What should you do about a black screen or anti-cheat startup stall?

First identify which startup stage is stuck. The launch build added a visible shader-compilation screen to replace the demo’s unexplained black loading screen. An anti-cheat initialization stall is a different issue with its own support guidance.

Black screen or shader compilation

An October 21 notice told affected players to allow up to 10 minutes for loading, then contact support if the black screen persisted. The October 29 producer update subsequently announced the shader-compilation screen. Treat the older waiting advice as historical troubleshooting, not proof that every current startup should remain black for 10 minutes.

Check for a Steam update and record whether a shader screen, progress indicator or completely black window appears. Avoid repeatedly closing a game that is visibly making compilation progress. If it remains stuck, include the elapsed time in your support report.

Anti-cheat initialization

The November 4 response says these stalls can have different causes. Take a screenshot of the stage that fails and submit it through Customer Support. The official response does not prescribe bypassing anti-cheat, deleting its files or disabling antivirus protection.

Give support something reproducible

Include your Windows version, CPU, GPU, RAM, whether the game is installed on an SSD, and the exact screen or error. Mention whether this is a first launch after an update. Never include a password, login code or Steam session token.

Linux and Steam Deck are not officially supported according to the launch response. A community workaround is not equivalent to official platform support.