Mortal Kombat 1 Not Launching On PC [FIX]

Mortal Kombat 1 was released recently, and many fans are thrilled to try it out. However, some bugs and problems could prevent you from playing the Mortal Kombat 1. One common issue is the Mortal Kombat 1 Not Launching On PC, which stops players from starting the game.

There can be multiple reasons, such as incompatible hardware, Windows Defender Interruption, Outdated Drivers, Corrupted Game Files, and Dedicated GPU not Being Used.

The error goes like this: when the user launches Mortal Kombat 1, it just doesn’t launch.

Key Takeaways

Here are the fixes to resolve the Mortal Kombat 1 not launching on PC error.

Check Mortal Kombat 1 System Requirements.
Add MK1 to Windows Defender Exceptions.
Run MK1 as an Administrator.
Fix Corrupted files.
Clear Steam Cache.
End Useless Background Tasks.
Increase the MK1 process priority.
Disable Overlays.
Deactivate the Steam Input.
Run MK1 in Windowed mode.
Set the Dedicated GPU to be used.
Update Drivers.
Reboot your PC.

Mortal Kombat 1 Minimum System Requirements

It’s imperative to ensure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements before purchasing games or software. Failing to do so may lead to compatibility issues and hinder your overall experience. Therefore, you must first check the MK1 system requirements.

However, here are the System Requirements to run Mortal Kombat 1 on PC.

Mortal Kombat 1 System Requirements. (image taken by eXputer)

Operating System (OS): Windows 10 (64-bit)
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™ i5-6600 | AMD Ryzen™ 3 (3100) or Ryzen™ 5 (2600)
Memory (RAM): 8GB
Graphics Card (GPU): Nvidia GeForce® GTX 980 or AMD Radeon™ RX 470 or Intel® Arc™ A750
Storage (SSD): 100GB of free storage

Adding Exception in Windows Defender

Windows Defender can randomly identify a game or application as malicious and put restrictions on it. This can lead to failed launches and even crashes.

To fix this, try disabling Windows Defender. If the game was fixed with this, then simply whitelist the Mortal Kombat game directory in your antivirus settings. Here’s our guide if you need assistance in doing it.

Allow Administrator Privileges

Lack of permissions can also cause Mortal Kombat 1 not to launch or even crash mid-way. To prevent this issue, I recommend launching the game as an administrator. By granting the software these privileges, users can ensure it functions smoothly and without issues.

Here’s our guide on running programs as an administrator if you need help with it.

Fix Corrupted Files

It is important to note that game files can be corrupted or deleted during updating or due to Windows Defender interruptions. Therefore, to fix this gameplay setback, Steam has a function that automatically checks all the game files and downloads and repairs all the missing and corrupted files. Follow our detailed guide on verifying game files on PC if you need some assistance.

Clear Steam Cache

Steam Cache is responsible for temporarily storing files that are essential to the download and update process. However, with time, these files may become outdated or corrupt, which can cause numerous errors and issues.

Clearing your download cache will help resolve this issue. You can follow our guide on How to Clear Cache [Games & Browsers] if you want to learn more.

Deactivate Steam Input

Steam Input makes gaming more accessible and enjoyable than ever before. However, Steam Input has a history of closing with the native input mapping of the game itself. Therefore, you should disable this feature for MK1.

Here’s how to turn off the Steam Input feature:

Launch the Steam app and open the Steam Library>Right-click Mortal Kombat 1>click Properties.
Opening Game properties in Steam app. (image captured by eXputer)
After that, go to the Controller section, click the use default settings button beside the Override Mortal Kombat 1 heading, and select the Disable Steam Input option from the drop-down options.
Disabling the Steam Input Option in the Steam app Settings. (image copyrighted by eXputer)

Disable Overlays

When you’re playing games, in-game overlays can be useful tools for various purposes. But it’s important to be aware that leaving them will cause them to run in the background and cause clashes with the game. This is one of the major causes of MK1 Not Launching on PC error. To fix this, you can take help from our guide on disabling third-party overlays.

Use The Dedicated GPU

Direct access to your dedicated GPU is crucial for the game to achieve optimal performance. If you haven’t specifically selected your dedicated GPU, the game will try to run on your integrated GPU, which will crash the game on startup.

The best solution to this problem is specifically choosing your dedicated GPU in your driver/Windows settings. You can take queues from our guide on it as well.

Launch in Windowed Mode

If you’re experiencing Mortal Kombat 1 Not Launching on PC error due to fullscreen optimization errors. Therefore, switching to Windowed Mode may be a viable solution. This can potentially resolve the issue and allow you to launch the game successfully.

However, here’s how to Launch Mortal Kombat 1 in Windowed Mode using its config file.

Press Windows+R to open RUN, type %LOCALAPPDATA%, and click OK to open the Local Appdata folder> Prospect>Saved>Config>WindowsNoEditor folder, and there you’ll find a config file named GameUserSettings.
Open the GameUserSettings file with any text editor and set the FullscreenMode=1 to FullscreenMode=0.

Note: Some games, by default, have the fullscreen settings to the max, so your display might not support them.

End Useless Background Tasks

To optimize your computer’s performance for system-intensive games like Starfield, Armored Core VI, and Mortal Kombat 1, it’s recommended to close any background software that may be running concurrently. This can significantly reduce the system load on your RAM, CPU, and HDD/SSD. Here’s our guide to help you apply this error-fix method.

Final Words

The MK1 not launching issue is quite troublesome, and it belongs to a list of issues that players have been facing since launch. Although at the time of writing, most of the issues have been resolved. However, the game not launching issue can randomly occur to any player regardless of whether their game has updated to the latest version.

Hence, I recommend that you follow all the methods in my guide above. Additionally, you can also try some simple fixes like Updating your Drivers, Updating your Windows to the latest version, and Restarting your System. If your Windows is feeling sluggish and you want to amp up the performance, I recommend you follow our Windows best settings and optimization guide.

FAQs

Why do I get the Mortal Kombat 1 not Launching on PC error?

There can be multiple reasons for this error, ranging from fullscreen optimization errors, Steam Input, Corrupted files, etc., as the game has just been released recently and isn’t as optimized.

How can I fix the Mortal Kombat 1 Not Launching on PC error?

You can fix the Mortal Kombat 1 Not Launching on PC error by Disabling Steam Input and Enabling Windowed Mode, etc.