The StarCraft graphics device 2 not currently available

Users experience the error message »Graphics device is not available at this time. Try starting StarCraft II again or restarting your machine »when trying to start StarCraft after installing it or after updating Windows to the latest version.

The StarCraft graphics device 2 not currently available

This error message is often associated with graphics drivers and the inability to provide resources to StarCraft due to technical issues that we will discuss below.. This is a very common error message and has also been acknowledged by StarCraft engineers on the official website..

What causes the graphics device to be unavailable in StarCraft II?

This error message mainly refers to the graphics drivers installed on the computer. However, There may also be other reasons that may vary from computer to computer based on hardware and configuration. Some of the reasons are:

• Obsolete drivers / corrupt: Non-working controllers are the most common reason why the game cannot be started. If the game does not have access to graphic resources, it will not work.

• Xbox DVR: Xbox DVR is a new feature of the Windows operating system that allows users to have more functions when playing games.. However, this is known to cause problems with StarCraft.

• Full screen mode: this is a bug in the game where every time it starts in full screen, crashes and displays the error message.

• Graphics card selection: if you have a dedicated graphics card installed, your embedded card may be being selected.

Before continuing with the solutions, make sure you have an active internet connection and are logged in as administrator on your computer.

Note: You also need to make sure that StarCraft is updated to the latest version. Blizzard fixes bugs like these through their patches on a regular basis.

Solution 1: update graphics drivers

Although this is the advice of almost everyone on the Internet when you have problems with graphics drivers, in most cases it works. Graphics card drivers are updated to resolve issues and are compatible with other games and applications. If they are broken or out of date, they may not be able to successfully connect to the game.

Graphics update – GOD

You can check out our Civilization launch article 5 won $ 0027t and navigate to Solution 3, where all the detailed steps are written on how to first remove the existing graphics drivers and then reinstall the last one.

Solution 2: disable Xbox DVR

Xbox DVR is a new feature introduced in Windows that allows users to record their gameplay and audio. Although it is a nifty feature, causes problems with various games, incluido StarCraft. Here are the steps to disable Xbox DVR recording. If you have a newer version, see the second part of the solution to disable recording from settings.

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1. Press Windows + S, type »Xbox» in the dialog box and open the application.

2. Click on the settings icon at the bottom left of the screen. Now select »Game DVR» from the list of tabs and uncheck the option »Record game clips and screenshots using Game DVR«.

Disabling Recording with the Game DVR App – Xbox

1. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect and see if the problem is fixed.

If you are using a newer version of Windows, the Xbox app will not have this feature. Instead, follow the steps below.

1. Press Windows + I to start Settings. Now click on Games in the menu and click on Screenshots in the left navigation bar.

Disable recording and audio during playback – Windows Settings

1. Uncheck the following options:

Record in the background while I'm playing a game
Record audio when I record a game.


Restart your computer properly and relaunch StarCraft.



 Solution 3: Select preferred graphics card 

If you have a dedicated graphics card installed in your computer, the game most likely uses the built-in Intel HD graphics instead of the dedicated ones. This may be the reason why you are experiencing the error message. Here we will navigate to your graphics card settings and configure the preferred card accordingly.


Right-click on any empty space on the screen and select " Nvidia control panel ".



 NVIDIA control panel


Click on " Manage 3D settings " and select " High-performance NVIDIA processor ".



 Selecting your preferred NVIDIA graphics card - NVIDIA control panel


Press Apply to save changes and exit. Now check if the problem has been solved.



 Solution 4: Add command line argument 

If all the above methods don't work, we can try adding a new command line argument in Blizzard app to change display mode. This was a valid workaround according to several users and will likely work until Blizzard releases a patch to fix the issue..


Open the Blizzard app and navigate to Options> Game settings> Additional command line arguments. 

Now type the following command in the StarCraft dialog box. Make sure you also check the Add command line arguments option .



-Display mode 0
 Blizzard command line arguments for StarCraft


Save Changes and exit.  Restart your computer correctly and try to start StarCraft.

SUGGESTION: If none of the methods have solved your problem, we recommend that you use the Reimage repair tool, which can scan repositories to replace damaged and lost files.  This works in most cases, when the problem originates due to a system corruption.  Reimage will also optimize your system for maximum performance.  You can download Reimage by clicking here