Why can't I launch a specific game on the Xbox app?

Question

Why can't I launch a specific game on the Xbox app?

Bn- 20

I was playing "The Alters" on the Xbox PC app when I decided to exit the game through the main menu like normal, and shut down my PC. When I tried launching the game an hour later it would fail and my installed games would become temporarily unavailable. I have a Reddit post which may help visualize it [here]

I have tried reinstalling the game/the Xbox app, moving the game to a different drive, in app verify and repair tools, updating windows/ reinstalling my current version, and uninstalling Riot Games. windows memory diagnostic tool comes back clean. Also when I stream the game through game pass my save file is fine, and no other games seem affected.

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Answer accepted by question author

Clary-N 16,565 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi Bn-,

Thank you for reaching out Microsoft Q&A and sharing the details of your experience with The Alters on the Xbox PC app. I understand how frustrating it must be to encounter launch issues, especially after everything was working smoothly before. I truly appreciate the time and effort you've already invested in troubleshooting.

Based on your description, it sounds like you've taken all the right steps: reinstalling the game and app, verifying files, updating Windows, and even checking memory diagnostics. It's great to hear that your save file remains intact when streaming via Game Pass, and that other games are unaffected.

Given the complexity of the issue and the fact that it seems isolated to The Alters, I recommend contacting the Xbox Support Team directly. They have access to deeper diagnostics and can investigate potential account sync issues, DRM conflicts, or game-specific service disruptions that may be affecting your setup.

You can reach Xbox Support here: https://support.xbox.com/en-US/contact-us, choose Contact us and follow as per below screenshots:

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Please let me know if there’s anything else I can assist you with.

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Bn- 20 Reputation points

2025-08-19T04:23:09.5666667+00:00

After an hour and a half xbox support gave up, and said I should reach out to the game developers directly. They also said they are not Xbox employee's and don't have access to Accounts.

1 additional answer

Your answer

Bn- 20 Reputation points

2025-08-19T04:23:09.5666667+00:00

After an hour and a half xbox support gave up, and said I should reach out to the game developers directly. They also said they are not Xbox employee's and don't have access to Accounts.

Answer 1

Bn- 20

After the Xbox support gave up and told me to reach to the developers, they asked for some screenshots pertaining some hardware and DxDiag information. After I had sent it they never responded, but when attempting to launch "The Alters" today a syncing data window popped up and now it works. It broke for no reason and now its fixed for seemingly no reason. Maybe one of the devs re-synced my data on the back end of the game servers, but I have no idea.

Clary-N 16,565 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-08-21T05:59:42.03+00:00

Hi Bn-,

Thanks for the update! It’s great to hear that “The Alters” is working again, even if the fix wasn’t clearly communicated. It’s possible the developers re-synced your data on the backend, but without confirmation, we can’t say for sure.

If you run into any more issues or need help with anything else, feel free to reach out. I'm here to support you.

Take care and have a great day!