It’s been a few hours since the launch of the highly anticipated looter shooter, The First Descendants, but not all players can play the game. Many players are reporting that they cannot launch the game at all. The issues reported with the game are The First Descendant crashing at startup, not launching, and being stuck on the loading screen. If you have run into any of these issues, here are some things you can do.
Update 08 August 2024 – Game Freezing and Black Screen
The game currently has a major issues and possibly the servers have crashed which is leading to the game freezing for a lot of players. If you verify the game files, you will start getting a black screen on launch. Don’t worry, it’s not an issue on your end. A large number of PC players are getting the error and is likely a server issue. You can check the server details here.
Rename M1_PCD3D_SM6
If the game is not starting for you on 8 August or after, one of the fixes you can try is to rename or delete the fine M1_PCD3D_SM6.upipelinecache. The game will replace the file and the problem should be resolved.
- Go to %LOCALAPPDATA%/M1/Saved
- Find M1_PCD3D_SM6.upipelinecache
- Rename it M1_PCD3D_SM6.old
- Try launching the game.
The First Descendant Crashing and Launch Issues Fix
Fixing a launch problem with a game is not easy and requires some severe troubleshooting due to the sheer number of reasons that can lead to the problem, but here are some things that we think should help and, with some luck, get you playing the game.
Reboot the PC and Attempt to Launch the Game
If you have just downloaded the game and have not rebooted the PC after, try to do it now. More often than not, a simple reboot of the PC can fix various issues with games. So, go ahead and restart the PC. Once the PC restarts, try playing the game.
Verify the Integrity of Game Files
Once you have booted the PC, if the game fails to launch, there may be issues with the game files, such as corruption or missing files; try to run the Steam Verify Integrity of Game files. If you don’t know, then > go to Library > right-click on The First Descendant > Properties > Local Files > Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files. Wait for the process to complete and try to run the game.
Update the Game
The devs released a small patch for the game as we were writing the article. Ensure that you have the latest patch. If the update fails to appear, close the Steam client and restart Steam. You should not be able to see the download.
Here are some other general fixes you should consider:
- Update the graphics card drivers
- Install the game on an SSD and preferably the same place where the Steam client is installed.
- Allow the game in your antivirus or firewall software.
Unfortunately, if the First Descendant is still failing to launch, there is nothing more you can do now. The issue seems to be quite widespread. We will update this post if we find a new solution.
Disable Ray Tracing
Update the Motherboard BIOS
There is currently an issue between the motherboard manufacturers where the Intel CPUs consume too much power which is provided by default by the motherboards. It’s possible that your motherboard manufacturer has issued a new BIOS software that fixes this issue. So, update the BIOS and the crash may be gone.
Do not Overclock
Overlocking can make the CPU or the GPU unstable when not done carefully. Ensure that you are not overlocking any components and it also means any factory overlock the components come with. Find out the default clock speeds of your manufacturer and run the system on that settings.
Update the GPU
This is a no brainer and you may have already tried this, but reinstall the GPU once more and this time while installing, choose to perform a clean install.
