How to Fix Some Mass Effect: Andromeda PC Issues, Including the Black Screen

If you’re having some issues with the PC version of Mass Effect: Andromeda, here are some fixes for common problems.

If you’re an Origin Access member, odds are that you’ve tried, or are planning to try, Mass Effect: Andromeda. As is usual for games on PC, there are a few issues popping up, and there are some fixes as well.

If you’ve encountering any of these issues, give these fixes a try. Hopefully, they can alleviate the problem.

First off, make sure that your PC is up to task and meets the minimum system requirements. They are:

Minimum Requirements

• OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
• CPU: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350
• RAM: 8 GB
• VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 660 2GB, AMD Radeon 7850 2GB
• HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space
• DIRECTX: DirectX 11

Recommended Requirements

• OS: 64-bit Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD FX-8350
• RAM: 16 GB
• VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GTX 1060 3GB, AMD RX 480 4GB
• HARD DRIVE: At least 55 GB of free space
• DIRECTX: DirectX 11

If your hardware is up to snuff, then try these fixes for specific problems:

Problem: Black screen at startup or after alt-tabbing.

• Do you have the Corsair Utility Engine installed? If so, uninstall it.
• Try running in windowed or borderless windowed mode if you need to alt-tab. You can also switch to windowed mode by pressing ALT+Enter.

Problem: The game doesn’t start, but you can see the process in Task Manager.

• Add ActivationUI.exe (the default location is C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Mass Effect Andromeda\core\ActivationUI.exe) to your firewall and/or antivirus whitelist, and relaunch the game.

Problem: Your character is stuck in an animation and isn’t responding.

• Switch between combat and exploration mode
• Open and close your scanner (Press G by default)
• Try jumping
• If none of these remedy the problem, save and restart the game

Problem: After turning on HDR and changing display modes, my graphics look weird. (Radeon GPUs)

• Try to alt-tab out of the game and back in
• Go into your Radeon setting and turn HDR off and back on again

Problem: Having difficulty connecting to multiplayer matches.

All multiplayer in Andromeda is peer-to-peer. If you can’t connect, make sure these ports are open (or forwarded) on your router:

• TCP: 443, 17503, 17504, 10000-19999, 42210, 42130, 42230
• UDP: 3659, 10000-19999

If you’re still having issues, try restarting your router and turning off any VPNs or proxies you may be using.

These fixes should work not only for the Origin Access version, but the full version that launches next week. If none of these fixes address your issue, you can try reaching to EA Support here.

Mass Effect: Andromeda is launching for everyone on March 21 for PC, PS4, and Xbox 360.