Whenever I try to launch Gothic 3 it just gives me a black screen. I hear the sound as if a white message/error box pops up, but I can't see it. No commands work except the enter key which then just vies a permanent black screen with no sounds or anything. The only way to exit out of it is to ctr/alt/delete and try and cancel the program, but that doesn't work. So I have to restart (the restart isn't accessible until i attempt ctrl/alt/delete as this at least lets the bottom Windows task bar to appear). The game won't even let itself be shut down and once I attempt it, it replaces my desktop with the black screen. I've uninstalled and re-installed it in different folders (once in a GOG Games folder and another in program files). I looked through past forums and couldn't find anything with my exact issue.

Well one thing you could try is installing the DirectX End-User Runtimes to ensure you have all the compatibility files.

I just picked up the game, and am experiencing the same exact thing as the OP. Black screen, sound of a message box, have to shut it down with ctr/alt/delete. Have tried running in other compatibility modes to no avail.

Runningt Win7 (64 bit)

It's good to see I'm not the only one.

I too just downloaded it. Couldn't say no to the 75% off deal :)

To be specific I'm on Windows 8 64 bit. It's either a setting or a compatibility issue. Looking forward to some good suggestions.

Hmm, you could try enabling windowed mode, maybe that would let you see what the error message is.

Edit ge3.ini and change Fullscreen=true to Fullscreen=false.

By default you'll find this file in:
C:\Program Files (x86)\GOG.com\Gothic 3\ini

Hey,

I know this may sound funny, but please do follow my advices and then come back and tell me if it worked.

1. Reinstall the game (delete saved games and all that).
2. When you start the game, run it as administrator.
3. Black screen pops up - allow it up to 15 minutes (even more on some slower machines) - the game creates shader cache (and not only), and on some machines it may produce funny effects while it does, such as a black screen.

Cheers.

n.b.
Also please bear in mind that, according to patch notes: The patched game will only support shader model 3.0 or higher., so in-game stuttering might be mostly due to your video card being a bit outdated.

This problem has been SOLVED

I was able to find a way to see the box that appears on the blank screen, the one that previously I could only hear. The box read "Compile shader material cache-this may take several minutes".

After a little more digging I found out about an official community patch, v1.75, that was not applied to GOG.com's version of Gothic 3

I was able to access this patch here:

http://forum.worldofplayers.de/forum/threads/1140053-Gothic-3-Patch-1-75-release

I originally found it by another forum thread, which is here, as this person had nearly the exact same problem I did (only they had Windows 7, while I have 8):

http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17549

Here is information on this patch:

************************************************************************************************************** **************

After a series of non-official patches for Gothic 3, we finally present another official patch version: CP 1.75. It can be installed over every Gothic 3 version, is available for each language and contains all previous patches.
You have to start a new game after the installation. Old savegames are not compatible.

There were several changes since the last official patch (CP 1.60): Besides countless major and minor bug fixes, graphics and performance improvements, the features “Alternative Balancing” and "new A.I." were introduced with CP 1.70.

Compared to the previous patch (1.74), CP 1.75 offers widescreen support for the menus, new graphics options (like color grading and FXAA), and decreasing of stuttering by using a shader cache.

In addition, the patch includes a ModKit, the Gothic 3 Genome Lite Edition. With that ModKot it's possible to change or create new game content in limited ways. There were also more possibilities for modders included in the game. The new features and the ModKit are explained in the respective modder manual and editor guide.

Changes in that patch are listed in the changelog and further explained in the readme file.

Advices for installation:
Older Gothic 3 patches will be uninstalled automatically while installation. During that process, the backup of the file „ge3.ini“ will be deleted which was saved by previous community patches. Deletion is necessary because the patch makes important changes in the ini-files.

During the installation, modifications in the installation folder could lead to problems. Therefore please uninstall all modfications before installing CP 1.75.

Compatibilty:
Savegames of the 1.75.12 Version (Gothic Complete Edition and Gothic 3: Gold Enhanced Edition) can be used. Savegames from older versions (1.74 and older) are not compatible.
ini files of versions 1.74 or older are incompatible, too. Do not replace the ini files with older version because it could cause errors.

Modifications which were released before CP 1.75 are incompatible (except they contain only texture changes). Look into the description of a modification whether it was adjusted to CP 1.75 before you install it.

Modkit:
The installer for the modkit is in the folder „ModKit“ in the Gothic 3 installation folder. A guide will also be installed for the ModKit.
Advice for installation: It has to be installed in another folder than the Gothic 3 installation folder. Installing it in the G3 installation folder causes errors.

************************************************************************************************************** *************

I highly suggest that GOG.com add's this to their game as it increases compatibility with newer windows, as well as adding some other features and minor improvements, While it may work as it is for some machines, it doesn't work for all of them, like mine.

At the very least it should be offered as an optional download off any purchaser's game library.

Gothic 3 GOG version is patched to 1.75. Been like this for quite some time, now.

It didn't work until I loaded it up separately off of this site. If it was attached, apparently something wasn't working right.

In any case, it's fixed. I just wanted to give people an outside source as an option so they don't run into the same problem.

This cured the black screen on my Win8 Radeon 7770 system too. Much appreciated. :D

Hey guys i am new here.I just want you to help me with my problem.First of all i have the game many years and i just bough a new pc so i tried to play it.
In the old one we had windows Xp but my new one have windows 8.I installed the game, try to open it, i pressed the start button and then it popped up a window telling me: <Copy protection driver is not installed.Please execute the file Support\DrnSetup.exe on your CD\DVD to install the nexessary driver>.
Tried to executed it but it sais error.
Does anybody knows what should i do so to run it and finaly be able to play it?Thanks in advance.

You can try to run the EXE as administrator. It solved my problem om my 8.1 PC where it said "Access Violation" after I changed the laguage.

gog has patched the game with the community patch, I use windows 10 however I get a black screen that takes several minutes to launch. I get a pop up stating something about texter buildup. but it happens ont only once but EVERY time I load the game! and even though I have the community patch! I downloaded the latest version from gog just now! this is INTOLERABLE and is NOT fixed!