Stray Not Launching? Stray Won’t Load? Try these fixes

Recently user’s have reported a problem causing Stray not to launch properly. This is a very common issue amongst the new players of the game and the issue can be caused by plenty of reasons.

What Causes Stray to not launch properly

• Corrupt game files- During the installation process the files might not have been properly installed due to many factors that might be internet problems or an unstable connection to the server.
• Missing Visual C++ redistributables- Visual C++ redistributable is a runtime library that contains essential components that are required by applications & games created in a Visual studio environment. Missing Visual C++ redistributables might be causing the error we are facing.
• Outdated Graphics drivers- Users have reported their outdated graphics drivers to be a cause to them facing this inconvenience. 
• Outdated Windows version- An outdated windows version might lead the users to this error as the outdated windows version is most probably full of bugs and is not deemed stable. Updating to a newer and stable version will help us fix this error.
• Hardware Compatibility– Since stray was just released this year, older hardware might not be compatible enough to run the game with ease. Check system requirements for stray before continuing to fixes.

1. Verify game file integrity

Steam comes equipped with a built-in feature that helps users verify game files that repairs any corrupt game files automatically, Follow these steps to verify game file integrity:

1. Open Steam.
2. On the left panel find Stray and Right–Click on it.

   

3. Click on Properties.

   

4. In the new box that opened Click on Local files.
5. Tap on Verify game file integrity.
   

   

6. Wait for a while till the steam finishes processing and validates the process.

Once done, try launching the game if the issue persists continue to the next step.

2. Install Microsoft Visual C++ redistributables.

Visual C++ redistributables is a runtime library and is a necessary component for software and games created in a visual studio environment. Before installing C++ redistributables we’ll check if we even need to do so or not

2.1 Check availability of Visual C++ redistributables 

To check if visual C++ redistributables are available on your computer or not follow these steps:

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run Dialog box.
2. Type Regedit to open the registry editor.
3. Paste in the following address in the Address bar.
   
    

   Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\VisualStudio

4. Once Pasted, Hit the enter key.

   

5. If you find a folder with the name 14.0 skip this method if you do not proceed to the heading 2.0 to learn how to install the latest Visual C++ redistributables. The 14.0 folder contains the latest visual C++ redistributables.

   

2.2 Install Visual C++ Redistributables.

Once you have confirmed that you do not have the latest Microsoft Visual C++ redistributables on your computer, Follow these straightforward steps to Download and install Visual C++ redistributables:

1. Click here to Visit the Microsoft Visual C++ redistributables download page.
2. Once on the page, Scroll down and download both the x86 and x64 versions.

   

3. Install by clicking on the file you just downloaded.

Once installed, Restart your PC and try launching stray. If the issue persists continue to the next step.

3. Clean boot your PC

A clean boot is a method of starting your PC with the least possible services being active. This will allow us to identify if the issue we are facing is due to intrusion from background applications. Follow these steps to clean boot your PC: 

1. Tap on Windows + R key simultaneously to open the run dialog box.
2. Type in msconfig in the run dialog box’s search box.

   

3. On the menu bar select services by clicking on it.

   

4. Make sure to check the box that says Hide all Microsoft services.

   

5. Click on Disable all.
   

   

6. Hit apply and click Ok.
7. Restart your PC.

Once your computer has restarted, it would function normally. Start steam and try launching stray, if the issue presumes continue to the next method.

4. Reinstall Display Drivers

Display driver updates are necessary when playing newly launched games as they might be graphically demanding and it is advised to always keep your display drivers updated. Follow these steps to perform a clean installation of display drivers.

4.1 Uninstall existing Display drivers

We’ll be taking an advanced approach that involves completely uninstalling existing display drivers using a third-party software since the normal uninstall feature that comes equipped with your graphic card’s manufactures software always leaves corrupt registry entries and residual files which might slow your PC down in future. Follow these steps to uninstall existing Display drivers: 

1. Download a Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) by clicking here.
2. Scroll down until you see the download feature, and click on any link to download.
3. Once Downloaded extract the .zip to a new folder.
4. Open the folder that contains extracted .zip contents and click on the highlighted application (as shown in the image)

   

5. In the popup box that just opened, click on extract.

   

6. Open the folder that it just created and click on the Display Driver Uninstaller application file.
7. Close the popup box it just opened by clicking on the close button in the bottom right.
8. Select your GPU Vendor Display driver uninstaller on the right panel, in my case it is nvidia.

   

9. Now Click on the Clean and restart button.

4.2 Download and Install Display drivers

To download and install the latest version of graphics drivers available for your graphic card visit your graphic card manufacturer’s website.

• Click here to Download and Install Graphics drivers here for AMD graphics cards.
• Click here to Download and Install Graphics drivers here for Nvidia graphics cards.

Once You have downloaded and installed fresh graphics card drivers, it is recommended to restart. Once restarted try relaunching stray and if the issue persists continue to the next step.

5. Disable Overlay applications

Players of the stray have reported affective outcomes by disabling applications that provide overlay features such as Discord. Discord here is used as an example, here is how to disable the discord overlay. 

1. Open Discord.
2. On the bottom-right click on the settings icon.

   

3. Scroll down till you see the Game overlay button and click on it.
4. Toggle the Enable in-game overlay switch to off.

   

Once done, try launching stray once again if the issue persists continue to the next step.

6. Update windows

There might be an issue with your current windows version, updating is easy and is recommended by Microsoft as new updates usually fix bugs and errors found in previous versions. Follow these really easy steps to update your windows to the latest version.

1. Tap the Windows key on your keyboard.
2. In the start menu search bar, type Check for Updates.
   

   

3. Click on Check for updates
   

   

4. Windows will automatically install any updates if available.

Once updated, retry launching if the issue persists continue to the final method.

7. Reinstall Stray

If none of the methods mentioned above hasn’t worked for you, it is best to reinstall stray. To reinstall stray follow these steps:

1. Open Steam client.
2. Right-click on stray and hover onto Manage.
3. Click on the Uninstall button.

   

4. Once uninstalled, Restart your computer for effective uninstalltion.
5. After the restart, open the steam client and install stray.

This should fix and your game should launch just fine.