Cities: Skylines (Steam) - The game is unable to launch

[kavin273]

Describe your issue
The game is unable to launch

What is your game version?


What expansions do you have installed?
(DID NOT ANSWER QUESTION)

What mods are you using?
No

Please explain your issue is in as much detail as possible.
I can see the paradox title but no response and crushed

Can you replicate the issue? If yes, please explain how you did it.
always crushed

Attachments File(s) attached

 

[AndrewT]

Has the game ever run on this machine? Or never yet?

Can you log into the launcher okay?

You may as well update that nVidia driver:

Download the latest official NVIDIA drivers

Download the latest official NVIDIA drivers

www.nvidia.com

 

[kavin273]

Has the game ever run on this machine? Or never yet?
Never yet

Can you log into the launcher okay?
The launcher is ok to log in but failed to update.
And I tried to skip the launcher by a bat file, the game is also crashed at the paradox page.

You may as well update that nVidia driver: The driver is up to date

 

[AndrewT]

Please try this:

- exit the Steam app entirely
- uninstall Paradox Launcher v2 from the Windows "Apps and features" utility, if still present.

Delete the following folders if still present:

- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Programs/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/
- C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Roaming/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer.

- run steam.exe as the Windows Admin user

- run the game from the PLAY button in Steam

IF that doesn't help, in this folder are some .log files:
C:/users/<UserName>/AppData/Local/Paradox Interactive/launcher-v2/
Please attach them here.

 

[kavin273]

I did all the above steps but not worked. Please check the log files.

 

[AndrewT]

Still a really old version of th elauncher, somehow. Let's try forcing an update of the launcher.

Download the installer package for Windows: https://forumcontent.paradoxplaza.com/emailsignatures/2020.13-win-prod.zip

Unpack the file you just downloaded and place the three files in the Steam folder for the game you're having issues with. If asked if you want to replace already existing files click "yes" - that's a sign you are in the right place!

Then please repeat the launcher reinstall procedure from before.

Good luck with that!

 

[kavin273]

The launcher is successfully updated (1.13.1-f1), at least no update error message showing. But the game still shut down at the startup stage, just when the Paradox page showed up. Although my driver is updated, the hardware is really old (Nvidia GT740M). I still played over 100h before the last version. It's really weird and still thank you for this.

 

[AndrewT]

The launcher is successfully updated (1.13.1-f1)

That's the game version. The launcher will be 2020.13 if it is updated now.


Please gather both these two informational files, and attach them here:

...\Steam\steamapps\common\Cities_Skylines\Cities_Data\output_log.txt

DXDIAG is a program you run from a command prompt or the Windows start menu 'run' dialog box (or 'search programs' in Windows 7 or later). After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

 

[kavin273]

The game version is 2020.13 and files are attached as following.

 

[AndrewT]

The game version is 2020.13

Erm, no, that is the launcher version

I see two problems in those files:

- Windows 10 has not had any major update applied for over 2 years. Run the Updater app and look for a new Windows 10 version to apply - not a patch or update but a whole new version. Apply that, reboot, run Updater again, apply everything, reboot - keep doing that until completely up to date

- from the errors in that log I suspect the game installation is corrupted. Try a clean reinstall:

- Remove the game from Steam (uninstall)
- Manually delete all these files and folders, if still there:

...\Steam\steamapps\common\Cities_Skylines\
...\Steam\SteamApps\workshop\content\255710\
...\AppData\Local\Colossal Order\Cities_Skylines
(first move the /saves/ folder elsewhere to keep your save games)
(To see the AppData folder you'll need to enable View Hidden Items in File Explorer)

- Install the game again and see if it runs now.

Good luck with that!

 

[kavin273]

It takes some time to complete the Windows update and reinstall the Cities program. But it still deadlocked. And I also attached output and DxDiag files.

 

[AndrewT]

Windows 10 has now updated by 1 year, but there should be another new version from late 2019? I doubt that is a problem though.


In your Steam Library right-click on this game and choose Properties. Click on Set Launch Options, and paste this in there:

-noWorkshop -disableMods -force-d3d9

If there is still a problem then, please post another output log with those options in place, thanks.

 

[kavin273]

Oh, it works! Thank you. So my OS still needs to update or continue to force D3D9?

 

[AndrewT]

Well, for general security you should certainly keep your Windows completely up to date at all times. But as the game is running now, you should leave the D3D9 option there, yes.