Quick answer
Use these steps for We Were Here Tomorrow failing at launch or during shader preparation on PC. If the main menu works and the failure happens when loading progress, use the loading guide.
Basic checks first
- Let Steam install the available game update, then restart Steam and try again. Patch 1.1.2 improved shader compilation and added the DX11 launch option.
- Compare your hardware with the Steam system requirements. The listed minimum OS is Windows 11 and the graphics requirement is a dedicated GPU.
- Update your graphics driver and verify the game files through Steam.
- On Windows N, if media components are missing, install the matching Microsoft Media Feature Pack. This is a Windows N-specific check, not a step every PC needs.
Try Safe Mode (DX11)
Launch from the Steam library and select We Were Here Tomorrow in Safe Mode (DX11) when offered a launch choice.
If that choice is not shown, record your existing launch options first, then temporarily add:
-force-d3d11Use the single DX11 parameter for this test; do not combine it with an old DX12 force option. The compatibility mode does not guarantee support for an otherwise unsupported operating system or GPU.
Return to the normal launch
Select the ordinary launch option. If you added the parameter yourself, remove only the -force-d3d11 you added and restore the earlier options. Do not select a restricted old playtest branch as a workaround.
If it still fails
Record your game build, GPU and driver, exact error, and the results of both normal and DX11 launch. Include whether failure occurs before the menu or while loading a checkpoint when contacting official support.