Stray not launching or opening on Windows PC [Fixed]

Is Stray not launching or opening on your Windows 11/10 PC? Stray is the most recent adventure single-player video game developed by BlueTwelve Studio. It was released just a couple of days ago and has already grabbed the eyeballs of ardent gamers. While most gaming enthusiasts are enjoying this new game, some players are unable to launch the game itself.

Now, the launch issue with Stray could be caused due to various reasons. It is likely to cause if your PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements. There can be other reasons as well, like outdated Windows, corrupted graphics drivers, etc. In any case, you resolve the problem by using this guide. In this post, we are going to mention fixes that you can use if you are unable to launch the Stray game.

Why is Stray not launching on Windows?

Here are the potential causes why you might be unable to launch Stray:

• If your system doesn’t fulfill the minimum requirements to run the game, you might be unable to open Stray.
• The lack of admin rights to open the game can be another reason for the same issue.
• It can also be caused because of Outdated Windows or graphics drivers.
• You might be unable to open Stray on your PC if the game files are corrupted, broken, or missing.
• If you don’t have the latest version of DirectX, it is likely that you won’t be able to run Stray on your system.
• Antivirus or firewall interference can be another cause of the problem at hand.
• Too many background programs can also prevent the game from launching.

The above scenarios are most likely to trigger the problem at hand. Based on the scenario most suited to you, try a suitable fix to resolve the issue.

Stray not launching or opening on Windows PC

Here are the fixes you can try if the Stray game is not launching or opening on your Windows PC:

1. Check minimum system requirements.
2. Try launching the game with admin rights.
3. Make sure your graphics drivers are updated.
4. Update Windows.
5. Verify the integrity of game files.
6. Disable in-game overlay.
7. Update DirectX.
8. Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables.
9. Close background applications.
10. Disable your firewall and antivirus temporarily.

1] Check minimum system requirements

The first thing you should do to fix the issue is to ensure that your PC meets the minimum requirements to play the Stray game. Since Stray is a recent game, it requires an up-to-date system to play it smoothly. So, check its minimum specifications and make sure your PC fulfills them. If not, you might need to upgrade your PC to run the game.

Minimum Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10, Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• Processor: Intel Core i5-2300 | AMD FX-6350
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti, 2 GB | AMD Radeon R7 360, 2 GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 10 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10, Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 | AMD Ryzen 5 2600
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780, 3 GB | AMD Radeon R9 290X, 4 GB
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 10 GB available space

If your PC meets the minimum requirements and you are still unable to launch Stray, try the next potential fix to resolve the problem.

2] Try launching the game with admin rights

The next thing you should do to fix the problem is to run the game with administrator rights. It might not be launching because of missing admin privileges to run it. So, launch the game as an administrator and see if it works for you. This method has proven to be effective for a lot of affected users. Here’s how to do that:

1. Firstly, go to Steam and click on LIBRARY to go to the list of your games.
2. Now, right-click on the Stray game and choose the Properties option.
3. Next, move to the LOCAL FILES tab and tap on the BROWSE LOCAL FILES button to go to its installation directory on your system.
4. After that, simply press the right-click on the game’s executable file and click on the Properties option.
5. Then, navigate to the Compatibility tab and tick the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
6. Finally, click on the Apply > OK button to save new settings.

You can now try launching Stray and see if it opens or not. If not, go ahead and try the next potential fix.

3] Make sure your graphics drivers are updated

The CPU-extensive video games require up-to-date graphics drivers to perform their best. You might not even be able to launch the game due to outdated or faulty graphics drivers. So, update your graphics driver and then see if the problem is resolved or not.

4] Update Windows

Outdated Windows OS can be another reason for the same issue. So, update your Windows and see if you are able to launch Stray. To do that, press Win+I to open the Settings app and move to the Windows Update tab. Next, click on the Check for updates button and install all the pending Windows updates.

5] Verify the integrity of game files

If your game files are infected with a virus or there are outdated game files or some files are missing, you are likely to face the problem at hand. Hence, you can try verifying the integrity of game files to fix the problem. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Firstly, launch the Steam app and press LIBRARY to open the list of all your installed games.
2. Now, right-click on Stray from the left pane and press the Properties option from the appeared context menu.
3. After that, go to the LOCAL FILES tab and click on the button called Verify integrity of game files.
4. Steam will now scan your game files and detect & replace the corrupted game files. This process might take a few minutes.
5. Once the process is complete, try reopening the game and see if the issue is now resolved.

If your game files are fine and you still get the same problem, move on to the next potential fix.

6] Disable in-game overlay

You can also try disabling the in-game overlay to fix the issue. In-game overlays are handy but can also be problematic with some games. Hence, you can turn off the overlay on Steam and check if you are able to open Stray.

Here are the steps to disable the in-game overlays feature on Steam:

1. First, open the Steam app and click on the Steam menu from the top menubar.
2. Now, select the Settings/Preferences option from the appeared menu options.
3. After that, navigate to the In-game tab in the General tab.
4. Next, disable the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game checkbox.
5. Lastly, try launching the game and check if the problem is fixed.

7] Update DirectX

Since Stray required the latest version of DirectX to work smoothly, update DirectX to its latest version i.e., Version 12. You can download the latest version of DirectX from Microsoft Download Center and then install it on your computer. See if this fixes the problem for you.

If the scenario doesn’t apply to you, try the next potential fix.

8] Install Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

To run the Stray game, you need to have the latest version of Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables installed on your system. You can download the package from the Microsoft website and then install it on your system.

9] Close background applications

The problem might also occur if there are too many background apps running on your PC. Hence, close the background applications to fix the problem. You can open Task Manager and use the End task button to close unnecessary programs one by one. Once done, try launching the Stray game and check if it launches properly or not.

10] Disable your firewall and antivirus temporarily

Overprotective antivirus suites are known to cause issues in game launches. In multiple instances, antiviruses and firewalls interfere with game processes and block them from launching properly. So, disable your antivirus and firewall for some time, and then try launching your game. If it opens properly, it was your security suite causing the issue. You can then try allowing Stray through your firewall or whitelisting the game in your antivirus to fix the problem permanently.

What to do if a game isnt opening?

If your game is not opening, check your system specifications and make sure they meet the game’s minimum system requirements. You can try restarting your game launcher and see if it fixes the problem. You can also try launching the game with administrator privilege and check if it works. Besides that, make sure your GPU driver and Windows are updated, verify the integrity of your game files, etc.

How do I fix games not working on Windows 10?

If a game is not working on your Windows PC, ensure your system fulfills the minimum system requirements. Then, update your WIndows and graphics driver, launch the game with admin rights, verify and fix the game files, close unnecessary background apps, update your game, etc. You can also follow the fixes that we have mentioned above.

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