TROUBLESHOOTING
Update S2Arm, rebuild, or reinstall?
Recover from a failed Windows update and decide which action a specific S2Arm fix needs, without rebuilding every game unnecessarily.
On this page
Updating the computer launcher, rebuilding a game and reinstalling on a phone are three different actions. Identify the problem you want to fix before choosing how far to go.
Version used by this guide
This guide was reviewed against v0.2.8, published November 11, 2026 at 07:24 UTC. At this review, GitHub's official API identifies it as the latest non-prerelease; v0.2.7 is marked prerelease. This is a dated check, not a promise that v0.2.8 will remain latest. For a later release, read its changes before following version-specific instructions.
Save and back up first
Save inside the game, exit it, then export a save backup. Let active build and installation tasks finish before updating. Do not uninstall the phone app or delete the library just to change versions.
Windows update keeps downloading or fails verification
#379 concerned updater failures when files or folders were in use. v0.2.3 added retries, rollback and logging, but the upgrade from v0.2.2 still ran the old updater and could fail.
- Finish active tasks and close the launcher normally.
- Download
S2Arm-windows-x64.zipfrom the official v0.2.8 release page, or a later release after reviewing its notes. - Follow upstream manual-update instructions to fully extract / replace launcher files, not just the executable. Do not overwrite or delete the separate game library.
- Reopen and verify the version changed. If files remain locked or replacement fails, preserve the error rather than repeatedly force-deleting folders.
If the launcher and library may share a directory, stop before replacing files and establish their locations. An updater failure usually is not fixed by rebuilding all games.
Match the action to the fix
| Specific issue | Documented fix | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Old Windows identifier conflict causing 9401 | v0.2.3 / #408 | Update launcher and retry installation; no rebuild for this fix |
| v0.2.1 empty library with resources already on phone | v0.2.2 / #336 / #380 | Run installation again using the newer launcher; no rebuild for this fix |
| Zero precompiled shaders for the game in #470 | v0.2.5 | Update and rebuild that game; install the new output for phone use |
| Phone app entirely removed but nonexistent old games block installation | v0.2.6 / #474 | Retry on the newer version; do not default to editing device records |
| Windows index encoding causes immediate import failure, or names become garbled after v0.2.7 | v0.2.7 / #514, followed by v0.2.8 name recovery | Update to v0.2.8 and open the existing library once; check names before retrying failed imports; preserve the automatic index backup |
| First Windows Add Game falsely says another task is running when the default library folder contains launcher files | v0.2.8 | Update and reopen; an unused library folder is selected automatically. For a remaining setup error, read its reason and retry or choose another folder |
| Windows Apple login expired, error 1100 | v0.2.8 identifies the cause and offers recovery | Use Open Impactor to sign in again with the same account, then retry installation; rebuilding cannot renew login |
| Windows cannot read the game list during first installation into an already installed empty phone app | v0.2.8 | Update the launcher and retry normal installation; no blanket app deletion or rebuild |
| Some OpenGL games crash at launch because graphics functions are missing | v0.2.8 | See the runtime-specific check below; not an all-crashes fix |
| Reduce some temporary space in future builds | v0.2.6 | Future builds use the improvement; no need to redo working games solely for this |
Sources: v0.2.3, v0.2.5, v0.2.6, v0.2.7, v0.2.8. Earlier entries identify historical fixes; they are not recommendations to downgrade.
For detailed recovery, use Windows import and index errors, Apple 1100 sign-in recovery, or installation into an empty phone app.
Some OpenGL games crash at launch
v0.2.8 adds missing graphics functions used by some OpenGL games. If you have a matching launch crash on an older version, save and back up, update the launcher, and follow its normal target-specific launch or installation flow. On a phone, verify the installed app version too; updating only the computer does not establish that the device runs the new runtime.
Retry the same scene and record the result. The release notes do not provide a universal rebuild requirement for this fix, so this guide does not tell you to rebuild every game. Follow an explicit rebuild requirement for the affected output if one appears. A continued black screen or crash needs the game/version, target, actual installed runtime and error summary in a report; the fix does not establish compatibility for all games.
container_stale does not have one universal fix
#474 covered stale records after the phone app had been removed. #479 also discussed an existing app whose older games could not join a new runtime. Do not combine them into “all container_stale errors are fixed”.
If a newer version still names an older game, check whether it remains on the phone and in the computer library, and preserve saves first. If rebuilding is required, address the named game. Without its original files or a usable next action, report the case rather than deleting library records manually.
Success check: Verify the launcher version; for phone-app fixes, complete installation and check the device version too. If rebuilding is required, confirm the new output succeeded. Retry the original failure, not just the updater.
Evidence comes from release notes and discussions, not tests of each fix by this site. Still blocked? Prepare a report.