How To Fix WARDOGS Crashing/Not Launching/Black Screen/Not Loading On PC

Is your WARDOGS game crashing, crashing at startup, not launching, not loading, or stuck on a loading screen or black screen on PC.

If so, then in this article, you will learn some effective solutions that will help you fix such issues in the WARDOGS game on PC.

Solutions To Fix WARDOGS Crashing/Not Launching/Not Loading/Black Screen On PC

Fix 1. Enable AES-NI

To fix the crashing Issues you have to Enable the AES-NI in BIOS Settings and this resolve the issue.

To enable AES-NI (Advanced Encryption Standard New Instructions) to fix WARDOGS crashing, follow these steps:

Note: On most modern motherboards, this setting is called CPU AES Instructions or AES-NI. If you cannot find the setting anywhere, it means your motherboard has it permanently turned On by default.

Steps To Enable AES-NI

Step 1: Enter Your BIOS

1. Shut down your PC completely.
2. Turn your PC back on.
3. As soon as the screen lights up, repeatedly tap the Delete or F2 key until the BIOS menu appears.

Step 2: Switch to “Advanced Mode”

Most modern systems boot into an oversimplified “Easy Mode” dashboard.

• Press F7 (on ASUS, MSI, and ASRock) or F2 (on Gigabyte) to switch your layout to Advanced Mode.

Step 3: Locate and Enable the Setting (By Motherboard Brand)

Look for the exact path matching your motherboard manufacturer:

MSI:

1. Go to OC (Overclocking settings) or Advanced tab on the left menu.
2. Scroll down and select CPU Features.
3. Locate CPU AES Instructions (or AES-NI) and toggle it to Enabled.

ASUS:

1. Navigate to the Advanced tab at the top.
2. Select CPU Configuration.
3. Look for Intel AES-NI or AMD AES-NI and switch it to Enabled.

Gigabyte / Aorus:

1. Go to the Tweaker or I.T. tab.
2. Click Advanced CPU Settings / Advanced CPU Core Settings.
3. Scroll until you see AES-NI and change it to Enabled.

ASRock:

1. Navigate to the Advanced tab at the top.
2. Click CPU Configuration.
3. Find AES-NI Support and switch it to Enabled.

Step 4: Save and Reboot

1. Once changed, press the F10 key on your keyboard (the universal hotkey to “Save & Exit“).
2. Select Yes or press Enter to confirm the changes. Your PC will restart automatically and boot back into Windows.

Fix 2. Disable Windows Virtualization and Hyper-V

If launching the game causes your entire PC to crash or restart, Windows virtualization features are conflicting with the anti-cheat.

• Press Windows Key + R, type optionalfeatures, and hit Enter.
• Uncheck Hyper-V, Virtual Machine Platform, and Windows Hypervisor Platform if checked marked, then restart your PC and the launch the game and check.

Fix 3. Repair or Re-install the Elytra Anti-Cheat

• Open Steam, right-click WARDOGS Playtest, select Manage, and click Browse local files.
• Open the Elytra folder and run Elytra-Setup.exe.
• Choose Repair, approve the administrator prompt, and then launch the game check.

If that doesn’t work, then repeat the process and this time select Uninstall and confirm it, and then again run the Elytra-Setup.exe and this time Install the Elytra Anti-Cheat, and then launch the game and check.

Fix 4. Turn Off Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling (HAGS)

HAGS can conflict with rendering during startup.

• In Windows Search, type Graphics Settings.
•  Expand Advanced graphics settings.
• Turn off Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, restart your computer, and then check.

Fix 5. Close Conflicting Third-Party Anti-Cheats & Software

WARDOGS’ anti-cheat will often block the game if it detects other kernel-level drivers or invasive overlays running in the background.

• Close Riot Vanguard: If you play Valorant, right-click the Vanguard icon in your system tray and choose Exit before launching WARDOGS.
• Disable Overlays: Turn off overlays in Steam Settings, Discord, and GeForce Experience.
• Turn off Hooking Software: Completely shut down MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner Statistics Server, and Malwarebytes.

Fix 6. Verify Game Files & Check Secure Boot

• Verify Integrity: In Steam, right-click WARDOGS, go to Properties → Installed Files, and click Verify integrity of game files. This will replace any corrupted files causing the launch loop.
• Enable Secure Boot: Ensure Secure Boot is turned active in your Windows System Information panel, as the game’s anti-cheat sometimes enforces this requirement.

Fix 7. Modify Game Launch Options

• Open Steam and navigate to your Library.
• Right-click on the game you want to modify (e.g., WARDOGS) and select Properties.
• In the General tab, in the Launch Options, first type -dx11, then launch the game and check.
• If that doesn’t work, then in the launch options, type -dx12 and then check.

Fix 8. Update Your Graphics Card Driver

• NVIDIA Users Can Update Their Graphics Card via the NVIDIA App.
• AMD Users Can Update Their Graphics Card via the AMD Adrenalin Software.
• Open the respective app and check for graphics card driver updates, and if there are any updates available, then download and install them.
• After updating the graphics driver, restart your PC, then launch the game and check.

Fix 9. Update Windows

• Open Windows Settings and then click Windows Update from the left-hand sidebar.
• Click Check for updates.
• If updates are available, click Download & install.
• Restart your PC if prompted to complete the installation.
• Launch the game and check.

Fix 10. Run the game as Admin

• Open Steam and go to your Library.
• Right-click on the game, hover over Manage, and click Browse local files. This opens the game’s actual installation folder on your drive.
• Locate the primary application file (the .exe file usually named after the game).
• Right-click the .exe file and select Properties.
• Go to the Compatibility tab.
• Check the box that says Run this program as an administrator.
• Click Apply, then click OK.
• Launch the game and check.

Wrap Up

So, by following these fixes, you can easily fix WARDOGS crashing, startup crash, not launching or won’t launch issues, not loading or stuck on loading screen, and black screen problems on PC.

If this post helped you, then please don’t forget to share it with other users, it might help others.