If the game fails to start, crashes immediately on startup, or shows only a blank screen, the problem is likely related to an incompatibility with your operating system, video card, or audio card.

Here's some things you can try to get the game running properly:

Windows - 32/64 Bit

The latest version of the game (1.2.x) supports 64-bit systems only. If you have a 32-bit system, revert to an older version of the game to keep playing. The "legacy" branch on Steam contains the last 32-bit version of the game (1.1.65). Check the instructions here for switching branches on Steam (substitute "legacy" for "preview" in the instructions.)

Windows - Update your video card drivers

If you have a modern video card and see this error, it’s likely due to the manufacturer-provided drivers which don’t have proper OpenGL support.

Some manufacturers offer unofficial or beta drivers to fix the issue. This is a common problem for MineCraft (which also requires OpenGL) so you may have some luck searching for solutions to get MineCraft running on your particular video card.

ATI/AMD Radeon
Check here for a solution to running OpenGL games

Intel HD3000/2000
Check this Intel support thread

Toshiba Satellite Notebook
Check this MineCraft thread for help

Intel GMA 500
Try these drivers (Windows XP only)

The Surface Pro ships with default drivers from Microsoft that do not have sufficient OpenGL support. Some players have reported success by installing the latest video card drivers directly from Intel's site: downloadcenter.intel.com

Windows - Run the game in windowed mode

From Steam: Select "Launch (Windowed)" when starting the game.

For Others: Start the game from the command line and add the "win" command line parameter:

 > PapersPlease.exe win

Windows - Run the game in software rendering mode

From Steam: Select "Launch (Software Rendering)" when starting the game.

For Others: Select the "Run with Software Rendering" shortcut from the Start menu or start the game from the command line and add the "softren" command line parameter:

 > PapersPlease.exe softren

Windows - Disable your display adapter temporarily

It's possible to disable your manufacturer-provided display adapter in order to force Windows to use the default display driver provided by Microsoft. This one is pretty consistent and may allow the game to run in software rendering mode. To do so:

Open the Device Manager from the Windows Control Panel.
Find your display adapter, right-click on it and select "Disable".
Confirm the change. Your screen will switch to a lower resolution but should still be functional.
Try playing the game again.
When you're done playing, go back to the Device Manager, right-click on your display adapter again and select "Enable" to restore your display settings.

Windows - Reduce your audio output settings

Some users have reported problems running the game if their audio output quality is set above 24 bit 96kHz. If you have a high-end sound card with adjustable output settings, try setting the output quality to 24 bit 96kHz or lower.

Windows - Disable all but one audio output device

Some users with multiple audio output devices have seen startup crashes that go away when disabling all but one of these devices.

Windows - Update your audio device drivers

Open the Device Manager from the Windows Control Panel.
Find your audio device, right-click on it and select "Update Driver Software..."
Follow the prompts to search for an update online or install one manually.

Windows - Disable GameSave Manager

If you're using the GameSave Manager, try disabling the Sync & Link feature for Papers, Please.

Mac - Disable Automatic Graphics Switching

If you have a Macbook Pro with automatic graphics switching, try installing the gfxCardStatus menu bar app and forcing your system to use the integrated (or discrete, try both) GPU before starting the game.

Mac - Reinstall Steam and the game

Something peculiar about Steam on Mac causes a persistent problem. Follow the instructions to reinstall Steam, then redownload and play the game from your Steam library.

Thanks to Steam user [Fi]aste for this tip. (Original Thread: Unable to Play (Mac OS 10.9.4)).

Linux - Install the Mesa GL libraries

The Debian install package has some missing dependencies. In particular, the game requires libgl1-mesa-glx:i386 or libgl1-mesa-glx:amd64 to run properly. If it's missing, you'll see this error:

Error : Null Function Pointer

A quick fix is to install the libgl1-mesa-glx library manually:

sudo apt-get install libgl1-mesa-glx:i386

sudo apt-get install libgl1-mesa-glx:amd64

iPad - Update the game

There was a startup crash for older versions of the game under iOS 10 or greater. Update to the latest game version to fix this.

iPad - Update iOS

Some users have reported problems with the game on older versions of iOS that went away when updating to the latest version. Please update to the latest iOS before requesting support.

iPad - Remove Jailbreaks

There may be problems with the game on on jailbroken devices. Papers, Please does not explicitly check for jailbreaking, but various OS changes due to the jailbreak can cause unintended problems.

I cannot offer support for jailbroken devices.

If you are having problems with the game and your device is jailbroken, please install the latest Apple-provided version of iOS before requesting support.