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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsiTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Start with the low-risk fixes in this order: let Steam finish updating Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, update Windows, close overlays and duplicate controller software, verify the game files, install the Visual C++ 2010 x86 runtime, and try the -skipmovies launch option. If the game still shows a black or colored screen, back up the user folder before removing only gameState.save. Controller failures need a separate check: disconnect every extra or virtual pad, launch with one controller, then choose the correct device under Options > Gameplay.
These steps address the startup movie, DirectX initialization, damaged state files, and controller enumeration problems reported for the Windows PC version. They do not erase your saves unless you deliberately remove the specific state file after making a backup.
Identify the failure before changing anything
The symptom determines which branch to follow. A black screen immediately after launching is usually handled by the runtime, file, movie, or saved-state steps. A purple or other colored screen can indicate a DirectX initialization problem. A game that closes after a few seconds may need the same startup repairs, but compatibility testing is also useful. If the game launches only when controllers are unplugged, treat that as an input-enumeration issue rather than a graphics failure.
Black screen on first startup
The game’s pinned troubleshooting guidance says that most first-start black-screen problems should be resolved by repairing the Visual C++ runtime, updating Windows, verifying or reinstalling the game, deleting a damaged gameState.save after a backup, or skipping the opening movies. Use the least destructive measures first.
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Purple, colored, or otherwise corrupted screen
Mimimi developer Johannes reported that some computers with DirectX 10 or DirectX 11-capable graphics cards were incorrectly initializing DirectX 9 when the game started. The developer’s guidance points players to the black-screen remedies and asks for a newly generated output_log.txt when the issue remains. A colored screen therefore warrants the same baseline repairs, followed by log collection rather than repeated save deletion.
Crash, hang, or silent exit
A startup crash can be caused by an incomplete update, missing 32-bit runtime components, a damaged installation, a bad startup movie, corrupted state, or a controller conflict. Work through the ordered procedure below so that each test changes one relevant variable at a time.
Controller not working or “UNKNOWN CONTROLLER”
External Xbox-compatible pads, Bluetooth adapters, and virtual-controller layers can be enumerated in an unexpected order. Reports describe the game assigning input to an UNKNOWN CONTROLLER entry or failing during launch when multiple devices are present. Disconnecting extras and selecting the intended pad in the game’s options is a separate fix from the graphics steps.
Follow this safe troubleshooting order
- Create a clean baseline. Restart Windows, install pending Windows updates, close overlays and controller-mapping utilities, and wait for Steam to finish updating the game.
- Repair the installation and runtime. Verify the game files in Steam and install the Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable. Reinstall the game only if verification does not repair the launch.
- Bypass startup movies. Add
-skipmoviesto Steam’s launch options and test again. - Reset only damaged state. Back up the complete
userfolder, then removegameState.savefromgameState_00if it exists. Check how Steam Cloud is configured before doing this. - Test graphics and Windows compatibility. Try windowed mode, then the community-reported Windows 8 compatibility setting and disabled fullscreen optimizations. These are reversible, anecdotal workarounds, not guaranteed fixes.
- Isolate the controller. Unplug or disable every extra pad and virtual device, start the game with one controller, and select the correct entry under Options > Gameplay.
- Capture diagnostics. Reproduce the problem once, close the game, and copy the newly written
Shadow Tactics_Data/output_log.txtalong with a DxDiag report before contacting support.
1. Establish a clean Steam and Windows baseline
Finish the game update
Open Steam and wait until the download queue and the game’s status show that updating is complete. Steam’s update history records a release that fixed startup errors resulting in only a black screen, so testing an old or partially downloaded build can send you down the wrong troubleshooting path. Do not start the game while Steam is still applying an update.
Restart and remove competing software
Restart Windows after updates have installed. Before the next launch, close screen-recording overlays, GPU overlays, chat overlays, macro tools, and controller remappers. These programs can inject input or rendering hooks into the game; removing them gives you a meaningful baseline without changing the installation.
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2. Verify files and install the required runtime
Verify through Steam
- Open Steam > Library.
- Right-click Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun and choose Properties.
- Select Installed Files.
- Choose Verify integrity of game files and wait for Steam to finish.
- Restart Steam if it reports that files were reacquired, then launch the game once before trying another change.
Verification replaces missing or altered installation files but does not intentionally remove your personal saves. If verification repeatedly reports files and the game still fails, uninstall and reinstall the game from Steam. Keep your backed-up save folder even when reinstalling.
Install Visual C++ 2010 x86
The pinned game-specific guidance identifies the Visual C++ 2010 x86 Redistributable as a prerequisite for the first-start black-screen path. Install the x86 package even on 64-bit Windows: the game may require 32-bit runtime components. Reboot after installation if Windows requests it, then test the unmodified game before adding launch options.
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3. Skip the opening movies
Startup movie playback is a documented part of the black-screen workaround. For versions covered by the 1.4.4 guidance and later builds, add -skipmovies to the game’s Steam launch options:
- In Steam, open the game’s Properties.
- Stay on the General tab.
- Find Launch Options and enter
-skipmoviesexactly, including the leading hyphen. - Close the Properties window and launch the game.
If the game now reaches the menu, leave the option enabled while you play. You can remove it later by returning to the same field and deleting the text. The developer’s later colored-screen guidance also directs affected players to this option, so it is relevant even when the screen is purple or another color rather than black.
4. Reset corrupted state without deleting all saves
Back up the complete user folder
Do not begin by deleting the entire save directory. In File Explorer, navigate to:
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C:UsersUSERAppDataLocalDaedalic Entertainment GmbHShadow Tactics Blades of the Shogunuser
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchReplace USER with your Windows account name. Copy the whole user folder to another location, such as your Documents folder or an external drive. The backup gives you a way to restore progress if the reset does not help.
Remove only gameState.save
Inside the original folder, look for gameState_00gameState.save. If that file exists, close Steam and the game, then move the file to your backup location rather than permanently deleting it. Start the game again. This is a targeted state reset; it is not an instruction to erase every save slot or the entire user directory.
Account for Steam Cloud
Steam Cloud can synchronize a copy of the old state back to the computer. Check the game’s Cloud status and any conflict prompt before and after the reset. Keep the local backup regardless of which copy Steam offers. If Cloud restores the damaged file, the same black screen can return; resolve the synchronization choice deliberately instead of accepting a replacement without checking its date.
5. Test graphics and Windows compatibility
Try a windowed launch
If the game starts but remains black in fullscreen, test windowed mode using the game’s available display setting or a windowed launch option shown by your installed build. A windowed test changes presentation without touching saves and can distinguish a fullscreen hand-off problem from a failed game initialization. Once the menu appears, apply a conservative resolution and then test fullscreen again.
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Use Windows 8 compatibility mode as an experiment
Community reports describe modern Windows launch failures improving when the executable is run in Windows 8 compatibility mode. This is anecdotal and may not help every system. To test it, browse to the game’s installation folder, right-click ShadowTactics.exe, choose Properties > Compatibility, enable Run this program in compatibility mode for, select Windows 8, and apply the change. Launch once. If there is no improvement or another feature breaks, return to the same dialog and clear the setting.
Disable fullscreen optimizations
In the same Compatibility tab, community reports also recommend enabling Disable fullscreen optimizations for ShadowTactics.exe. Treat this as a reversible workaround, not an official guarantee. Test it independently from compatibility mode when possible so you know which setting affected the result. Clear the checkbox to roll back the change.
Understand the DirectX clue
The developer explained that some DX10/DX11-capable systems were starting the game with DirectX 9 instead of the newer API they supported. That diagnosis is based on submitted logs, not a universal rule for every colored screen. If your hardware supports DX10 or DX11 and the display is colored, keep the installation and state repairs intact, reproduce the failure once, and preserve the resulting log for support rather than repeatedly changing unrelated driver settings.
6. Fix controller enumeration and UNKNOWN CONTROLLER errors
Reduce the device list
- Exit the game.
- Disconnect extra USB controllers, racing wheels, fight sticks, Bluetooth receivers, and other gamepads.
- Close virtual-controller and remapping software, and disable duplicate devices presented by that software.
- Leave one intended controller connected directly to the PC.
- Launch Shadow Tactics and test input.
External or Xbox-compatible controllers can affect launch independently of rendering. A game that crashes only when a second pad is connected should be tested with the minimal one-device setup before you alter graphics settings or saves.
Select the intended pad in the game
Open Options > Gameplay. If several controller entries appear, select the entry that corresponds to the connected pad rather than UNKNOWN CONTROLLER. Apply the setting, return to the menu, and test movement and camera controls. If the correct entry is not available, exit, disconnect all other devices, and repeat the one-controller launch.
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When one controller still fails
Try a different USB port and reconnect the same device without adding another controller. Remove Bluetooth adapters temporarily if they expose a stale device. Then launch with keyboard and mouse only. If keyboard input works but the single controller does not, the remaining problem is likely device recognition or mapping; if the game still crashes with no controller attached, return to the startup and graphics branches.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.7. Capture logs and request support
Collect a fresh output_log.txt
The game overwrites output_log.txt on each start. Reproduce the failure once, close the game, and immediately copy the file from the installation’s Shadow Tactics_Dataoutput_log.txt directory. Do not launch repeatedly before copying it, or the useful error from the failed attempt may be replaced.
Create a DxDiag report
Press Win+R, enter dxdiag, press Enter, allow the diagnostic tool to finish loading, and choose Save All Information. Keep the resulting text file with the game log. It records the Windows and graphics environment support staff need when investigating DirectX initialization.
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Steam identifies Daedalic Entertainment as the publisher and Mimimi Games as the developer. Use the game’s technical-support entry in Steam and attach the fresh output_log.txt and DxDiag report. Describe the exact symptom, whether the game reaches a menu, whether -skipmovies changes it, whether the problem occurs with no controller connected, and which Windows compatibility settings you tested. The developer specifically requests these artifacts for unresolved startup-screen problems.
Which fix should you try first?
| Remedy | Best symptom match | Changes files or saves? | Reversible? | Evidence strength |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finish Steam update | Black screen after an old or incomplete build; startup errors | No personal saves | Yes; Steam controls the build | Official Steam update history records a startup black-screen fix |
| Verify game files | Crash, missing content, black screen after an interrupted update | Repairs installation files; does not target saves | Yes, although repaired files remain | Pinned game troubleshooting guidance |
| Visual C++ 2010 x86 | First-start black screen or early launch failure | Installs a Windows runtime; no save change | Yes, through Windows installed-apps management | Pinned game troubleshooting guidance |
-skipmovies |
Black or colored screen during startup movies | No | Yes; remove the launch option | Official game guidance and later developer colored-screen post |
Move gameState.save |
Failure that persists after installation and runtime repairs | Yes, one state file; backup required | Yes, restore the backup, subject to Steam Cloud synchronization | Official game guidance; targeted state reset |
| Windows 8 compatibility mode | Modern Windows launch or immediate-close failures | No game files or saves | Yes; clear the checkbox | Community-reported workaround |
| Disable fullscreen optimizations | Fullscreen black screen or display hand-off problems | No game files or saves | Yes; clear the checkbox | Community-reported workaround |
| Disconnect extra controllers | UNKNOWN CONTROLLER, launch crash with multiple pads, missing input | No | Yes; reconnect devices after testing | Controller conflict reports and in-game device-selection guidance |
Send output_log.txt and DxDiag |
Any unresolved startup, colored-screen, or crash issue | Reads diagnostics only | Yes | Explicit developer support request |
Common mistakes that make diagnosis harder
- Deleting every save first: remove only the named state file after copying the entire
userfolder. - Ignoring Steam Cloud: a synchronized copy can restore the same damaged state, so review the Cloud prompt and keep your backup.
- Testing with several controllers connected: duplicate physical, Bluetooth, and virtual devices can recreate UNKNOWN CONTROLLER even after a successful launch.
- Changing many settings at once: verify files, add
-skipmovies, and test compatibility options one at a time so you can undo the change that caused a new problem. - Overwriting the log before sending it: reproduce once and copy
output_log.txtimmediately because each start replaces it. - Treating community workarounds as guarantees: Windows 8 compatibility mode and fullscreen-optimization changes are reversible reports, not universal fixes.
When to stop troubleshooting locally
Escalate after Windows is updated, Steam reports a healthy installation, the Visual C++ 2010 x86 runtime is installed, -skipmovies has been tested, the backed-up state reset has either been tried or ruled out, and the game has been tested with one controller or none. At that point, further random driver, registry, or save changes can destroy useful evidence. Send the fresh log and DxDiag through the game’s support route with a concise timeline of the tests and their results.
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