SWTOR not Launching After Clicking Play

Are you able to log in to Star Wars: The Old Republic, but when you try and press play, nothing happens?

There’s some fixes you can try to get your game up and running after the most recent 7.2.1 update! This update upgraded the game to 64-bit, and you may need to make some changes to your computer settings to get the new technical changes to work with your personal computer setup.

Your play button may or may not be grayed out, and you likely won’t have any type of error message. When you click play, even after waiting, nothing happens.

There is two different issues you may be facing, so we’ll go through trying to fix both!

• Your computer may not be able to connect to the SWTOR servers over the internet, so it can’t update your files and launch the game.
• Your computer may not have the software needed to run the upgraded version of the game.
• Your computer may not have the hardware needed to run the upgraded version of the game. (very rare)

Fix #1 – Remove Compatibility Settings

If you happen to be running the game in compatibility mode, you can try turning this option off and it may fix your blank server issue the next time you log in. Make sure to close the game before trying this fix. This is a new fix, and this issue was possibly introduced as part of Update 7.2.1.

Step 1 – Find launcher.exe

This fix seems to be a common culprit for this bug.

To try this quick fix, you will need to find where your SWTOR “launcher.exe” file is located on your computer. For some players this may be called “swtor.exe” instead.

If you are using Steam to play the game, you may find it in:

C:\Steam\steamapps\common\Star Wars – The Old Republic

If you are using the launcher from swtor.com, you may find it in:

C:\Program Files (in the SWTOR directory).

Step 2 – Open Properties

Once you have found your launcher.exe file, right-click it and choose “Properties” from the menu.

Step 3 – Uncheck “Run this program in compatibility mode”

In the Properties window, choose the “Compatibility” tab at the top. Then, near the top of the list, make sure the checkbox “Run this program in compatibility mode” is unchecked and click OK at the bottom.

If it was checked and you unchecked it, click OK at the bottom of the window, then try running the game again. This may have fixed your blank server list issue!

If it was already unchecked, moved on the next thing to try fixing below.

Fix #2 – DirectX 9

You may not have the “DirectX 9” software on your computer which allows the game to run. This is an older piece of software that you need to download, and the game won’t run if you only have the newest version on your computer.

To fix this, you will need to download the DirectX End-User Runtimes (June 2010) from microsoft.com, it’s an official piece of software:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=8109

Just click the red “Download” button on this page.

The file you downloaded will be named directx_Jun2010_redist.exe

Make sure to fully close your game before you try this step.

You need to find this file and double-click it to run it. If you happen to be using the Chrome browser, it may be immediately visible in the bottom left of your browser and you can just click it to run it.  It does not matter where you save / install it.

Then go through the steps to install it.

Once it is installed, try opening your game again.

Fix #3 – Firewall / Antivirus

If you have an antivirus program like:

• Windows Defender Firewall (comes automatically with Windows)
• Malwarebytes
• Norton Antivirus
• McAfee Antivirus
• Avast
• Bitdefender
• Avira Antivirus
• Kapersky

You may need to tell your Antivirus software that SWTOR is safe to connect to, or you won’t be able to connect to the servers or other parts of the game’s online portions. This is a very old issue that some players have encountered since the game’s launch.

First off, if your antivirus software pops up with an alert, accept it. You do not need to disable your Firewall or Antivirus, you just need to allow SWTOR to pass through it safely.

How you do this is slightly different for each Antivirus software:

• Windows Defender Firewall: Allowing apps through Windows Defender Firewall
• Malwarebytes: Exclude detections in Malwarebytes for Windows
• Norton Antivirus: Allow Internet access for a blocked program
• McAfee Antivirus: Stop McAfee Firewall from blocking apps and devices in Windows
• Avast: Using the Blocked & Allowed apps settings screen in Avast Antivirus
• Bitdefender: How to allow an app through Bitdefender Firewall
• Avira Antivirus: Add exceptions for Avira Antivirus in 6 simple steps
• Kapersky: Manage blocked and trusted applications

Fix #4 – Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

Your computer may be missing another type of software, called the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable. This is uncommon, but did fix the “play” button issue for some players who reported the game was running fine before, but after the 7.2.1 update, stopped working even after trying the other steps. All you need to do is full close your game, download the software, then install it.

Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Download Page

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170

You want to click the download called X64 with the link https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe .

The file you downloaded will be named vc_redist.x64.exe

Make sure to fully close your game before you try this step.

You need to find this file and double-click it to run it. If you happen to be using the Chrome browser, it may be immediately visible in the bottom left of your browser and you can just click it to run it.  It does not matter where you save / install it.

Then go through the steps to install it.

Fix #5 – Computer Specs / Minimum Requirements

The technical change to 64-bit in Update 7.2.1 did raise the game’s Minimum Requirements, sometimes known as “min specs”. These requirements are not very high compared to modern games, and very few players with issues have reported they are below the minimum requirements.

Star Wars: The Old Republic Minimum Requirements

Fix #6 – Install via Steam / Reinstall

Reinstalling isn’t a recommended method, but may help. EA Support recommends that if “all else fails, install the game via Steam”. If you aren’t already using it, Steam is a a different way to launch the game. It is free, you just need to make a Steam account to use it.

Fix #7 – Contact Support

The previously listed fixes should fix this issue for most players.

But if you have done both steps, and you still can’t see the servers, you may need to contact support. This should be your last option, as troubleshooting through support can be very difficult. Make sure to have your account name / email on hand, what steps you have already tried (you should have tried Fix #1 and Fix #2 from above already), and as much of your computer specs as you know how to find.

For most in-game issues, you should submit a ticket using the in-game Customer Service Help Center. However, since you can’t log in to the game, you can’t do that.

You will need to call or email customer support if you get stuck. Here is the up-to-date Customer Support page. The numbers below are from March 2023 but may change over time.

“Average response time on in-game tickets is about 48 hours as of March 25th 2023.” – EA Support

Phone: 

• USA: 1-(855)-345-2186
• UK: +44 (0)208 1969 890
• France: +33 (0) 4 81 68 10 51
• Germany: + 49 (0)221 8282 9212
• Other Countries

Email:

support@swtor.com

Forums

• Servers aren’t showing

Subreddit

If you need more exact instructions on how to allow SWTOR to pass through your firewall, or want to ask the community rather than support, I recommend posting on the Community SWTOR Subreddit (unofficial resource) and put that you pres play and nothing happens in the title. In the post text, write out what steps you have already tried (you should have tried Fix #1, Fix #2, and Fix #3 and checked your computer specs from above already). If you can include your computer specs too.