How to fix the most common Outriders demo launch errors
Players are experiencing issues when trying to launch the Outriders demo.
If you've yet to try Outriders, you still have plenty of time. The third-person shooter got a demo over the weekend, which lets players create several characters to experience a sizable chunk of the main game with each of the four classes. Progress will even carry over when it officially launches on April 1, so it's worth diving into.
Unfortunately, that hasn't been an easy task for everyone. Many players have reported a bug that's preventing the app from launching on Steam and Xbox consoles. Luckily, there does appear to be a workaround on both platforms. Here's what you need to know about the error and potential ways to fix them.
What is the Outriders demo launch error?
Players have reported similar, but slightly different issues on both Steam and Xbox. In all instances, the game won't open, though each system presents a different error message explaining why.
According to one Reddit user, opening the app led to a message that read, "Steam client logged in without privileges. It is required. Exiting." Other players replied and confirmed that they experienced the same problem and that reopening the game does not seem to fix it.
On the Xbox side, players are met with an indefinite loading screen when trying to download the game on Xbox Series X through the demo's store page. One player says they were able to get the download finally queued up through the Xbox mobile app, but received a "Do you own this game or app?" message when trying to open it.
How to fix the Outriders launch error
At the moment, there appear to be different solutions for each issue. For Steam users, the problem seems to be tied to antivirus software, which can block the application from opening. One Reddit user noted that the program Comodo was blocking both the Outriders demo and another Steam application. Another user found a similar issue with Windows Firewall, which caused the game to launch as a black screen.
To fix the issue, you'll either need to unblock Steam in your antivirus program or add an outbound rule to give the game access to your computer.
The Xbox issues are a little trickier. One user says they had to download the game from the Xbox website to get it to work and then move it to their system's internet hard drive. Another user confirmed that the method fixed their problem. Others say that simply downloading the game through Xbox's website doesn't fix the issue, so it may have more to do with where the game is stored than anything. If you're experiencing issues, try moving the game from an external hard drive to your Xbox's internal storage.
Hopefully, either of those solutions might fix the problem for you, but if they don't, there's no rush. The Outriders demo will remain available even beyond the game's full launch. There's no fear of missing the boat, so hopefully, Square Enix can find a wider fix for the errors before the game's April 1 launch.
Outriders will be released on April 1, 2021.
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