Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain — How to Fix "Black screen and white screen on launch"
Black screen and white screen on launch in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain: the fix path, and when it is grounds for a refund.
Last updated 2026-09-25 · evergreen reference
If Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is failing with "Black screen and white screen on launch", this page tells you which fixes are worth your time and when you should stop troubleshooting and go to the store instead. The causes are specific, so the fixes are too.
What the error looks like
Confirm you are dealing with the same failure.
Recognising "Black screen and white screen on launch"
The game boots to a black screen and freezes, or shows a white screen immediately after starting.
Why it happens
The cause determines the fix.
Cause 1
Screen overlays. NVIDIA ShadowPlay and GeForce Experience are the named culprits for Fox Engine on PC, and this is the first thing to rule out.
Cause 2
A damaged TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG file, which produces the white-screen case.
Cause 3
Missing Media Feature Pack on Windows N and KN editions, which surfaces as an MFPlat.dll error rather than a black screen.
Fixes, in the order that works
Cheapest and most reversible first.
Disable ShadowPlay and the GeForce Experience overlay
Turn both off completely and relaunch. Community reports consistently name these as the cause of the black-screen freeze in this game.
Delete TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG
Go to the configuration folder, delete TPP_GRAPHICS_CONFIG and relaunch so the game regenerates it. This is the fix for the white-screen case.
Install the Media Feature Pack
If you see an MFPlat.dll error, you are on a Windows N or KN edition. Install the Media Feature Pack matching your Windows version — it is a system component, not a game file.
Test with launch options
Try -windowed, -noborder and -w 1280 -h 720 one at a time in Steam launch options. Do not stack them, or you will not know which one helped.
Remove ReShade and custom DLL files
Move dxgi.dll, d3d11.dll, ReShade.ini and the reshade-shaders folder out of steamapps\common\MGS_TPP, then test unmodded.
How to confirm it is fixed
One successful launch is not proof.
Retest properly
Launch twice with overlays still disabled. If it only starts with overlays off, keep a game-specific profile that prevents them from injecting.
When to ask for a refund instead
Troubleshooting has a deadline.
Know the window
Steam refunds within 14 days of purchase and under 2 hours of playtime, and documented technical faults are sometimes accepted past that. Microsoft Store and Epic follow similar rules with store-specific exception paths.
Evidence changes outcomes
Attach crash logs, a DxDiag and the steps you already tried. A denied refund can sometimes be overturned when you can show the game is genuinely unplayable rather than simply disliked.
Bans are not refundable
If the failure follows an anti-cheat ban or a modified online client, no store will refund it. That is a separate category from a game that will not run.
Related pages
This is an independent player reference and is not official documentation for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. GameFixPro does not host or link to copyrighted assets. Modding guidance is for single-player use only — never use mods in online multiplayer. Verify current requirements, prices and policies with the publisher before acting.