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How to get rid of black screen on Cyberpunk 2077?

Recent reports indicate that Cyberpunk 2077 for PC is riddled with bugs that affect gameplay. On forums like Reddit, gamers have been ranting about encountering an error while trying to load a saved game. The point is, all they can see is a black screen.

While the developers of Cyberpunk 2077 haven’t released any official announcement concerning the bug, we share several tips on how to get rid of the Cyberpunk 2077 black screen issue.

What Causes the Cyberpunk 2077 Black Screen Error?

Since its release, Cyberpunk 2077 has had its share of issues. One of them is the “Saved data is damaged and cannot be loaded” error message, which users encounter when trying to load a saved game.

The error can happen when the save game file is larger than 8MB in size. The bug is said to mostly affect those users who have collected too many items, as doing so leads to the save file size becoming larger.

Once the save game file starts to expand in size, the user starts to experience long loading times and see a black screen that lasts 30 seconds or so.

How to Fix the Black Screen Issue When Loading a Saved Game in Cyberpunk 2077

Solution 1: Install the Latest Graphics Driver

Some users said that updating the graphics driver had resolved the black screen issue for them, so we think you should follow suit. The thing is, your graphics card is a core component when it comes to your PC’s performance, especially when playing video games. If the graphics card driver becomes outdated or faulty, you may start to run into various PC issues, including the black screen error when loading a save in Cyberpunk 2077. In such a case, your best bet is to install the latest graphics card driver.

Here are some suggestions:

Manually Update Your Graphics Card Driver

To fix the problem, you’ll have to visit your graphics card manufacturer’s official website to download and install the correct driver versions.

If you’re using an NVIDIA card, go to the manufacturer’s official website and download the correct graphics card driver for your Windows version. If you have an AMD device installed, follow this link; it will take you to AMD’s official website, where you’ll find the latest driver versions for your graphics card. Once you download the correct drivers, install them.

Automatically Update Your Graphics Card Driver

Manually updating your graphics card driver is easier said than done. First, you must know your current driver’s version and type. Plus, you need to determine whether your operating system is 64-bit or 32-bit.

If you download the wrong driver, you risk running into compatibility issues, which may lead to more PC problems. To avoid such a scenario, we recommend using a trustworthy driver updating tool like Auslogics Driver Updater. This tool automatically fixes all your driver problems, including outdated or faulty drivers. Here is how to use the program:

  1. Go to the tool’s official webpage and download it.
  2. Install it on your machine and let it perform a scan.
  3. The scan should be fast, and it will present you with a list of all the drivers installed on your PC (under the “Diagnostics” tab), including those that need updating.
  4. You can update only your graphics card driver or all of the outdated/missing drivers with just a click of a button.

As you can see, Driver Updater automatically identifies your operating system and the graphics card that you’re using. You’ll also find the “Backup” and “Restore” functions useful since they allow you to back up your current drivers before installing the latest ones, just in case something goes wrong with the newer driver versions.

Moreover, you can schedule to have your PC’s device drivers updated regularly, say every once a month, to ensure that your system is always optimized for top performance.

To take maximum advantage of the program, upgrade to the full version and update all the outdated drivers in one go.

Once you complete the driver updating process, restart your system and run Cyberpunk 2077 to check if the black screen issue still occurs when loading a save.

Solution 2: Allow Cyberpunk 2077 Through Your Windows Firewall

Windows Firewall keeps unauthorized applications from accessing your system and its resources. If the firewall doesn’t trust a particular application, say Cyberpunk 2077, it may block it, preventing it from functioning correctly.

To fix this, you will have to manually add Cyberpunk 2077 to the list of allowed apps and features. The process is quite straightforward, and here are the steps:

  1. Open Windows Firewall. To do this, press the Win + S shortcut, type in Windows firewall, and press “Enter”.
  2. This will launch the “Windows Defender Firewall” screen in the Control Panel.
  3. You’ll see several options in the left pane. Click on “Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall”.
  4. On the next screen, click on the “Change settings” button to get permission to add an app through the firewall.
  5. Next, click on the “Allow another app…” button at the bottom of the screen and select “Browse…”.
  6. When File Explorer pops up, search for the directory containing Cyberpunk 2077 files. The default location of the game on your Windows 10 PC should be in Program Files > Steam > steamapps > common > Cyberpunk 2077 > bin > x64.
  7. Once you find it, select the “Cyberpunk2077” application and click “Open”.
  8. Now click on the “Add” button to add the game to the list of allowed apps and features.
  9. Tick the checkboxes under “Private” and “Public” to prevent Windows Defender Firewall from blocking Cyberpunk 2077.
  10. Click “OK” to save the changes.

Try running the game to see if you can now play it without issues.

Solution 3: Repair the Cyberpunk 2077 Game Files

Another possible method to fix the ‘Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t load saves’ issue is to repair the files of the game. Some of the game files could be missing or corrupted. In either case, this may trigger the Cyberpunk 2077 black screen problem. To resolve it, you should try repairing the game files.

The process will differ based on the platform you’re using.

For Steam users:

  1. Launch the Steam client.
  2. Select the “Library” tab and locate Cyberpunk 2077.
  3. Right-click it and select “Properties”.
  4. Look for the tab labeled “Local Files” and select it.
  5. Click on the “Verify Integrity of Game Files…” option and allow the process to run uninterrupted. This may take several minutes.

Once it’s complete, try running the game to check if you’re still getting the black screen when loading a save.

For Epic Games users:

  1. Run the Epic Games Launcher and select “Library” from the left pane.
  2. Find Cyberpunk 2077 and click on the three-dotted icon.
  3. Click on “Verify” and allow the verification process to run uninterrupted. This may take several minutes. Once it’s done, load Cyberpunk 2077 and check if the issue has been resolved.

For GOG Galaxy users:

  1. Find the GOG Galaxy 2.0 icon and double-click on it to launch it.
  2. Click on the “Owned games” option and select your game.
  3. Click the Settings icon next to the “Play” button and go to Manage installation > Verify / Repair.
  4. Allow the process to run and check if the game loads without triggering the black screen.

Solution 4: Disable Full-Screen Optimization and High DPI

Windows 10 PCs come pre-configured with full-screen optimization and high DPI. For some reason, these settings can cause the black screen issue, not only in Cyberpunk 2077 but in a variety of other games as well.

To fix the black screen problem, try disabling full-screen optimization and high DPI on your Windows 10 machine. Here’s how:

  1. Open the folder containing the installation files of Cyberpunk 2077. In this case, they should be in the Program Files > Steam > steamapps > common > Cyberpunk 2077 > bin > x64 folder.
  2. Right-click on the application (.exe) file and select “Properties”.
  3. Open the “Compatibility” tab and check the “Disable fullscreen optimizations” checkbox.
  4. Next, click on the “Change high DPI settings” button, check the “Override high DPI scaling behavior” option, and choose “Application” from the drop-down list.
  5. Click “Apply” followed by “OK” to save the changes.

Solution 5: Install the Latest Windows 10 Version

In case you didn’t know, Windows 10 has a new version dubbed 20H2. It comes with improved features to boost Windows performance and enhance your system’s security. The rollout of the 20H2 version has been slow. So, you may or may not see the option to download and install the new version of Windows 10 on your PC.

If you don’t know the Windows version currently running on your PC, here’s how to check it:

  1. Use the Win + I shortcut to open the Windows “Settings” app.
  2. Go to “System”, navigate to the bottom of the page and select “About”.
  3. Scroll down and check your Windows 10 version under “Windows specifications”.
  4. An alternative method is to use the Win + R keyboard shortcut and type winver followed by “Enter”. This will display the version of your Windows 10.

If you get the option to download and install the new Windows 10, version 20H2 under the Update & Security > Windows Update section in the “Settings” app, click the “Download and install” link.

If you don’t, you can do so manually:

  1. Open the Windows Update Assistant page and click on the “Update now” button. The download should begin immediately.
  2. Once it’s finished, double-click on the file to initiate the installation process. Click on the “Update Now” button and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. This may take a while, so wait patiently as the newest version of Windows 10 is being installed.

Once the update is installed successfully, you should be able to load and play Cyberpunk 2077 without any issues. 

That’s all we have on how to fix the black screen when loading a saved game in Cyberpunk 2077. If you know of a solution that works and is not listed here, please feel free to share it with our community by commenting below.