[Fixed] Hood: Outlaws & Legends Freezing/Black Screen Issues

The release of Hood: Outlaws & Legends didn’t go as expected, as many users started reporting issues like game freezing and black screen. If you happen to be on the same boat, don’t worry. Here’re some fixes that could help.

Before you start

If this is just a small glitch, there’re a few tricks that might get your game back to normal:

• Press ALT+TAB to switch in and out of the game
• Restart your PC
• Press ALT+Enter in-game to go to windowed mode

If these tricks didn’t help, you can continue to the advanced fixes below.

Try these fixes:

You might not need to try all the fixes. Simply work your way down until you land on the one that gives you luck.

1. Verify the integrity of game files
2. Update your graphics driver
3. Install all Windows updates
4. Run Hood in DirectX 11

Fix 1: Verify the integrity of game files

Freezing at certain scenes/black screen could mean that there’s an integrity issue with your game files. So first you need to run a scan to make sure the files are not corrupted or missing:

1. Open your Steam client. Go to LIBRARY, then right-click your game and select Properties.
   
2. On the left pane, select LOCAL FILES. Then click Verify integrity of game files.
   

Once the checking completes, start your game and test the gameplay.

If the issues linger on, you can take a look at the next fix below.

Fix 2: Update your graphics driver

These issues could indicate that you’re using a broken or outdated graphics driver. We always recommend gamers to keep their drivers up to date for best performance and minimum issues. If you don’t remember when was the last time you have any updates, definitely do it now.

One way to do that is updating manually: You need to go to the manufacturer’s website (AMD/NVIDIA), then search your model and download the correct installer step by step.

If you don’t have the time or computer skills to update the graphics driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. It will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact graphics card, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
   
3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system.(This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All. If you don’t want to pay for the Pro version, you can still download and install all the drivers you need with the free version; you just have to download them one at a time, and manually install them, the normal Windows way.)
   

After updating your graphics driver, restart your PC and check if the issue is gone.

If the latest driver doesn’t help, you can check out the next solution.

Fix 3: Install all Windows updates

Keeping your system up to date is also important. This will help eliminate most of the compatibility issues, especially with new games. Usually it’s a scheduled task, but you can make it happen manually.

1. On your keyboard, press Win+I (the Windows logo key and the i key) to open the Windows Settings app. Click Update & Security.
   
2. Click Check for updates. Windows will then download and install the available patches. It might take some time (up to 30 mins).
   

Once done, restart your PC and check the in-game performance of Hood: Outlaws & Legends.

If this fix doesn’t give you luck, you can try the next one below.

Fix 4: Run Hood on DirectX 11

Steam games run on DirectX 12 by default, but sometimes this brings about compatibility issues. So you can try to run Hood: Outlaws & Legends on DirectX 11 and see how things go.

1. Go to your Steam LIBRARY, right-click Hood: Outlaws & Legends and select Properties.
   
2. Under LAUNCH OPTIONS, click the input area and type or paste -dx11.
   
3. Now start your game and check if the problem disappears.

Hopefully, you’ve now fixed the issues and can enjoy Hood. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write them down in the comments and we’ll get back to you.