Are you getting a blank black or white screen when you open GOG Galaxy on Windows PC? As per some GOG Galaxy users, the application keeps showing a blank screen on startup. While some users get a black screen, many have reported seeing a white screen. Some users have also reported that they experience a black screen while launching GOG games.
This blank black or white screen issue in GOG Galaxy could result from an outdated display driver. Corrupted system files can also be one of the reasons for the same. Besides that, firewall interference and corrupted app installation are other reasons causing this issue. If you face the same problem, follow this guide to resolve it.
GOG Galaxy Black or White screen issue
If you see a blank black or white screen when you open GOG Galaxy, you can follow the below fixes to resolve this issue:
- Update your graphics driver right away.
- Perform an SFC scan.
- Disable your firewall temporarily.
- Launch your game directly from File Explorer.
- Run GOG games in compatibility mode.
- Uninstall and reinstall GOG Galaxy.
1] Update your graphics driver right away
Black or White screen issues are often linked with corrupted or out-of-date display/graphics drivers. If you have a faulty or outdated graphics driver installed on your PC, you will likely experience a blank black or white screen when you start GOG Galaxy or any other graphics-oriented application. So, if the scenario is applicable, update your graphics driver to its latest version to fix the problem.
The most convenient and easy option to update graphics and other device drivers is to use Windows Settings app. Open Settings using Win+I and go to the Windows Update tab. Here, press Advanced options and then click on the Optional updates option. You will now see a list of optional updates including device driver updates that you can download and install. Download and install graphics driver updates. We would recommend you install other driver updates as well.
You can also use other methods to update Graphics drivers. When done, reboot your PC and check if the problem is resolved. If not, you can the next fix to resolve the issue.
2] Perform an SFC scan
This issue could be very well facilitated due to corrupted or missing system files essential to run GOG Galaxy correctly. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can run a System File Checker (SFC) scan to fix infected system files. SFC is a built-in command line tool in Windows that enables you to scan and fix system file corruption.
Here’s how you can perform an SFC scan:
First, open Command Prompt as an administrator. After that, enter the below command to run an SFC scan:
sfc /scannow
Once the scan is done, restart your PC and check if the GOG Galaxy black or white screen issue is fixed or not.
Tip: Fix GOG Galaxy Launcher Out of disk space error on Windows PC.
3] Disable your firewall temporarily
Such issues could also be caused due to interference from your firewall. If your overprotective firewall conflicts with GOG Galaxy, you might experience a blank screen when opening the application. To check if your firewall is causing the issue, turn off your firewall for some time and check if the problem is gone.
If yes, you can permanently resolve the issue without disabling your firewall. For that, you can allow GOG Galaxy through your firewall. Here’s how:
- First, open the Windows Defender Firewall application using Windows Search.
- Now, press the Allow an app through firewall option from the left side.
- After that, click on the Change Settings button.
- Next, scroll down through the Allowed apps and features list and locate the GOG Galaxy app. If the app is not listed, tap on the Add another app option and browse and import the main executable of GOG Galaxy.
- Then, tick the GOG Galaxy checkbox and then checkmark the Private and Public networks checkboxes.
- Finally, press the OK button and reopen GOG Galaxy to check if the issue is fixed.
4] Launch your game directly from File Explorer
If the above solutions don’t work, you can try launching your GOG game directly from File Explorer using its executable. The default location where your GOG games are installed is: C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games
Go to the above location, open the target game folder, and then run the main executable of the game. Additionally, you can launch the game with admin privileges. Right-click on the game executable and select Run as administrator from the context menu. See if the blank black or white screen issue is resolved or not.
See: How to rollback GOG Galaxy game to previous version?
5] Run GOG games in compatibility mode
If you are experiencing the black screen issue while launching a specific GOG game, you can try running it in compatibility mode. This has proven to be effective for some affected users. So, you can try doing the same and see if it helps. Furthermore, you can add a parameter to the game’s shortcut and see if the problem is resolved. Here are the instructions you need to follow:
First, open File Explorer using Win+E and navigate to the installation directory of the problematic GOG game, C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy\Games (default).
Now, right-click on the game’s executable and click on the Properties option. Afterward, go to the Compatibility tab and tick the Run this program in compatibility mode for: checkbox.
Next, select an older version of Windows to run the game and press Apply > OK. You can open the game and check if the black screen issue is resolved.
6] Uninstall and reinstall GOG Galaxy
The last resort to fix the GOG Galaxy black or white screen issue is to uninstall and then reinstall the GOG Galaxy app. This issue might be caused due to a corrupted or incorrect installation of the application itself. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, remove the existing copy of GOG Galaxy from your computer. And then, install a fresh copy of the application to check if the problem is resolved.
To uninstall GOG Galaxy, open the Settings app using Win+I and go to the Apps tab. After that, click on the Installed apps option and select the GOG Galaxy app. Click on the three-dot menu button, choose the Uninstall option, and follow the onscreen instructions to remove the app. When done, delete all residual files from the below locations:
C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG Galaxy C:\ProgramData\GOG.com C:\Users\<yourusername>\AppData\Local\GOG.com\Galaxy
Now, reboot your computer, and then go to the official website of GOG Galaxy and download its latest version. After that, install the application by running the executable file. Hopefully, you won’t experience a black or white screen issue in GOG Galaxy.
See: GOG Galaxy is not tracking my Game Play Time.
Why is my screen white while playing games?
The white screen issue while playing games on PC is usually triggered when you have a corrupted or outdated graphics driver and it is unable to load all the graphics data correctly. Besides that, system corruption, conflicting background programs, firewall interference, and corrupted game module can be some other reasons causing white screen issues while playing games.
Why won’t my GOG game open?
There can be several reasons why you are unable to launch GOG games. It could be due to corrupted game files, compatibility issues, or certain corrupted DLL files. In case you want to fix the issue, you can try opening the game directly from the installation directory in File Explorer. Apart from that, you can verify and repair the game files or run the game in compatibility mode.
Now read: Can’t install games on GOG Galaxy.
