The 'Games Refusing To Work For No Reason At All' Thread

[zombie100379]

i download games almost everyday and have done for many years - maybe an average of 9 or 10 games a week - i would be really lucky to get less then half to actually work - it probably doesn't help that my notebook is nearly 14 years old

 

[KamakoKamako's icon]

OK there's a BIG thing That's really got a wild hair up my ass today.
Does your PC have a game that it just WILL NOT run?
I am a GIGANTIC Indy Jones (well the trilogy at least), and no matter
what combination of tips, tricks, fixes, different ways and websites, my
PC won't run Indy and the Great Circle. I've waited a while through some
game and driver updates and thought I'd try again. guess what...

View attachment 184707

If you already have it installed and are getting a black screen upon launch, then try this:

Go to C:/Users/Your Username/Saved Games/MachineGames/TheGreatCircle base folder and delete “TheGreatCircleConfig.local” file. Then change the settings to something that will work.

If that doesn't work, then we need to check whether your device meets the minimum specs:

If you have all that, then I would suggest fully uninstalling the game, re-installing directly from fitgirl, and trying again.

Good luck!

 

[Aunt Sarah]

Control: Ultimate Edition and CyberPunk 2077 used to run super well at a very high performance on my rig. Now they both crash constantly, at any level of performance no matter what I do. Their are thousands of 100% for sure fixes (super pinky swear!) in internet searches and all of them, at their best, buy me a few uninterrupted hours before they go back to constant crashes. VERY frustrating.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Does your PC have a game that it just WILL NOT run?

Does it ever?!

Everything outside of emulation is a dice roll, and it has been for a very long time — I'm still angry over Windows 95 refusing to run Sensible Soccer for me.

 

[moon200218]

borderlands 2 on my main pc. It just will not launch. I just play it on a different system. Borderlands 1 and 3 works fine mind you

 

[BrawlMan]

This is kind of why I just stick with smaller games or indie titles for my laptop. It can run games but the really graphic intense games or weird graphics settings I don't mess with.

 

[Aldia Aldia]

Oh boy...

Post automatically merged: May 14, 2026

Subnautica 2 is coming out and I'm astronomically far away from even the minimum requirements to run the game, "I'm fucking enraged" woud be an understatement from me.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

I'm a Mac user. Even the games I'm supposed to run can't run.

Been trying to get Wizardry 8 to work for months and only today decided to look up why it won't. Turns out it's not optimised for modern Mac. This game is from 2001.

And then there's others I just don't understand. Why doesn't Omori of all things run?

 

[Badseed Badseed]

i download games almost everyday and have done for many years - maybe an average of 9 or 10 games a week - i would be really lucky to get less then half to actually work - it probably doesn't help that my notebook is nearly 14 years old

I don't wanna sound like a dick, but if your PC is 14 years old I'm surprised if it could run Nokia Snake

If you already have it installed and are getting a black screen upon launch, then try this:

Go to C:/Users/Your Username/Saved Games/MachineGames/TheGreatCircle base folder and delete “TheGreatCircleConfig.local” file. Then change the settings to something that will work.

If that doesn't work, then we need to check whether your device meets the minimum specs:
View attachment 184712
If you have all that, then I would suggest fully uninstalling the game, re-installing directly from fitgirl, and trying again.

Good luck!

I appreciate the tech advise and good will so much. However, the servers that run this thing do not have enough bandwidth or what ever the F they use to explain my troubles with this game. So I have consigned myself to "Sigh, well some PCs just won't run some games".

Does it ever?!

Everything outside of emulation is a dice roll, and it has been for a very long time — I'm still angry over Windows 95 refusing to run Sensible Soccer for me.

I was about to make a totally different comment, then you hit me with the Windows 95 stuff and
I almost fell outta my seat laughing. Interesting fact: Windows 98 is my favorite operating system.
(Yes, I am that old.)

This is kind of why I just stick with smaller games or indie titles for my laptop. It can run games but the really graphic intense games or weird graphics settings I don't mess with.

Gotcha. I have a higher mid level Laptop, so I can run some of the heavy stuff well.

Oh boy...
View attachment 184727

Post automatically merged: May 14, 2026

Subnautica 2 is coming out and I'm astronomically far away from even the minimum requirements to run the game, "I'm fucking enraged" woud be an understatement from me.

I can totally understand your unbridled anger as even though I have no idea what a (and PLEASE think of this said in the most stereotypical American accent ever) "Placa de video" or "Armazenamento"
are, I think my PC is just a small step up from yours, I have the same issues and feelings

I'm a Mac user. Even the games I'm supposed to run can't run.
View attachment 184743
Been trying to get Wizardry 8 to work for months and only today decided to look up why it won't. Turns out it's not optimised for modern Mac. This game is from 2001.

And then there's others I just don't understand. Why doesn't Omori of all things run?

You play games on a modern MAC in 2026? I'm not sure I have talked to many people who game
on a MAC. You know, I dont think any, I would love to hear more about it. I'm not trying to be
weird, I just haven't really spoke to anyone about playing video game on a apple computer since my beloved Apple IIc. I would find it fasicinating.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

You play games on a modern MAC in 2026? I'm not sure I have talked to many people who game
on a MAC. You know, I dont think any, I would love to hear more about it. I'm not trying to be
weird, I just haven't really spoke to anyone about playing video game on a apple computer since my beloved Apple IIc. I would find it fasicinating.

yeah, it’s a laptop so I carry it with me to college and stuff. It’s an Intel too so it could be even worse. I’m still surprised on how much I can do on it even though Apple has been trying to gimp any and all ways to make it a decent place for gaming. Steam game library isn’t the best as you can imagine, so I use a Steam Deck for that. Third party sites like Epic and GoG…

Emulation isn’t too bad on it tbh. OpenEmu is pretty good for it, RetroArch is mostly helpful when you get the hang of it, Saturn options sucked until Ymir came into the picture…

Only ones with an issue that aren’t the native places where everything is only Windows are PC 88/98 (a lot of games work, but have weird control schemes. Others don’t), PS3 (I haven’t tried RPCS3 in years tbf so this could change, but them shits are huge), Arcade (very iffy, a lot of roms that should work but don’t), old Windows games (obvious), and probably some other weird shit. I was done the worst hand and I still make it work. Still doesn’t explain why I can’t boot up Evoland on Steam without an error though lmao.

Also holy shit that’s a surprisingly modern looking computer

 

[Antaeus]

Fallout 4 when i had a 4 gb laptop (i didn't know about graphics cards and rams and stuff back then) thanks to me trying to run it i fucked up my audio drivers because of a ''gamer'' program that updates your stuff

 

[Badseed Badseed]

yeah, it’s a laptop so I carry it with me to college and stuff. It’s an Intel too so it could be even worse. I’m still surprised on how much I can do on it even though Apple has been trying to gimp any and all ways to make it a decent place for gaming. Steam game library isn’t the best as you can imagine, so I use a Steam Deck for that. Third party sites like Epic and GoG…
View attachment 185042
Emulation isn’t too bad on it tbh. OpenEmu is pretty good for it, RetroArch is mostly helpful when you get the hang of it, Saturn options sucked until Ymir came into the picture…

Only ones with an issue that aren’t the native places where everything is only Windows are PC 88/98 (a lot of games work, but have weird control schemes. Others don’t), PS3 (I haven’t tried RPCS3 in years tbf so this could change, but them shits are huge), Arcade (very iffy, a lot of roms that should work but don’t), old Windows games (obvious), and probably some other weird shit. I was done the worst hand and I still make it work. Still doesn’t explain why I can’t boot up Evoland on Steam without an error though lmao.

Also holy shit that’s a surprisingly modern looking computer

Dang bro that sucks. Look, like 10 years ago I couldn't have a PC, so I got an Ipad. As a piece
of HARDWARE it was incredible. It looked great, felt great, great screen, everthing. AND THEN...
you run into the APPLE OS... it's like the Master Control from Tron

I couldn't even find ONE free movie player for it!!!!! FU APPLE!!!

Now that being said, that isn't a picture of my beloved Apple IIc, unfortunately
It died many moons ago

This is more representative of the Apple IIc that I had back in the dark old years of 1984...

But my monitor was color not monochrome.

 

[Evaccaneer Doom]

Dang bro that sucks. Look, like 10 years ago I couldn't have a PC, so I got an Ipad. As a piece
of HARDWARE it was incredible. It looked great, felt great, great screen, everthing. AND THEN...
you run into the APPLE OS... it's like the Master Control from Tron

View attachment 185061

I couldn't even find ONE free movie player for it!!!!! FU APPLE!!!

Now that being said, that pic of the Apple IIc isn't mine, unfortunately
It died many moons ago

View attachment 185065

This is more representative of the Apple IIc that I had back in the dark old years of 1984...

View attachment 185066

But my monitor was color not monochrome.

That monitor has a whole DRPG map on it

Rip to your Apple IIc though

 

[Badseed Badseed]

Rip to your Apple IIc though

Not a worry, I'm using windows, it's basically the wild west. I can emulate ANYTHING.
If you could just get all the dang buttons to work. I guess the whole point is, I think it blows that
the Apple OS is so restrictive, still after 10 YEARS!!! As to making modern gaming difficult.

 

[KenaiPhoenix]

Hello Angry, Im Kenai today too!

And Im on linux, so Im used to always have to fight some games to work well. Specially some fan ports.

 

[Mopeybloke]

Many older games just won't run for whatever reason, but I usually investigate whether such problems exist before buying them. PC Gaming Wiki to the rescue.

 

[moon200218]

You play games on a modern MAC in 2026? I'm not sure I have talked to many people who game
on a MAC. You know, I dont think any, I would love to hear more about it. I'm not trying to be
weird, I just haven't really spoke to anyone about playing video game on a apple computer since my beloved Apple IIc. I would find it fasicinating.

I play some games on my mac too using stuff like crossover to run windows games on macos. Was playing risk of rain 2 just yesterday. Indie games almost always work. Not to mention emulators are available on macos so retro gaming is not a problem

 

[Badseed Badseed]

I play some games on my mac too using stuff like crossover to run windows games on macos. Was playing risk of rain 2 just yesterday. Indie games almost always work. Not to mention emulators are available on macos so retro gaming is not a problem

That is cool to hear. like I explained to someone or somewhere here I had an Ipad about 10 years
ago and I found I hated the OS, man you had to pay for everything. I couldn't even find one free media player. I hate apple OS it is WAY to restrictive, thats why besides that Ipad I have ALWAYS rocked Android. Its cool to hear you can play some new games, and I know it was only recently that someone twisted Apple's arm enough to allow emulation on AppleOS. so that cool I mean 10 years ago there wasn't nuthin I guess if you like match 3 or p2w crap there was plenty, but I know It pales in comparison to your options on a PC . I cant also only single out Apple, Chromebooks are also just as assholian. I just wish either Apple would get the stick outta their ass and loosen up already or all the ding-dongs that have macs for some reason throw those books out and buy a freckin PC already.

 

[moon200218]

That is cool to hear. like I explained to someone or somewhere here I had an Ipad about 10 years
ago and I found I hated the OS, man you had to pay for everything. I couldn't even find one free media player. I hate apple OS it is WAY to restrictive, thats why besides that Ipad I have ALWAYS rocked Android. Its cool to hear you can play some new games, and I know it was only recently that someone twisted Apple's arm enough to allow emulation on AppleOS. so that cool I mean 10 years ago there wasn't nuthin I guess if you like match 3 or p2w crap there was plenty, but I know It pales in comparison to your options on a PC . I cant also only single out Apple, Chromebooks are also just as assholian. I just wish either Apple would get the stick outta their ass and loosen up already or all the ding-dongs that have macs for some reason throw those books out and buy a freckin PC already.

Oh yeah I year you. Agree about everything you said. Even now, the amount of hoops you have to jump through to get for instance dolphin emulator working on a modern ipad is insane. Just amazed people made it for the platform dispite all this

 

[Badseed Badseed]

@moon200218
I will say one thing about Apple, I don't know about how they make things now,
but as a piece of HARDWARE that Ipad was incredibly built. It looked, great, it
felt great, it was powerful and fast, the screen was 7201804kp whatever they had 10
years ago that shit was sharp and a real big thing some people just don't notice on
HD displays, the black was actually black. Once again it was a great piece of tech,
you just couldn't do shit with it unless you had deep pockets. Which I definitely
never have had. I can't even afford to pay attention.

Post automatically merged: May 17, 2026

Why as my PC's supposed technical Specs. rise the number of games that will actually
work drop? The curse of the PC game i guess

 

[Badseed Badseed]

Just want to add something since I happened to be here:

Is now Non-Hypervisor. Happy sailing

 

[Sonic Boomer]

In 2008 when Warhammer Online came out, the game would run just fine for me initially, then over time develop this weird issue where it would drop down to 10FPS and stay that way until I'd restart the game.

Literally nobody was able to help me, so I had to quit playing, complete wasted 40-50 euros or so however much the thing cost.

It was insanely frustrating as people simply wouldn't even understand the problem

My topics are still archived on GameFAQs

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/520538-warhammer-online-age-of-reckoning/46456307

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/boards/520538-warhammer-online-age-of-reckoning/46439790

To this day I don't know what was wrong with this game
my PC was just fine and it could run it just fine too, sometimes I could play for an hour, sometimes it would mess up within minutes regardless of settings.

 

[YoshifreakZX]

I've tried playing Burnout Paradise Remastered on my PC a couple of years back and for some reason it would keep crashing during the scene where you get your license and I've still yet to actually find a fix for that.
Least I have the game on my Switch!

 

[diet_orange]

Bought this at a train show with my grandfather and cousin, passing up Elroy Goes Bugzerk! and Gearheads. Brought it hope and the bastard absolutely refused to work