How to Fix the Once Human Black Screen Issue on Startup

Once Human is a post-apocalyptic open-world survival game that invites players to explore a hauntingly transformed world following the catastrophic event known as Starfall, as a meta-human, you gain unique abilities to navigate and survive the eerie challenges in this chaotic environment. However, like many online games, Once Human has issues. Players have reported various problems, including server connectivity issues, performance hiccups, difficulties joining parties, and the frustrating black screen issue.

Many PC gamers have encountered the black screen problem when launching Once Human, whether through Steam or other platforms. This issue has become a hot topic in the gaming community, as it unexpectedly disrupts the gameplay experience, leaving players stuck on a non-responsive black screen. In some cases, this problem even prevents players from logging into the game.

The game’s developer, Starry Studio, is aware of the server connectivity issues, particularly during peak times when the number of players exceeds the server capacity. They are actively working with Epic Games to address this, though implementing a permanent solution may take some time. It’s important to remember that early-access games, like Once Human, are prone to bugs and glitches that developers will gradually fix and improve.

Troubleshooting Steps to Resolve Black Screen Problems in Once Human on PC

When launching Once Human on a PC, the black screen issue can stem from various factors. These can include server downtime, interference from third-party applications, antivirus software blocking the game, outdated game patches, system glitches, corrupted game files, and outdated graphics drivers. Additional potential causes include insufficient administrative permissions, conflicts with overlay applications, outdated Windows versions, issues with fullscreen optimizations, and conflicts within in-game graphics settings.

If you’re experiencing this frustrating black screen problem, don’t worry—you can try several troubleshooting steps. Below, we’ve outlined some effective workarounds to help you resolve the issue and get back to enjoying Once Human. Make sure to follow each step carefully until the problem is resolved. Let’s dive in and get started!

1. Force Close and Relaunch the Game

Before performing any other workarounds, you should force close the Once Human game and then manually relaunch it by following the steps below. We suggest that Once Human players exit the game and run it again to check for the issue.

• Close the game and the launcher that you’re using.
• Open the Start menu > Click on Task Manager.
• Go to the Processes tab > Click on the Once Human.exe task.
• Now, click on End Task > Then close the Steam task.
• Restart your PC to apply changes.
• Once done, run the game to check for the issue.

2. Restart the PC

It is recommended that you manually reboot your computer if you are experiencing temporary system glitches or cache data issues. Please follow the steps below to restart and refresh the system. This will ensure that your computer is functioning properly.

• Open the Start menu > Click on the Power menu.
• Click on Restart > Wait for the system to reboot.
• Once done, check for the issue further.

3. Run Once Human as an Administrator

The chances are high that your Once Human game application is conflicting with the system admin permission, which will cause you a lot of trouble. You can check the steps below to run the game as an administrator to ensure there is no issue whatsoever. As this is a one-time process, you don’t need to do this every time.

• Right-click on the Once Human.exe app on your PC.
• Go to Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
• Click on Apply > Click on OK to save changes.
• Once done, run the game again to check for the issue.

4. Update the Once Human Game

Another thing you can do is manually check for the Once Human game updates on your Steam client or the epic app by following the steps below. An outdated game patch version can cause multiple issues with the game startup or a black screen on the PC.

For Steam:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Right-click on the Once Human game.
• Click on Properties > Click on Updates.
• Go to Automatic Updates.
• Select Only update this game when I launch it.
• Launch the Once Human game to check for the issue.

For Epic Games:

• Open the launcher > Go to Library.
• Click on three dots of Once Human.
• Enable Auto Update.

5. Verify and Repair the Game Files

The chances are high that, somehow, your installed game files on the PC can also get corrupted or missing. If you’re also experiencing the same issue, follow the steps below to repair the game files.

For Steam:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Right-click on the Once Human game.
• Go to Properties > Click on Installed Files from the left side.
• Now, click on Verify integrity of game files.
• Wait for the process to complete.
• Once done, reboot the PC and relaunch the game.

For Epic Games:

• Open the launcher.
• Go to Library > Three dots of Once Human.
• Go to Manage > Verify > Wait for it to complete.

6. Update the Graphics Driver

Sometimes, an outdated graphics card driver on the PC might trouble you with the black screen issue during startup. You can follow the steps below to check for the graphics driver update to clear potential graphical glitches.

Recommended Update:

• Open the Start menu, search for Device Manager, and then open it.
• Double-click on Display Adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card.

• Choose Update Driver > Click on Search automatically for drivers.
• If an update is available, it’ll automatically download & install the latest version.
• Once done, restart the system to apply changes.

Manual Update:

If the graphics driver update isn’t available, then you should manually try updating the graphics driver to the latest version on your PC. Head over to the official website of the respective graphics card manufacturer. You’ll have to search for the latest graphics driver from the links below and then download the latest driver. Next, install the driver and reboot the PC.

• Nvidia GPU
• AMD GPU
• Intel GPU

7. Disable Overlay Apps

You’ll have to turn off the third-party overlay apps on your computer, which may run in the background unexpectedly and consume more system resources. Well, using the system resources can affect the overall system performance and conflicts with the game running experiences such as black screen issues.

Disable Discord Overlay:

• Launch the Discord app > Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
• Select Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
• Click on the Games tab > Select Once Human.
• Turn Off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
• Then reboot your PC to apply changes.

Disable Xbox Game Bar:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Settings.
• Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar.
• Turn Off the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar option.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:

• Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app.
• Head over to Settings.
• Click on the General tab > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.
• Restart the PC to apply changes.
• Finally, launch the game again.

Note: You should also try disabling the third-party overlay applications that can trouble you at times such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, and more.

8. Check for Windows Updates

You’ll have to check for the pending Windows updates on the PC and install the update by following the steps below. Sometimes a Windows OS version or the build number might cause multiple issues with the program launching and other graphical issues.

• Open the Start menu > Search for Settings and open it.
• Click on Windows Update.
• Next, click on Check for Updates for available updates.
• In case available, click on Download and Install.
• Once done, restart your PC to change effects.

9. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

We’ll also suggest you manually turn off the fullscreen optimizations on the PC by following the steps below. Make sure to temporarily disable it to avoid the black screen issue with the game application.

• Go to the installed game directory or head over to the Start menu.
• Right-click on the Once Human.exe app.
• Click on Properties > Go to the Compatibility tab.
• Now, click on Disable fullscreen optimizations.
• Click on Apply > Click on OK to save changes.
• Once done, reboot the PC to change the effects.

10. Check the Server Status

The chances are high that you’re having the game startup or black screen issues up to some extent due to server connectivity errors. It’s suggested to check for the Once Human game server status to ensure there is no issue with the service outage. You should review the Once Human Server Status here to ensure no conflict with the service downtime or outage. If the server downtime is still troubling you then wait for a couple of hours and try again later.

It’s also recommended that you check for the tweets acknowledged by the official @OnceHuman_ Twitter account related to the server downtime issue.

If there is no issue with the game server then skip to the next workaround.

11. Change the In-Game Graphics Settings

It’s recommended to change the Once Human graphics settings by following the steps below to allow the mid-end PCs to run the game smoothly. If any kind of graphical glitches troubling you, this method will help a lot.

• Presets: Use custom settings
• Screen Mode: Full-Screen
• Screen Resolution: The native resolution of the monitor
• Max FPS: The native refresh rate of the monitor
• VSync: Turn Off
• Motion Blur: Low
• Anti-Aliasing: TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing)
• View Distance, Grass Detail, Shadows, Effects Quality: Medium
• Texture Quality: High
• DLSS: Quality

12. Disable Antivirus Temporarily

We’ll also recommend you temporarily turn off the antivirus program you’re using on your PC, whether you’re using the native Windows Defender antivirus or a third-party antivirus software. Manually disabling the antivirus scanning will help fix the game startup issues or even the graphical glitches like the black screen problem. The chances are high that, somehow, your aggressive antivirus blocking is causing several issues.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Update & Security.
• Go to Windows Security.
• Click on Open Windows Security.
• Go to Virus & Threat Protection.
• Next, click on Manage Settings.
• Turn Off the Real-time Protection option.
• If prompted by UAC, click on Yes to proceed further.
• Then, run the Once Human game to check for the black screen issue.

Please Note: If you’re using a third-party antivirus program on your PC, disable the real-time protection feature temporarily and run the game.

13. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks

Several PC users have reported this method to close unnecessary background running tasks by following the steps below. Sometimes background processes might trigger multiple conflicts with the program running or black screen issues of the game application.

• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the unnecessary third-party task.
• Now, click on End Task to close the process.
• Once done, do the same steps for other third-party unnecessary processes.
• After doing so, you’ll have to reboot the computer to apply changes.

14. Reinstall the Once Human Game

If none of those mentioned above workarounds come in handy, then be sure to uninstall and reinstall the Once Human game on your computer by following the steps below. We’re aware that reinstalling the game doesn’t make sense for most of the players, but there is nothing to do at your end. Sometimes reinstalling the game application freshly can also help resolve the installation conflicts to some extent.

For Steam:

• Open the Steam client on your PC.
• Go to Library > Right-click on Once Human.
• Now, click on Manage.
• Click on Uninstall.
• If prompted, ensure to confirm it.
• Then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the game.
• Once done, restart the system to apply changes.
• Next, launch the Steam client again.
• Reinstall the Once Human game on a different disk drive.
• Wait for the game to be installed again.
• Finally, restart the computer, and run the game.

15. Contact Steam Support

Last but not least, you should contact Steam Support and submit a support ticket for the Once Human black screen issue. This will help the support team or the game developers investigate the problem further.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.