Fix Cyberpunk 2077 'Flatlined' Not Launching on PC
Source-checked · About 15 minutes
Answer
The 'Whoa! Cyberpunk 2077 has flatlined' window means the game crashed, not that one named setting is wrong. For a crash before the main menu, run the launcher as administrator, verify Cyberpunk 2077, reinstall both Microsoft Visual C++ packages, and test without overlays. If the game has ever been modded, use CD Projekt Red's clean-install process before judging the result.
Start Cyberpunk 2077 from its GOG GALAXY, Steam, or Epic Library entry. Use this workflow when the game closes before the main menu and the crash reporter says "Whoa! Cyberpunk 2077 has flatlined." If the main menu opens and the game crashes only after loading a save, use the random-crash workflow instead.
Exit GOG GALAXY, Steam, or Epic completely. Right-click the launcher shortcut and choose Run as administrator, then start Cyberpunk 2077 from that launcher's Library. Continue only if the same Flatlined window returns; reaching the main menu once shows that the launch path now works, but it still needs a second test.
3
Verify the Cyberpunk 2077 installation
In GOG GALAXY, choose Cyberpunk 2077 > Customize > Manage installation > Verify/Repair. In Steam, right-click Cyberpunk 2077 > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. In Epic, choose Cyberpunk 2077's three dots > Manage > Verify. Let the launcher finish both the scan and any repair download.
4
Reinstall both Microsoft Visual C++ packages
From CD Projekt Red's Game is not launching page, open the Microsoft Visual C++ x86 and x64 links. Run both installers as administrator; install the package, or choose Repair if the existing installation offers it. Restart Windows and launch Cyberpunk 2077 again. Installing only the 64-bit package does not complete the publisher's launch step.
5
Test Cyberpunk 2077 without overlays
Turn off the in-game overlay in GOG GALAXY, Discord, Ubisoft Connect, or another overlay app that is active on this PC, then close hardware-monitoring tools before the next launch. Do not change Cyberpunk2077.exe firewall, fullscreen-optimization, or 1920x1080 compatibility settings; those old-video changes do not diagnose a Flatlined crash before the menu.
6
Clean-install a previously modded copy
If this Cyberpunk 2077 installation has used REDmod, manual mods, trainers, or console commands, back up %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\CD Projekt Red\Cyberpunk 2077 and use CD Projekt Red's clean-install page. Its procedure removes the remaining game, REDEngine, and CD Projekt Red folders before a fresh SSD install. Test without restoring saves or mods first.
7
Confirm two launches or report the failure
Cyberpunk 2077 is launching normally when it reaches the main menu twice from the same launcher without showing Flatlined. If it still fails, try ...\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\Cyberpunk2077.exe once and report whether that file opens in CD Projekt Red's launch form. Include the exact Flatlined wording and a DxDiag report.
If it does not work
If Cyberpunk 2077 opens directly from bin\x64\Cyberpunk2077.exe but not from the Library button, report that exact difference to CD Projekt Red; it narrows the failure to the launcher handoff.
If the Flatlined window appears only after loading a particular save, this is no longer a launch failure. Test an earlier Cyberpunk 2077 save and use the random-crash page.
If a clean, mod-free Cyberpunk 2077 install reaches the menu, restore saves before reinstalling any mod. A crash that returns only after one mod is restored belongs with that mod's creator.
ⓘ Sources and verification
Checked against official documentation on . Scope: Windows PC.
Source-checked against CD Projekt Red's current PC launch, file-verification, clean-install, and support-report workflows. The Flatlined error was not reproduced on a test PC.
