If you’re getting the ‘unable to launch, no internet connection’ error in Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered, here’s how to fix it

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Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered has now launched on PC, and it isn’t surprising that, like every other new game, it has its fair share of issues that need to be ironed out. Some are severe and require a hotfix, while others can be fixed by tweaking some in-game settings or files.
That said, if you’re unable to launch the game and it gives you an error that you’re not connected to the internet, you’re not alone, as many others are also facing this issue. However, it is an easy error to fix, and we’ll take you through a couple of steps that should help you start up this game and get on your way to the next adventure.
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How to fix Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered ‘Unable to launch, no internet connection’ error
If, after several tries, Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered isn’t launching, try the following methods below to fix it.
Step
Change the launch option
Go to Steam and follow the steps below.
- Select Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
- Right click on the title or click the “gear icon”
- Select “Properties”
This should open another window with “Launch Options”
- Type in “-showlinkingqr” and press enter.
Try launching the game and it should fix the issue. If it didn’t try the next step.
Step
Change the internet connection
There are times when your internet connection might not be the strongest. So, it is better to check everything. If you have a wired connection, check if your Ethernet cable is damaged or has any cuts. It might be that the cable is faulty and needs to be replaced.
If you’ve got a wireless connection, try restarting the router or connecting to a different frequency. Also, check if the password hasn’t been changed, which if it is, wouldn’t allow you to connect to the internet till you enter the new password. Also, try connecting via Ethernet and see if that fixes the issue.
Step
Troubleshoot
If you’re on a Windows PC, you can run the troubleshooter to see where the issue is. Follow the steps below:
- Right click on the internet icon on the task bar
- Select “Troubleshoot problems”
- This will open a “Network Adapter” windows and you can select a particular connection or check all of them
All network adapters - Click on “Next” and it will begin scanning for issues
- If there are issues, it’ll highlight them and if there aren’t it’ll display a “Troubleshooting couldn’t identify the problem” message
Troubleshooter result
Step
Check game file integrity
It is possible that a couple of vital game files are missing but this is an easy issue to fix.
- Open Steam and open Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered
- Right click on the title and click on properties
- Navigate to “Installed Files”
- Click on “Verify integrity of game files”
- It’ll start the process of checking the games files
Verify integrity of game files option
If there are any files missing, it’ll start downloading them and once the download is complete, try launching the game.
Step
Reinstall the game
Games have a huge download size nowadays and it is a pain to download them the first time. However, if none of these fixes resolved the issue, reinstalling the game is worth a short as it’ll be a fresh start.
- Right click on the game name in Steam
- Scroll down to “Manage”
- Select “Uninstall”
- This will open another window asking you if you’re sure, select “uninstall” again
After this, simply click on “Install” and it’ll start downloading the game files.