The legendary fighting game franchise, Tekken 8, is back, and it’s gained very positive among gamers. But it’s not perfect: some gamers are reporting that their Tekken 8 is not launching on PC for them. Fortunately, many kind, generous players are sharing fixes that solve the Tekken 8 not launching problem on Reddit and the Steam community.

If Tekken 8 is also not launching for you, feel free to try these fixes below to see if they do wonders for you too.

Try these fixes for the Tekken 8 not launching problem

You don’t have to try all the following fixes: simply work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick to fix the Tekken 8 not launching problem for you.

  1. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements
  2. Update Windows
  3. Run Tekken 8 as admin and in compatibility mode
  4. Add Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe to your antivirus exclusion list
  5. Update display card driver
  6. Edit the Steam launch option
  7. Limit the FPS rate
  8. Repair system files

1. Make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements

When your Tekken 8 isn’t launching, the first thing you need to check is whether your computer meets the minimum system requirements for the game. If your machine is below or just at the requirements, you may need to upgrade your hardware for Tekken 8 to run smoothly.

Here are the requirements for Tekken 8 for your reference:

MinimumRecommended
OSWindows 10 (64-bit)Windows 10 (64-bit)
ProcessorIntel Core i5-6600K/AMD Ryzen 5 1600Intel Core i7-7700K/AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Memory8 GB RAM16 GB RAM
GraphicsNvidia GeForce GTX 1050Ti/AMD Radeon R9 380XNvidia GeForce RTX 2070/AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
DirectXVersion 12Version 12
Storage100 GB available space100 GB available space
Sound CardDirectX-compatible soundcard/Onboard chipsetDirectX-compatible soundcard/Onboard chipset
Additional NotesFPS: Stable over 60″ is guaranteed and selected under the graphic settings by default when the game is launched for the first time.FPS: Stable over 60″ is guaranteed and selected under the graphic settings by default when the game is launched for the first time.

If you’re not sure how to check your computer specs, you can press the Windows key and the R key on your computer at the same time, then type msinfo32 to check your system specs in detail:

Generally speaking, Tekken 8 has rather high requirements for your computer hardware, especially when compared to other games. So if you see that your processor or graphics card is not powerful enough to run the game, please consider upgrading your hardware.

When you’re sure that your machine meets the system requirements to run the game, but Tekken 8 still refuses to launch, please move on to the other fixes below.


2. Update Windows

Updating Windows ensures that your overall system environment is solid and sound, and it can sometimes help to fix minor issues like the game not launching. To make sure that you have the latest available updates installed:

  1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows key, then type check for updates, then click Check for updates.

  2. Click Check for updates, and Windows will scan for any available updates.
  3. If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Restart your computer for the update to take effect if needed.
  4. If there are no available updates, you’ll see You’re up to date like this.

Then try your Tekken 8 again to see if it launches well. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.


3. Run Tekken 8 as admin and in compatibility mode

This is suggested by a Reddit user (and has since won many upvotes from other gamers): running Tekken 8 as admin and in compatibility mode for Windows 8 helps to fix the Tekken 8 not launching problem. To see if this does the trick for you:

  1. Right-click your Steam icon and select Properties.
  2. Select the Compatibility tab. Tick the box for Run this program as an administrator. Then click Apply > OK to save the changes.

  3. Then tick the box for Run this program in compatibility mode for: then select Windows 8 from the dropdown list.
  4. Then go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\TEKKEN 8\Polaris\Binaries\Win64\ and find the Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe file, repeat the above so Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe is also run as admin and in compatibility mode in Windows 8.

Now open Tekken 8 again to see if it launches well. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.


4. Add Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe to your antivirus exclusion list

This is mentioned by a few gamers that their antivirus program (one mentioned Avast) is listing Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe as a quarantine file and suggesting a delete.

This is probably why your Tekken 8 is not launching: your third-party antivirus program is stopping the execution file from running in the very first place.

To see if this is your case, you can add Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe to your antivirus exclusion list so it won’t be scanned when launching, and see if this helps Tekken 8 to launch properly. If you’re not sure how to do it, please seek help from your antivirus support.

If adding Polaris-Win64-Shipping.exe to your antivirus exclusion list doesn’t help to fix the Tekken 8 not launching problem, please move on.


5. Update display card driver

An outdated or incorrect display card driver could also be the culprit to your Tekken 8 not launching problem, so if the above methods don’t help Tekken 8 to launch, it’s likely that you have a corrupted or outdated graphics driver. So you should update your drivers to see if it helps.

There are mainly 2 ways you can update your graphics driver: manually or automatically.

Option 1: Update your graphics driver manually

If you’re a tech-savvy gamer, you can spend some time updating your GPU driver manually.

To do so, first visit the website of your GPU manufacturer:

Then search for your GPU model. Note that you should only download the latest driver installer that’s compatible with your operating system. Once downloaded, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to update.

If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 steps (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

  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 problem drivers.
  3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
    Note: You can do it for free if you like, but it’s partly manual.
  4. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support. If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Try to run Tekken 8 again and see if the latest graphics driver helps it to launch. If this fix doesn’t work for you, try the next fix, below.


6. Edit the Steam launch option

Some users suggested that running Steam in windowed mode from within Steam helps Tekken 8 to launch well. This is probably because the windowed mode is less resource-consuming than the fullscreen mode, and therefore reduces the possibility of game problems like not launching or crashing.

To see if this does the wonders for you:

  1. Launch Steam.
  2. In the LIBRARY, right-click on Tekken 8 and select Properties from the drop-down menu.

    Steam - how to verify integrity of game files
  3. Under the launch options, add -windowed, save and launch Tekken 8.

See if Tekken 8 launches well now when it’s in windowed mode. If the problem remains, please move on.


7. Limit the FPS rate

Even though Tekken 8 requires that the FPS (frames per second) rate above 60 should be guaranteed when the game first launches, users are reporting that capping the max FPS helps the game to launch well. To see if this helps to fix the game not launching problem for you:

To set the FPS limit in NVIDIA Control Panel:

  1. On your desktop, right-click in an empty space and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
  2. In the left pane, select Manage 3D Settings and choose Program Settings. Untick the box for Show only programs found on this computer.
  3. Click Select a program to customize, then scroll down the list to select Tekken8.exe (polaris-win64-shipping.exe).
  4. Select High-performance NVIDIA processor, then scroll down to set the Max Fram Rate to a number that’s lower than your monitor refresh rate (which is usually 60 FPS), say 58 FPS.
Unless you use an AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync display card, your Max Frame Limit should be 1/2, 1/3rd, or 1/4th of your monitor’s refresh rate.

To set the FPS limit in AMD Radeon Software:

  1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows key and type amd. Then click AMD Radeon Software.
  2. Click Global Settings, then go to Frame Rate Target Control, and set the frame rate to a number lower than your monitor refresh rate.
Unless you use an AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync display card, your Max Frame Limit should be 1/2, 1/3rd, or 1/4th of your monitor’s refresh rate.

When the FPS rate is set, try to run Tekken 8 again to see if it launches well. If so, please move on.


8. Repair system files

If you are facing persistent issues with Tekken 8 and none of the previous solutions have proven effective, it’s possible that your corrupted system files are to blame. To rectify this, repairing the system files becomes crucial. The System File Checker (SFC) tool can assist you in this process. By executing the “sfc /scannow” command, you can initiate a scan that identifies problems and repairs missing or corrupted system files. However, it is important to note that the SFC tool primarily focuses on scanning major files and may overlook minor issues.

In situations where the SFC tool falls short, a more powerful and specialized Windows repair tool is recommended. Fortect is an automated Windows repair tool that excels in identifying problematic files and replacing malfunctioning ones. By scanning your PC comprehensively, Fortect can provide a more comprehensive and effective solution for repairing your Windows system.

  1. Download and install Fortect.
  2. Open Fortect. It will run a free scan of your PC and give you a detailed report of your PC status.
  3. Once finished, you’ll see a report showing all the issues. To fix all the issues automatically, click Start Repair (You’ll need to purchase the full version. It comes with a 60-day Money-Back Guarantee so you can refund anytime if Fortect doesn’t fix your problem).
The repair is available with the paid version of Fortect that comes with a full money-back guarantee and full technical support. If you need any assistance, feel free to contact their support team.

Thank you for reading the post. If you have other suggestions that have helped to fix the Tekken 8 not launching problem for you, please feel free to share by leaving a comment below.

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