Stellaris Whiteout: Full Guide to the Mysterious Visual Bug and How to Fix It

“Stellaris Whiteout” has been trending as players of Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy game Stellaris encounter a strange issue where the entire screen turns white, washed out, or over-brightened. This problem—commonly called the Whiteout bug—prevents normal gameplay and often appears after updates, mod changes, or graphic setting adjustments. This article breaks down the cause, symptoms, and most effective fixes to help players quickly resolve the Stellaris Whiteout problem.

What Is the Stellaris Whiteout Bug?

The Stellaris Whiteout bug refers to a visual glitch where:

• The galaxy map turns completely white

• UI elements become invisible or too bright

• Textures disappear or are replaced by a glowing white overlay

• The screen flickers between normal and overexposed graphics

Players describe it as the game “blasting white light everywhere,” making Stellaris unplayable.
This issue has appeared on:

• Windows PCs

• Systems using NVIDIA or AMD GPUs

• Modded and unmodded Stellaris installs

Because Stellaris depends heavily on shaders, lighting, and GPU rendering, even small conflicts can trigger Whiteout effects.

Common Causes of Stellaris Whiteout

Based on community reports, the Stellaris Whiteout issue is typically caused by:

• Broken shaders after a game update

• Outdated GPU drivers

• Conflicting mods, especially graphics mods

• Corrupted cache files

• HDR-enabled screens causing oversaturation

• Anti-aliasing or bloom settings malfunctioning

• Cloud sync conflicts after reinstalling the game

The bug commonly appears after major Stellaris patches when older graphics mods or shaders become incompatible.

How to Fix Stellaris Whiteout Quickly

Players experiencing Stellaris Whiteout can usually fix it using one of the following methods:

1. Clear Shader Cache

• Go to:
  Documents → Paradox Interactive → Stellaris → shadercache

• Delete all files

• Relaunch Stellaris

This resolves most cases instantly.

2. Update GPU Drivers

• Install latest NVIDIA GeForce or AMD Radeon drivers

• Restart your PC

3. Disable Mods

Graphics/texture mods cause most white-screen issues.
Disable all mods → launch the game → reactivate mods one by one.

4. Repair Game Files

On Steam:
Right-click Stellaris → Properties → Installed Files → Verify Integrity

5. Turn Off HDR or Bloom

Disable HDR, Bloom, or MSAA in settings if the screen is too bright.

How Mods Influence the Whiteout Issue

Many players encounter Stellaris Whiteout specifically when using:

• Galaxy texture replacers

• 3D ship model mods

• Planet overhaul mods

• Shader enhancement packs

• Lighting reworks

If a mod wasn’t updated after a major Stellaris patch (such as the 3.8, 3.9, or 3.10 updates), it may break rendering and cause a full white screen.
Removing outdated mods typically resolves the issue instantly.

Preventing Stellaris Whiteout in the Future

To avoid the Whiteout bug returning, follow these tips:

• Keep GPU drivers updated

• Clear shadercache after every major update

• Avoid abandoned or outdated graphics mods

• Use stable modpacks instead of random standalone mods

• Disable experimental video settings

• Back up your user data folder before patch day

These steps dramatically reduce the chance of Stellaris developing rendering issues.