Fix: War Thunder Won’t Launch After Pressing Play Button

War Thunder Not Launching After Pressing Play problem usually occurs after installing the game; when they press the play button, nothing happens, and they get stuck on the launching screen. The issue usually occurs due to various bugs in the game, like connectivity issues, and is seen with almost all platforms.

Let’s look at possible culprits preventing the War thunder from launching:

Incompatible Hardware: If the hardware in the computer is not capable enough to handle the game, it stops the game from launching. So, confirm if your system matches the minimum requirements needed to run the game.
Missing Administrator Privilege: If you haven’t provided War Thunder game administrative privilege, then other third-party applications can interfere with the operations of the game and result in causing the problem in question. Granting the admin rights might work for you to launch the game without any problem.
Corrupted cached data inside the War thunder Folder: The problem can occur due to the corrupted cache data in the War Thunder game folder. This conflict affects the files inside the folder and stops them from launching. In this situation, deleting the cache folder force the game to recreate the cache.
Conflicting 3rd party service: Sometimes, third-party services, usually the ones using IPV6 protocol, are most likely to cause conflict with the game files and block them from launching properly. To troubleshoot the problem, performing a clean boot state might work for you.
Antivirus conflict: Certain antivirus programs like Avast are most likely to block the game files and prevent the game from establishing a connection with the server. To pinpoint the issue, disabling the security program may work for you.

As you are now aware of the factors that might be causing this issue. Below you will see the solutions shortlisted to resolve the problem.

1. Check System Requirements

If you are trying to play the game on a low-end PC, then it is recommended to cross-check the required specifications of the game with your system specifications and check if your system can handle the game and run it flawlessly without any interruption. The required system specifications of the game are underneath:

Minimum

OS: Windows 7 SP1/8/10
Processor: Dual-Core 2.2 GHz
Memory: 4GB
Video Card: DirectX 10.1 level video card: AMD Radeon 77XX / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660. The minimum supported resolution for the game is 720p.
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Hard Drive: 17 GB

2. Run Game & the Launcher as an Administrator

If you haven’t provided War Thunder administrative privilege, then it is recommended to provide the game administrative privilege so that no other third-party application can interfere in its operations. Also, many users suggested in the forum thread that giving admin rights to the launcher works for them to solve the problem.

To provide War Thunder administrative privilege, follow the steps given:

Right-click on the War Thunder game and click on the Open file location
Now right-click on WarThunder.exe and then click on the Properties option.
Then click on the Compatibility tab and check the Run this program as administrator option.

Running this program as an administrator.
Now save the changes, launch the game, and check if the War Thunder not launching after pressing the play issue is resolved. Moreover, it is suggested to run the launcher as an admin as this worked for several gamers to solve the problem.

To run the War thunder aces.exe as administrator privileges, follow the steps given:

Open Steam and then click on Library

Accessing the Library menu
Now right-click on the War Thunder game, click on the Properties, and click on Local Files.
Then click on Browse Local Files and click on the Game Folder

Browse Local Files of War Thunder
After that, search for launcher(.exe) and click on Run as administrator.

Now run the launcher first, and then try launching the War Thunder game to see if it starts working or not.

3. Delete the Game Cache

If the above-mentioned fixes don’t work, we will recommend you delete the cache folder in the War Thunder game. Some sort of corruption affects the War Thunder cache Folder, and, in this situation, deleting the entire cache folder and restarting force the game to recreate it from scratch and solve the problem in your case.

To delete the game cache folder, follow the instructions given:

Navigate to the War Thunder game installation file and search for the cache
Then right-click on the cache folder and click on the Delete option.

Delete cache folder
Now launch the game, and the cache folder will be downloaded automatically.

Moreover, some players mentioned in the forum thread that deleting the .DAT file named “launcher” and Launcher works to solve the problem.

To do so, open the War Thunder folder; this is by default found in the C: drive.
Now open the Folder, here look for the .DAT called “launcher” and right click on it and delete it
Next, delete the Launcher folder as well.

Restart your system; this will recreate fresh files and solve the problem in your case.

4. Verify the Integrity of the Game Files

If you are still unable to launch the War Thunder, then there is a possibility that some of the game files are missing or corrupted. In this situation, verify that all your game files are correct. This can be done easily using the Steam Client and verifying the integrity of the game files.

Also, some players facing the same problem in the past advised performing the verification and analyzing the sign of damage or corruption. This will remove the corrupt files with the uncorrupted equivalents.

To verify the integrity of the game files, follow the steps given:

Launch the Steam game client and click on the Library
Now right-click on War Thunder and click on Properties

Click on Properties
To examine the file’s current condition, continue to the affected games’ screen Properties, click on Local Files, and click on the Verify Integrity of Game files. This will show the current file state.

Verify Integrity Of Game Files

If prompted, click on Yes to validate the integrity and wait for the scanning process to complete.

Now restart your computer and try launching the game.

5. Turn off MSI Afterburner and Related Processes

MSI’s afterburner is a very good and useful utility application as it has a ton of pros but some cons too. The afterburner application is still incompatible with many games, and War Thunder can be one of them. It is recommended to disable the MSI Afterburner application as it can trigger the issues.

Also, some gamers facing the problem in the past suggested that disabling the MSI Afterburner and Related Processes managed to solve the problem in their case. Follow the steps given to do so:

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc on your keyboard to open the task manager.
Now click on the Processes tab and MSI Afterburner and the End Task option.

Close MSI Afterburner From Task Manager
Then click on the Startup tab, scroll down to MSI Afterburner, right-click on it, and then click on the disable option.
Moreover, it is also suggested to look for other unwanted processes running in the background and disable them.

Now reboot your system and try pressing the play button to see if the War Thunder game has launched or not.

6. Lower the Game Settings

If you are playing the game on a low-end PC, you should try lowering the game settings and check if it helps solve the issue. To lower down the game settings, follow the Instructions underneath:

Launch the game and in the Main Menu, click on the Settings
Now click on the Graphics tab, lower all the options, and save the changes.

Lower down all the options in War Thunder graphic tabs
Now restart the game and launch War Thunder to see if the issue is fixed.

7. Disable Antivirus

Some players in the War Thunder official forum thread reported that the antivirus program like Avast is conflicting with the game files and blocking it from launching. If you cannot launch the game after pressing the Play button on War Thunder, temporarily disabling the Windows Defender and third-party antivirus program is recommended, and check if it helps you solve the issue. Follow the steps to do so:

7.1 Disable Windows Defender

Press the Windows + I key on the keyboard to launch Windows Settings.
Now click on the Privacy and Security option available on the left side.

Accessing the Privacy and Security tab
Then click on the Windows Security option.
Now click on the Virus and Threat protection.
And click on the Manage Settings option and turn off the Real-Time protection.

Click to Turn Off Real-Time protection.

Now restart your computer and try launching the game to see if it launches without any issues.

7.2 Disable Third-Party Antivirus:

NOTE: The steps to disable antivirus might differ as per the antivirus program you are using here; we have mentioned the steps to disable the Avast program on Windows PC temporarily.

Click on the Windows Taskbar and search for the Avast antivirus
Now right-click on the Avast Orange icon and click on Avast Shields Control

Disabling the real-time protection feature of Avast
Then select one option among the many, like disable for 10 minutes, 1 hour, or till the computer restart or permanently.

Disabling Avast’s shields
It is recommended to disable it for 10 minutes and check if the War Thunder Not Launching After Pressing Play issue is resolved.

If the problem is resolved, it is clear your antivirus is causing the problem. In this situation, you can switch to another antivirus program or contact the Avast antivirus support center and share your problem. But if still unable to play the game, head to the next fix.

8. Launch the Game in Windowed mode (Steam)

Some games might cause a certain problem if it is not optimized for the PC. Despite this, many users try launching the high system requirements game on low-end PCs, which results in low-quality performance.

If this is the case, then launching the Steam game in windowed mode sometimes works for the users to solve the problem. Follow the steps to launch the game in windowed mode using the game launcher.

Launch the Steam client and click on Library.
Next, right-click on the War Thunder game and click on Properties.
Then in the General section and click on the Set Launch Options.

Setting the Launch Options
Now, copy & paste the given command in the field that opens and click on OK

- -windowed -noborder

Save the changes and try to launch the game to see if the problem is fixed or not.

9. Reset the War Thunder Game

Here it is recommended to reset the War Thunder game to defaults on Windows PC and check if it helps you to solve the issue. To reset the settings to defaults, follow the steps given:

Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
Here click on Apps and then click on Apps and Features.

Accessing the Apps & Features menu
From the list of installed programs, look for the War Thunder game
Then click on Advanced options and Select Reset.
Wait for the process to complete and restart your computer.

10. Reinstall the Game

If any of these fixes didn’t work for you, it is recommended to reinstall the game as there can be issues with the installation process which is causing the problem. To reinstall the game and perform a fresh install.

Follow the steps to do so:

Launch the Steam game client and click on the Library option.
Now right-click on the War Thunder game and click on the Manage option
Then click on the Uninstall

Uninstall War Thunder
If prompted, click Uninstall and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Now reboot your computer.
Again launch the steam client and install the War Thunder game.

Install the War Thunder game.
Install the game with the preferred instructions.
Now launch the game and check if the issue is resolved or not.