Only got a black screen at startup or during the thrilling gameplay in Resident Evil Village? You’re definitely not alone! This is one of the known bugs and devs are rolling out a patch. But you might want to fix it on your own. In this post, we’ve got you covered.
Try these fixes
Not all solutions are necessary, so just work the list down until you find the one that solves your problem.
- Verify integrity of game files
- Download and install Windows updates
- Update your graphics driver
- Run your game as admin
- Disable HDR
1. Verify integrity of game files
Making sure that your game files is usually the first step to take when troubleshooting the issues you’re having with your Steam games. The feature, verifying integrity of game files allows you to achieve the goal:
1) Open your Steam client. Under LIBRARY, right-click your game title and select Properties.
2) Select the LOCAL FILES tab. Then click Verify integrity of game files…. 
Then Steam will start to verify your game files. This will take several minutes to repair or redownload any corrupted or missing game files. Wait until the process is finished.
If this didn’t solve your problem, try the next fix below.
2. Download and install Windows updates
Windows updates are used to keep Windows and several other Microsoft programs updated. They also include feature enhancements and security updates to protect your system from malware and malicious attacks. To take full advantage of Windows updates, follow the instructions below to download and install them:
1) In the Search box, type in check for updates. Click Check for updates from the results.
2) Click on the Check for updates tab. If there are any updates available, it’ll automatically start to download and install it. Simply wait for it to complete and you should be asked to restart your computer.
After the reboot, try to launch your game to check if you can get into the main screen successfully.
Still no luck? Don’t worry, there are a few other fixes you can try.
3. Update your graphics driver
Your graphics driver acts like an interpreter between your device and the system. If it’s out-of-date or misconfigured, issues like programs not launching properly would occur. To ensure that you get the most out of your graphics card, you need to check for graphics driver updates. This may help you fix the black screen issue immediately.
There are mainly two ways you can update your graphics driver: manually and automatically.
Option 1: Manually update your graphics driver
If you’re familiar with computer hardware, you can update your graphics driver manually by heading to the manufacturer’s driver download page:
Then find the driver corresponding with your Windows version and download it manually. Once you’ve downloaded the correct driver for your system, double-click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
Option 2: Automatically update your graphics driver (recommended)
If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your graphics driver manually, you can instead do it automatically with Driver Easy. (Also check: users’ reviews on Driver Easy)
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and all your devices, and install the latest correct drivers for you – direct from the manufacturer. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong drivers, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any devices with missing or outdated drivers.
3) Click Update All. Driver Easy will then download and update all your outdated and missing device drivers, giving you the latest version of each, direct from the device manufacturer.
(This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to upgrade to the Pro version, you can also update your drivers with the FREE version. All you need to do is to download them one at a time and manually install them. )
After updating your drivers, restart your PC. Then click on the PLAY button to check if you can boot up the game.
4. Run your game as admin
Sometimes your game may fail to start as intended because it lacks the administrative rights. To fix it, attempt to run Evil Resident Village as an administrator:
1) Open your Steam client. Under LIBRARY, right-click your game title and select Properties.
2) Select the LOCAL FILES tab. Then click Browse… and you’ll be brought to the game’s installation directory. 
3) Find your game’s executable. Make sure to right-click it and select Properties. 
4) Select the Compatibility tab. Check the box next to Run this program as an administrator. Then click Apply > OK. 
After applying the changes, launch your game and it should be running with administrative privileges.
5. Disable HDR
High-Dynamic Range (HDR) refers to the ability of a monitor to display a wider range of contrast ratio and color than an SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) display. This means the image on display is closer to real life. Despite its fascinating features, it could be the cause that your game merely shows a black screen according to players. Therefore, you may need to disable HDR and check if it solves your issue. To do this, take these steps:
1) Open your Steam client. Under LIBRARY, right-click your game title and select Properties.
2) Select the LOCAL FILES tab. Then click Browse… and you’ll be brought to the game’s installation directory.
3) Find the config file and open it.
4) Locate HDRMode and set the value to False.
After you’ve saved the changes, launch the game and you should be able to enjoy your gameplay.
Hopefully, this post helped! Feel free to leave us a comment below if you have any ideas or questions.