Mewgenics Crash on Launch — Black Screen and Startup Fix (PC)

What is the Mewgenics crash on launch?

Mewgenics, the roguelike cat breeding game from Team Meat (released February 10, 2026 on Steam Early Access), is experiencing widespread launch failures on PC. Players report the game either crashing immediately on startup, showing a permanent black screen, or throwing DLL errors like "MSVCP140.dll was not found." These issues are not caused by a single bug but stem from several common PC configuration conflicts that can be resolved without waiting for an official patch.

When does it occur?

• Immediately after clicking "Play" in Steam — the game window opens then closes
• Black screen appears with audio playing (cat meowing sounds) but no visuals
• Error popup mentioning MSVCP140.dll or VCRUNTIME140.dll missing
• Game freezes on the initial loading screen and never progresses
• Windows Defender silently quarantines the game executable without notification
• After a Windows update changes fullscreen optimization settings

Common causes

• Missing Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (x86 and/or x64)
• Windows Defender or third-party antivirus blocking Mewgenics.exe
• Fullscreen optimization conflict on Windows 10/11
• Corrupted game files from interrupted Steam download
• Incompatible display resolution or refresh rate in fullscreen mode
• Outdated GPU drivers (NVIDIA or AMD)
• Insufficient permissions to write to the game directory

Step-by-step fixes

1. Install Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 — Download BOTH the x86 and x64 versions from Microsoft's official page at https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x64.exe and https://aka.ms/vs/17/release/vc_redist.x86.exe. Install both, restart your PC, then try launching Mewgenics again. This resolves MSVCP140.dll and VCRUNTIME140.dll errors.

1. Add Mewgenics to Windows Defender exclusions — Open Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > scroll to Exclusions > Add or remove exclusions > Add an exclusion > Folder. Browse to your Steam library path, typically C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Mewgenics\, and add the entire folder.

1. Disable fullscreen optimizations — Navigate to your Mewgenics install folder, right-click Mewgenics.exe > Properties > Compatibility tab. Check both "Disable fullscreen optimizations" and "Run this program as an administrator." Click Apply.

1. Force windowed mode via Steam launch options — In Steam, right-click Mewgenics > Properties > General > Launch Options. Type -windowed and press Enter. Launch the game, then adjust resolution from the in-game settings menu once it loads.

1. Verify game file integrity — In Steam, right-click Mewgenics > Properties > Installed Files > click "Verify integrity of game files." Wait for the scan to complete and re-download any missing or corrupted files.

1. Update your GPU drivers — Download the latest drivers from NVIDIA GeForce Experience or AMD Adrenalin. Perform a clean install if available. Restart your PC before launching the game.

1. Disable third-party overlays — Disable Discord overlay (User Settings > Game Overlay > toggle off), GeForce Experience overlay (Settings > General > In-Game Overlay off), and any other overlay software like MSI Afterburner or RivaTuner.

1. Run Steam as administrator — Right-click the Steam shortcut > Properties > Compatibility > check "Run this program as an administrator." This ensures the game has proper write permissions.

If it still doesn't work

If none of the above fixes resolve the crash, try a clean reinstall: uninstall Mewgenics through Steam, then manually delete the remaining game folder at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Mewgenics\ to remove any leftover config files. Reinstall the game on your primary drive (avoid external or network drives). As of February 17, 2026, Team Meat has not released an official patch addressing these launch issues, so check the Steam Community Hub for developer updates. You can also report your specific crash by posting your dxdiag output and crash logs in the Steam Discussions bug report thread.