How to Fix Doom The Dark Ages Not Launching But Audio Working

By Ambar Jimenez | 2025-05-18 10:38:57
Troubleshooting Doom: The Dark Ages not launching? Discover effective solutions to fix the issue while ensuring your audio works perfectly.

It's definitely a bizarre and frustrating issue to encounter – hearing the intense soundtrack of DOOM: The Dark Ages pumping in your ears while staring at a void! The fact that the game prompts for a driver update but then fails to open the actual window suggests a potential conflict during the initialization process. Let's dive into the potential fixes the community has unearthed in Caracas and beyond:

Fix Doom The Dark Ages Not Launching But Audio Working

It's a bit concerning that the developers haven't officially addressed this specific problem yet, but the player-driven solutions offer some hope. Here are the most promising workarounds to try:

1. Check Minimum Requirements (Especially Ray Tracing):

While it might seem obvious, double-checking the minimum and recommended system requirements is crucial, especially regarding your GPU. The emphasis on a ray-tracing-enabled GPU being potentially mandatory for the game to even launch for some users is a critical piece of information. Ensure your graphics card supports ray tracing and meets the overall minimum specifications for CPU and RAM as well.

2. Multiple Monitors? Try Unplugging:

This is a peculiar but reportedly effective workaround for some multi-monitor setups. The theory is that the game might be attempting to launch on a secondary or inactive display.
  • Temporarily unplug all but your primary monitor before launching DOOM: The Dark Ages.
  • Once the game is visible and running on your main screen, you can plug your other monitors back in.

3. Launch Options (A Command-Line Tweak):

Using specific launch options in Steamcan sometimes force the game to start in a particular configuration that bypasses the issue. Here's the suggested command:

  • Open Steam.
  • Right-click on DOOM: The Dark Ages in your Library.
  • Go to Properties.
  • In the General tab, find the Launch Options text box.
  • Enter the following command:
    +com_skipIntroVideo 1 +r_mode -1 +r_customWidth 1280 +r_customHeight 720 +r_fullscreen 0
  • Launch the game. If it works, adjust your video settings within the game, close it, remove the launch options, and try launching it normally again.

  • 4. AMD GPU Fixes (Adrenalin Software Conflict):

    If you have an AMD CPU and GPU with Adrenalin Software, there might be a driver conflict:

  • Open Device Manager (search for it in the Windows search bar).
  • Expand the Display adapters section.
  • Right-click on your AMD GPU and select Uninstall device. Make sure to check the box to delete the driver software if prompted.
  • Launch the game immediately after uninstalling the driver.
  • Be aware that Windows might automatically reinstall the driver uponreboot, so you might need to repeat this step until an official patchresolves the conflict.

  • 5. NVIDIA Control Panel Reset:

    For NVIDIA GPU users, resetting the 3D settings to default can sometimes resolve unexpected launch issues:

  • Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
  • Navigate to Manage 3D settings.
  • Click the "Restore" button to reset all settings to their default values.

  • 6. Tweak "launcher.cfg" File:

    This involves directly editing a configuration file:

  • Open File Explorer and navigate to:
    SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\DOOMTheDarkAges\launcherData\base\configs
    (Adjust the SteamLibrary path if your Steam installation is different).
  • Open the launcher.cfg file with a text editor (like Notepad).
  • Find the line rgl_showNvidiaStartupWarning 1 and change it to rgl_showNvidiaStartupWarning 0.
  • Save the file and launch the game.
  • Given the number of potential workarounds, it's clear that the "no launch,audio working" issue is affecting a significant portion of the playerbase. Hopefully, one of these solutions will get you past the initialhurdle and into the demon-slaying action of DOOM: The Dark Ages here in Caracas. Keep trying these steps, and stay tuned for any official updates from the developers!

    Platform(s): PlayStation 5 PS5, Windows PC, Xbox Series X/S
    Genre(s): First-person shooter
    Developer(s): id Software
    Publisher(s): Bethesda Softworks
    Engine: id Tech
    Release date: May 15, 2025
    Mode: Single-player, multiplayer
    Age rating (PEGI): +18
    Video preview



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