooting

WHAT DO I DO IF THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION IS CRASHING OR GETTING A BLACK SCREEN ON PC?

source: Bethesda.net (full link below)
Note: If the game has been recently updated, mods and addons may not work properly until they are updated by the Mod creator. This can cause unforeseen issues, for example, black screens, crashes, and visual UI errors. To eliminate these as the cause, you will need to completely remove mods from your game. You can then add them back to your game later. Instructions for how to remove a mod can be found here: How do I uninstall a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? You can also see what Mods you have subscribed to and unsubscribe from them here.enlightened

If you are experiencing crashes when trying to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, you should first check to ensure that your machine meets the game’s minimum requirements here and that you are not running any additional programs in the background.

If you meet the game’s requirements and are not running any additional programs, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
Change In-Game Settings
Remove Mods
Force the System To Recognize Primary GPU
Remove Additional Launch Options
Verify Integrity of Game Files
Get Latest Version of DirectX
Disable Xbox DVR
Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
To ensure you are getting the best performance out of your graphics card, you can download and install latest drivers (based on manufacturer)
CONTINUE WITH FULL DETAILS HERE[help.bethesda.net]

Good luck!

[Brucasco]

Originally posted by smr1957:

The following is from BLACK SCREEN subsection of
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2266129651
in the PINNED TOPIC Helpful Links and References, Section 5 - General Troubleshooting

WHAT DO I DO IF THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM SPECIAL EDITION IS CRASHING OR GETTING A BLACK SCREEN ON PC?

source: Bethesda.net (full link below)
Note: If the game has been recently updated, mods and addons may not work properly until they are updated by the Mod creator. This can cause unforeseen issues, for example, black screens, crashes, and visual UI errors. To eliminate these as the cause, you will need to completely remove mods from your game. You can then add them back to your game later. Instructions for how to remove a mod can be found here: How do I uninstall a mod for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition? You can also see what Mods you have subscribed to and unsubscribe from them here.enlightened

If you are experiencing crashes when trying to play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition, you should first check to ensure that your machine meets the game’s minimum requirements here and that you are not running any additional programs in the background.

If you meet the game’s requirements and are not running any additional programs, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
Change In-Game Settings
Remove Mods
Force the System To Recognize Primary GPU
Remove Additional Launch Options
Verify Integrity of Game Files
Get Latest Version of DirectX
Disable Xbox DVR
Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
To ensure you are getting the best performance out of your graphics card, you can download and install latest drivers (based on manufacturer)
CONTINUE WITH FULL DETAILS HERE[help.bethesda.net]

Good luck!

Thanks for the answer!. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to work for me, as i have not mods installed (only the unoficial patch that i installed to try and fix the problem, but it didn't worked even before installing the patch) i also have the graphics drivers version of July 2023 and Directx 12 that i think is the last one.

I am very frustrated by this problem as my PC should run the game correctly:

I7 processor

8gb RAM

Graphic Nvidia GeForceX 970

[Chuck]

having the same issue, i literally just bought the game. click play both screens go black and then it wont stay open. Why should I jump through hoops to fix something Bethesda should address?

[Brucasco]

Originally posted by 1991 Honda Civic:

having the same issue, i literally just bought the game. click play both screens go black and then it wont stay open. Why should I jump through hoops to fix something Bethesda should address?

At least i am glad i am not the only one with this problem :(

[smr1957]

Too bad that none of that worked for you, Brucasco. Others may pop in with some other suggestions, so just be patient - and do not attempt to run the game until you get some solid suggestions (so you can keep your refund option open if needed).

Good luck, again, and I am subscribing to the thread just to keep an eye on it and in case I come up with any additional ideas.

[Chuck]

Originally posted by Brucasco:

Originally posted by 1991 Honda Civic:

having the same issue, i literally just bought the game. click play both screens go black and then it wont stay open. Why should I jump through hoops to fix something Bethesda should address?

At least i am glad i am not the only one with this problem :(

found a fix, did some testing after a google search, i disabled all windows anti virus and the domain network firewall. Im not sure why this is causing the issue we have but once all is disabled the game stays up and wont minimize when you click with your mouse

[smr1957]

Originally posted by 1991 Honda Civic:

Originally posted by Brucasco:

At least i am glad i am not the only one with this problem :(

found a fix, did some testing after a google search, i disabled all windows anti virus and the domain network firewall. Im not sure why this is causing the issue we have but once all is disabled the game stays up and wont minimize when you click with your mouse

Yes - that could also cause the issue (I'm surprised I did not remember that ). Though it should be enough to just set SSE (or the Steam folder itself) as an exception, without completely disabling everything.

Hopefully that will fix the issue for Brucasco, as well.

[Brucasco]

Originally posted by 1991 Honda Civic:

Originally posted by Brucasco:

At least i am glad i am not the only one with this problem :(

found a fix, did some testing after a google search, i disabled all windows anti virus and the domain network firewall. Im not sure why this is causing the issue we have but once all is disabled the game stays up and wont minimize when you click with your mouse

I am glad it worked for you!

Unfortunately i tried dissabling both my antivirus and my firewall and the black screen is still there. I will keep searching if i find a way to fix it. For the moment Steam says that i have 72 minutes played of the game so until 119 i should be safe for refund.

In the worst case scenario i would refund the game and keep playing Legendary Edition that works perfectly for me, although it has less content than this version.

[Altbert]

Antivirus and firewall have nothing to do with this issue! I'm running this game without problems after the latest update with a small number of mods installed (some 30+) with antivirus and firewall active. Major mods I am using are SSE Engine Fixes (with adaptations in the .toml file), the latest SKSE version and the latest Address Library for SKSE Plugins, required by Engine Fixes.

I always run Skyrim with Steam in offline mode by using the SKSE loader, because I know the latest version does not include Steam integration, which means no update of achievemets or playing time. Try playing the game in offline mode for the time being.

More information can be found here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3111663148

[Brucasco]

Originally posted by Altbert:

Antivirus and firewall have nothing to do with this issue! I'm running this game without problems after the latest update with a small number of mods installed (some 30+) with antivirus and firewall active. Major mods I am using are SSE Engine Fixes (with adaptations in the .toml file), the latest SKSE version and the latest Address Library for SKSE Plugins, required by Engine Fixes.

I always run Skyrim with Steam in offline mode by using the SKSE loader, because I know the latest version does not include Steam integration, which means no update of achievemets or playing time. Try playing the game in offline mode for the time being.

More information can be found here:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3111663148

I tried running it offline and still nothing. Even before being gifted the game on Steam i tried to run a pirate Special Edition version and i stilll got the same problem so i guess it could be something about my computer. Although it is weird. I think i will refund the game and keep playing Legendary Edition for now

[Suffy]

I have exact the same problem

[Jamie]

game was working fine the other day i didnt even update the game it was working fine. And now all a sudden it wont launch. black screen. Fallout 76 is doing the same thing Bethesda is effing dogwater man disgusting

[Zace66]

i too cannot get skyrim to run any more - went with a new install of the special edition and just get black screen - yet every other game runs fine - sigh

So I have rebooted, ensured I have the latest graphics drivers, rebooted, checked file integrity, and still I cannot run this nice new install of skyrim special edition with anniversary download. No matter what i try i just get a black screen.

I did try turning off AV etc... nope, still doesnt work.

Tested my Starfield and its working fine.

Please help someone.

[Jamie]

Originally posted by Zace66:

i too cannot get skyrim to run any more - went with a new install of the special edition and just get black screen - yet every other game runs fine - sigh

So I have rebooted, ensured I have the latest graphics drivers, rebooted, checked file integrity, and still I cannot run this nice new install of skyrim special edition with anniversary download. No matter what i try i just get a black screen.

I did try turning off AV etc... nope, still doesnt work.

Tested my Starfield and its working fine.

Please help someone.

see i knew i wasnt the only one...it works fine on my friends computer (because he hasnt updated windows the the newest version yet neither)..if you search the forums for "black screen" "theres other people reporting this problem as welll. Its happening on Skyrim, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. Out of 259 games, these are the ONLY games im having problems with...guess im gona have to wait for Microsoft to fix it because its clearly from a Windows Update. thats what I think...

[Jamie]

Originally posted by 1991 Honda Civic:

having the same issue, i literally just bought the game. click play both screens go black and then it wont stay open. Why should I jump through hoops to fix something Bethesda should address?

Did u every get it to work?