If you’re mashing the Play button on Steam and RuneScape: Dragonwilds just… doesn’t open, then we’ll try to help you out. A lot of players are reporting that the game won’t launch at all.
Let’s walk through some trouble-shooting options you can try to get it running.
1. Try the Basics (if you haven’t already):
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Restart your PC. Classic fix, still works sometimes.
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Verify Game Files: Right-click the game in Steam → Properties → Installed Files → «Verify integrity of game files».
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Run as Admin: Go to the game’s install folder and launch the .exe as Administrator.
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Reinstall the game. Annoying, but it can help if something got corrupted during install.
2. Epic Online Services May Be Blocking Launch
Even though the game is on Steam, it relies on Epic Online Services. Do this:
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Open the install folder for Dragonwilds.
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Find and run both:
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EpicOnlineServicesInstaller.exe
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InstallEOSServices.bat
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Run each of them as Administrator.
Some players said doing this was what finally got the game to open.
3. Check for BIOS Issues (Advanced)
If you’re on a newer CPU (like Intel 13th/14th gen), there are known compatibility bugs with some games. Updating your BIOS may help—but only do this if you’re comfortable with it. Stick to official, stable BIOS releases unless you know what you’re doing, and if you aren’t sure what you’re doing, skip this one entirely.
4. Game Might Be Running in 32-Bit
Some users noticed Dragonwilds shows up in Task Manager as a 32-bit process even on a 64-bit system. This shouldn’t happen, and may be related to a launch error. Unfortunately, there’s no fix for this yet unless the devs patch it—but keep an eye on updates.
5. Turn Off Background Apps
Close anything you don’t need running. That includes:
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Discord overlays
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RGB software
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Hardware monitoring tools (like MSI Afterburner)
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VPNs
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Streaming tools
Sometimes a third-party app can interfere with launch.
6. Try Compatibility Mode
Navigate to the game’s .exe, right-click it, go to Properties > Compatibility, and try running it in compatibility mode for Windows 8.
7. Check Event Viewer (if nothing else works)
If you still get no error at all, try this:
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Press Windows + S → type Event Viewer → Open.
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Go to Windows Logs > Application.
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Look for any red «Error» messages right after you try to launch the game. They may list what’s crashing and why.
8. Roll Back Your GPU Drivers
A few players with NVIDIA cards (especially 30-series) fixed the issue by going back to drivers from December 2024. Newer drivers may have compatibility issues with UE5.
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Use the NVIDIA Driver Archive to find older versions.
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Uninstall your current driver completely, then install the older one.
Only do this if you’re comfortable with tech.
8. Last Resort: Manual Refund Until Fixed by Devs
If you’ve tried everything and it’s still not working it is possible this is something on the devs end, and Steam may refund the game even if you’re over 2 hours as long as it’s for a tech issue and you clearly explain what you tried.
Final Blurb
Right now, RuneScape: Dragonwilds is in rough Early Access shape. If it won’t launch, the fix might be a weird driver rollback, a missing Epic services install, or a complete BIOS update—none of which should really be your problem. Hopefully, a patch comes soon. Until then, try the steps above and maybe keep a drink handy for morale.
