Won't start on Win 11 pro

[Luke Hordaland]

Hi!
I just bought it for my Windows machine and I can't start it.
It shows an old school window with text, going black an returns to Steam.
Windows 11 pro
i7
32 gb ram
How to fix?
Tried methods with patches I found from 2019 and these change nothing :/

[>M@tEo$<]

Tried ioRtCW?
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=256261724

[Slayni]

Go to the main game folder and delete the wolfconfig.cfg file, then launch the game again. It should work. If that doesn't help, try verifying the integrity of the game files through the Steam application. Right-click on the game - Properties - Installed Files - Verify integrity of game files.
If nothing helps: https://youtu.be/LHVDWDEVbYE?si=X9Of3r-T4AqJWlhi

[Kritzburgh]

I have the same issue on one of my computers as well. There's two excellent solutions to this issue and the option you pick depends on how important a 100% vanilla experience is for you.

Option A) RealRTCW mod
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1379630/RealRTCW/
For starters, I would recommend giving RealRTCW a try on Steam. It's an excellent fan-made remaster that's very faithful to the original game, heavily customizable, and allows you to play at a modern widescreen resolution. It's also got updated textures, new weapons, achievements, workshop content, and a few other nice additions. If you play and complete the game through this mod, no one's gonna say you didn't beat the game as it doesn't change the level design or the core gameplay. The only changes to gameplay from vanilla RTCW are some minor balance tweaks and the aforementioned new weapons (which you can turn off if you want in the Game Options by switching the weapon arsenal to Classic). Finally, if you want as close to a vanilla experience as possible with the mod, there's also the option of downloading the Vanilla Plus DLC for the mod, which adds back the default weapon models, sounds, and textures while keeping the quality of life improvements like widescreen support.

Option B) ioRTCW source port[github.com]
However, if you're a total purist and want a 100% vanilla experience in its original form, then you're instead gonna want to download the source port for the game called ioRTCW. This engine is what RealRTCW is built on, but it has none of the other changes and you can basically think of ioRTCW as the GZDoom, ECWolf, or Quakespasm equivalent for RTCW. It will give you widescreen and native resolution support in the in-game options as well as a few other quality of life features, but absolutely zero gameplay changes.
Instructions: Download the correct zip file for your system from clicking the link above. For example, if your system is a 64-bit Windows, then the Github download for "iortcw-1.51c-win-x64.zip" is what you want. Using a program like WinRAR or 7zip, extract the files into your C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Return to Castle Wolfenstein folder. When it asks you if you want to overwrite a readme file, just say Yes. This is how your files should look in your Return to Castle Wolfenstein folder if you did everything right: https://imgur.com/a/gMN3XdR
From there, you can simply doubleclick the "ioWolfSP" executable to open the game in the sourceport.


Again, both of these solutions will work even if your installation of Return to Castle Wolfenstein doesn't start up.

If you need any more help, let me know.