Skyrim Special Edition Won't Launch From Steam? - Bethesda Support

If your PC (Steam) copy of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition is not launching after pressing Play, is stuck at the "Preparing to Launch" text box, or is running in the background but not actually launching, you can try the following troubleshooting steps:

Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

You can download and install latest drivers (based on manufacturer) here:

• NVIDIA
• AMD

Run the Game and Steam as Administrator

To run the game as an Administrator:

1. Right-click The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition in your Steam Library.
2. Select Properties and then the Local Files tab.
3. Click Browse Local Files.
4. Locate the game executable (the application).
5. Right-click it and go to Properties.
6. Click the Compatibility tab.
7. Check the Run this program as an administrator box and click Apply.

Once complete, restart Steam and try launching the game again.

To run Steam as an Administrator, find the Steam executable instead (here by default: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam) and follow the same process as above.

Ensure your version of Windows is Updated

To ensure your version of Windows has all the latest updates, you should run Windows Update. You can find it by navigating to your Start menu, selecting All Programs and then selecting Windows Update. Please note that its location may differ based on your version of Windows. If you are having trouble locating it, use the Search programs and files function from the Start menu to find it. Once you have launched it, allow it to identify, download, and install any required updates and try launching the game again.

Verify Integrity of Game Cache

To ensure the game files are installed correctly, you should verify the files in Steam. To do so:

1. Open Steam and navigate to your Library.
2. Right-click on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and select Properties.
3. Select the Local files tab and click Verify integrity of game files...
4. Steam will verify the game's files. This process may take several minutes.
5. Once the process is completed, the Check Window will automatically exit.

Please Note: One or more files may fail to verify; in most cases this is normal. These are local configuration files and should not be altered in this process.

Disable Background Applications

Programs running in the background can, in some cases, cause issues when launching new games. Disable any unnecessary programs and try to launch the game again.

Check for Additional Installers

If a game launch is cancelled or interrupted, it is possible that your computer will be missing programs or services that the game needs to run. This could include DirectX, PhysX, C++ components, or Windows Updates. The Steam platform should run any required installers when the game is initially launched. If this does not occur, you may need to launch them manually. The installers can usually be found in Skyrim Special Edition's installation folder, found here by default: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Skyrim Special Edition.

You can find additional troubleshooting steps on the Steam Support page here.