Sandustry Black Screen at Launch: Fixes, in Order

Black screen is different from a crash: the process starts (you may hear audio or see the window) but the render never appears. The usual causes are GPU-overlay conflicts, display mode, drivers, or a broken mod. Try the fixes in this order COMMUNITY — most cases resolve in the first two steps.

1. Kill Overlay Conflicts First

From v0.5.3 the devs added a GPU-overlay launch option to bypass overlay conflicts COMMUNITY. Before that: close Discord overlay, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner, and any other on-screen layer, then relaunch. This is the #1 cause of black-screen in week-one reports.

2. Force a Different Display Mode

If overlays aren't the cause, switch fullscreen → borderless window (or vice versa) via the game's video settings, or by editing the config file if you can't see the menu. Black screens frequently follow a monitor-mode mismatch after alt-tab COMMUNITY.

3. Update the GPU Driver

The game needs a DX11-class GPU (minimum GTX 550 Ti / HD 7750 tier) VERIFIED. An outdated driver with a new engine is a classic black-screen trigger. Update, then test.

4. Verify Files & Check the Crash Log

Verify game files in Steam. If it still fails, the crash log — more detailed since v0.5.3 COMMUNITY — will say where rendering stopped. Bring it to the official Discord.

5. Disable Mods

A mod built for an older build can break rendering COMMUNITY. Turn off mods in the Fluxloader config and test a vanilla launch before doing anything else drastic.

FAQ

Black screen but I can hear the game audio?

Strong overlay/display-mode signal — step 1 and 2, in that order.

Does it happen on Steam Deck?

Deck is officially supported VERIFIED; the same overlay and display-mode steps apply. See also Performance for Deck-specific notes.