Troubleshooting
What to do if the launcher does not open on Windows, Linux or macOS, if the system warns you, if a .ggx is rejected, if a gamepad is missing, if there is no sound or if you cannot find your progress.
DescribesLauncher 0.4.0 For everyone
On this page
- Windows shows a warning when I open it
- The launcher does not open on Windows
- The Windows installer asks for administrator rights
- I installed 0.3.0 on Windows and the earlier version is still there
- The launcher does not open on Linux
- macOS does not let me open the launcher
- The launcher rejects a .ggx
- An imported game does not play properly or fails to open
- A match is cut short with an error message
- "Players on this device" does not appear
- The match says "Connect a gamepad for player 3"
- The gamepad does not respond
- There is no sound
- Full screen does not do what I expect
- I cannot find my progress
- An installed game does not open
- Next
Windows shows a warning when I open it#
Cause. The files of version 0.4.0 are not signed, and Windows does not recognize whoever publishes them.
Fix. First check the file's sha256 against the one the downloads page shows. If it matches, choose More info and then Run anyway. Full steps: Download and install.
The launcher does not open on Windows#
Cause. The system's WebView2 component is missing. Windows 11 already has it.
Fix. Use the launcher's installer: if WebView2 is missing, it downloads it. The portable executable installs nothing, so it needs WebView2 to be on the computer already.
The Windows installer asks for administrator rights#
Cause. The launcher 0.4.0 installer does not ask for them: it installs for your user only, into %LocalAppData%\Programs\Green Games, and it does not show the User Account Control prompt. If you are asked for them, it is a different file:
- The installer of an earlier version of the launcher. Up to 0.2.0 it installed for all users, into Program Files.
- The editor's installer, which still installs into Program Files and does ask for them.
Fix. Download the launcher 0.4.0 installer from the downloads page: Download and install. If you would rather install nothing, use the portable executable: a single file that opens with a double-click and uses the same data folder.
I installed 0.3.0 on Windows and the earlier version is still there#
Cause. The 0.3.0 installer does not remove a version 0.2.0 that was installed with its installer: that one was installed for all users, into Program Files, and under the earlier name.
Fix. Uninstall the earlier version from Installed apps, in Windows Settings. Your data is not lost: the launcher, since 0.3.0, adopts the earlier data folder the first time it opens, with your settings, your installed games, your history and your progress. More: Download and install.
The launcher does not open on Linux#
Cause. A system library is missing. The launcher needs WebKitGTK 4.1 and GTK 3.
Fix.
- Open a terminal in the launcher's folder and run it from there, to see the error message:
./greengames. - If the message names a library that cannot be found, list all the missing ones:
ldd ./greengames | grep "not found"- Install whatever is missing. On Debian, Ubuntu and derivatives:
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 libgtk-3-0On Fedora, the packages are named webkit2gtk4.1 and gtk3.
If the message is "permission denied", the file lost its execute permission: chmod +x greengames.
macOS does not let me open the launcher#
Cause. The app is not signed with a developer certificate and it is not notarized, and macOS blocks the first launch.
Fix. First check the sha256 of the zip. Then, one of these three ways:
- In Applications, right-click Green Games and choose Open.
- Or try to open it, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway.
- Or remove the quarantine from the Terminal:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Green Games.app"You only need to do it the first time. macOS 12 or later is required.
If the app does not open on a Mac with an Intel processor, check that you downloaded the Intel zip: the Apple Silicon one does not run there. Full steps: Download and install.
The launcher rejects a .ggx#
Cause. The package does not follow the Green Games format. The launcher opens the notice "This file cannot be installed" with a list of GB codes and their explanation.
Fix.
- If the game is yours, open it in the editor, fix what Problems flags and export again.
- If someone sent it to you, ask for the file again: it may have been damaged, or it may not be a
.ggx. - If it says "The file is larger than 5 MB, the maximum for a .ggx.", the file is not a valid Green Games game.
More: Import a .ggx and Validator.
An imported game does not play properly or fails to open#
Possible cause. You have an earlier launcher. The version is at the bottom of the side menu and in Settings > About.
| Version | What it lacks |
|---|---|
| 0.2.0 | The cube terrain, the pointer and the quick bar: it does not open an open-world game properly. |
| 0.1.0 | Also the other views, sprites, tile maps and local multiplayer. |
Fix. Download launcher 0.4.0. You keep your games and your progress: the new version adopts the earlier data folder the first time it opens. Download and install.
A match is cut short with an error message#
| Message | What happened | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "The game stopped" | The game failed in the middle of the match. | Start the match again. If it always happens at the same point, the fault is in the game: tell whoever made it. |
| "The game stopped responding and was closed. It may have an endless loop." | The game's script kept working without finishing and the launcher closed it. | It is an error in the game. If it is yours, check it in the editor. |
| "The game could not be loaded" | The game never got to start. | Leave the game and open it again. If it goes on, uninstall it and install it or import it again. |
In none of the three cases do you lose what was already saved.
"Players on this device" does not appear#
Cause. The game does not declare that it is played by several people on the same computer. Of the seven bundled games, only Open Valley declares it, for up to 2 people.
Fix. Look at the game card: if it has no On this computer row, the game is for one person on the computer. See Playing.
The match says "Connect a gamepad for player 3"#
Cause. Two people fit on the keyboard. The third and the fourth need a gamepad each.
Fix. Connect the missing gamepads, or pick fewer people under Players on this device.
The gamepad does not respond#
Check, in this order:
- That the game supports a gamepad: the game card says so under Controls.
- That the gamepad is connected and your system recognizes it.
- Press a button on the gamepad with the launcher window in front.
- Close the launcher and open it with the gamepad already connected.
The buttons the launcher uses are the D-pad to move, A to select and B to go back. The menus a game opens, such as Open Valley's mode menu, work the same way: D-pad and A. Inside a match, the table in the pause menu says what each button does: Controls.
If it still does not respond, the keyboard always works. Tell us which gamepad and which system you use: FAQ.
There is no sound#
Check, in this order:
- The volume in Settings. It starts at 70 %; it may be at 0.
- The mute in the match. M mutes and unmutes the sound. The sound button, at the top right of the game, does the same.
- Your system's volume and the selected audio output.
Full screen does not do what I expect#
- F11 enters and leaves full screen at any time.
- If games always open in full screen and you do not want that, uncheck Play in full screen in Settings.
- Esc does not leave full screen: it opens the pause menu.
I cannot find my progress#
Where it is. In the launcher's data folder:
| System | Folder |
|---|---|
| Linux | ~/.config/greengames |
| Windows | %AppData%\greengames |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/greengames |
In Settings, the Open folder button takes you there. Each game has its folder in biblioteca/, with guardado.json (progress and records) and historial.json.
Usual causes of "I lost my progress":
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| You updated from 0.2.0 | You do not have to do anything: the launcher, since 0.3.0, adopts the earlier data folder the first time it opens. It only adopts it if the new folder does not exist yet. |
| You changed the data folder in Settings | Pick the previous folder again with Change…, or press Use the default folder |
You opened the launcher with another folder in GREENGAMES_DIR | Open it without that variable |
| You played in the portal | The portal's marks stay in the browser. They are not shared with the launcher. |
| You played on another computer | Everything is local. Copy the data folder from one computer to the other. |
| You uninstalled the game with the Also delete my progress and history box checked | That box deletes what was saved for that game. It cannot be recovered. |
You uninstalled on Linux with --quitar --datos | That option deletes the data folder. It cannot be recovered. |
Uninstalling a game without checking that box, or uninstalling the launcher, does not delete your progress: History and progress.
An installed game does not open#
Possible cause. The launcher checks the fingerprint of the installed package every time it opens a game: juego.ggx or, in a game installed with an earlier version, juego.gbx. If the file changed on disk, it does not run it.
Fix. Uninstall the game and install it or import it again. Your progress is kept.