The Fate/Stay Night visual novel is one of the most popular to date. It holds the source material for many of the Fate works you may have seen, and truly offers the full picture of the narrative, something that anime adaptations might not be able to achieve. To install the visual novel, please follow this guide. It is by far the most comprehensive of its kind for this game. Over 30,000 people served!
For the Windows guide, simply follow the steps. For Mac and Linux, do the same but configure Wine as 32-bit and complete this as well. Additionally, Mac users can view this
Example for Fate would be 'Fate stay night[Realta Nua] -Fate.exe. If you lost your product key for FSN-RN, apply a crack to each game (Fate, Heaven's Feel, Unlimited Blade Works) so that you can play it. Download the english patch by Mirror-Moon, specifically the 'mega' link (unless in the future they move it somewhere else). You use the mirrormoon's patch? Maybe what you have is the original PC version - the one released in 2004. FSN has 2 versions: original version and Realta Nua. Reddit gives you the best of the internet in one place. Get a constantly updating feed of breaking news, fun stories, pics, memes, and videos just for you. Passionate about something niche?
0. Obtain Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua (you'll know which version based on this. Do NOT use the Fuwanovel version- this guide is not for that version! Due to the subreddit's rules, I can't exactly tell you where to get the game, but try searching up 'Fate/stay night [Realta Nua] windows'. Alternatively, an anime torrent site might contain it. When you've got it, verify that the file is roughly 6GB and contain 6 .RAR files (3 routes, 3 cracks). Note that the .RAR and .7z file formats are interchangeable.
Make one central folder and name it whatever you want. Inside this folder, place the individual folders for the routes. Inside the central folder should be the three routes in their own folders: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven's Feel. Edit each folder and EXE so that there are no '／'. DELETE THE SLASHES! It's also possible that some may run into issues with the '[]' brackets, but it's uncommon. Example for Fate would be 'Fate stay night[Realta Nua] -Fate-.exe'. At this point you should have something like this.
Apply a crack to each game (Fate, Heaven's Feel, Unlimited Blade Works), there should be three cracks for the three games. This is done by copying the files in the crack to its respective route. You'll be launching the game using the cracked .exe's. Your Fate folder will look like this. Note the file path.
Download the English patch, but don't watch the video, as it contains spoilers. Patch here- be warned that downloading through Internet Explorer may break the download. You must decide on either the Tumblr-hosted patch (pure English translation) or Google Drive (English + extras). Extras: tons of visual effects, PS Vita version openings, PS Vita version soundtrack (in addition to original & switchable), H-scenes option, H-scenes censoring/uncensoring option, original more violent CGs, and Fullscreen/Windowed views. Many thanks to Beast's Lair for their years of work to create these patches!
Look in C:/Users/<username>/Documents or 'My Documents' (if on Windows). Windows 10 if you have OneDrive enabled, the documents path will be C:Users*<username>*OneDriveDocuments. Create a folder titled 'faterealtanua_savedata'.
Paste in the contents of 'English patches', and 'H Mod' (if over 18) into the savedata folder. The H-patches allow you to turn the H-scenes on and off from the Config screen in-game. Windows 10 users: use of the Vita OST has been linked to a blue screen on game startup. Optionally, you can move the Vita OP into the savedata folder as well, but the Vita openings for UBW and HF contain spoilers- and also may result in crashes when watching these openings in fullscreen mode.
Make sure there are NO subfolders in the faterealtanua_savedata folder. It should look like something like this (disregard the datasc/datasu/data files here, they are progress files that will be generated upon playing). You MUST place the folder in My Documents, separate from the directory with the actual games.
This game will begin with a Prologue. The Prologue starts with the lance scene and the first events from Rin Tohsaka's perspective, and is over once Saber is summoned. Play the VN in this exact order: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, then Heaven's Feel. It's absolutely critical that you play each route to completion before starting the next. Don't worry about accidentally changing routes; in Realta Nua, you can only play the route you launch. The flowchart was made for the version of the game where route switching is possible- in Realta Nua is not.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you're having technical problems with the VN, first go through these common problems and solutions.
I want to back up my progress, where are the save games located?
In the faterealtanua_savedata folder. Every file that begins with 'data' are progress files. To be more specific: the .bmp are actual saves you can load, datasu / datasc contain overall career progress through all routes. If you're fully reinstalling the game, that almost always excludes these files. The saves are portable. Just copy them into faterealtanua_savedata (on any machine) and you should be able to play them again.
I get a blue screen upon application launch, how can I fix it?
Check that inside your Documents folder, the savedata folder is present and contains the right files like this, but don't worry about the files beginning with 'data'. Those are progress files generated upon making choices after Day 3 of each route. If that didn't fix it...
Windows 10 users use this. All other Windows users: try changing your Windows system locale to Japanese (help here) or using HongFire's HF pApploc to launch an individual EXE as Japanese.
I get a blue screen 'EAccessViolation', what's wrong?
Get the installer for the latest version of LAV filters. Mac users: try going through this solution.
What about the Combined Community Codec Pack?
CCCP has mixed results with this VN. In some cases, it solves the above EAccessViolation error that updating LAV filters did not. In others, it causes the game to crash upon playing a Vita OP movie. If this happens, uninstall both CCCP and LAV, then reinstall LAV again. There may be a way to use both CCCP and LAV filters while retaining the ability to watch the Vita OPs in full-screen.
The auto-read speed is too slow/fast, how can I change it?
Everything setting-related is managed in the game's config menu. Start up the route you're on and go to Config, or in-game with the right mouse click.
I launched the game and got some registration prompt. What is this?
You launched the wrong program! Launch it from the other .exe file.
I want to force the game to 1080p / other resolution. How can I configure this?
You can't get rid of the black bars without fiddling with GPU settings, it was designed to run in a 4:3 aspect ratio. You can only run the VN in either Windowed or Fullscreen mode. The internal rendering resolution will not change, so the game will actually look higher quality in Windowed- because it's not stretched out.
Is there any way I can play this VN on my Android device?
Yes! You can find my post at this link. The thread is locked. Should you have any questions regarding the Android version, feel free to reply below.
Why didn't you include a download link to the game and cracks?
One of the few rules on this subreddit is that users not post links to torrents, so a magnet link or direct download wouldn't be allowed. Instead, simply search for it yourself given the information in step 1.
I'm unable to play this on Windows 8.1 in full screen. Why is this?
In a small number of cases, Windows 8.1 will upscale GUI elements. Whether this is caused by nonstandard resolutions/aspect ratios is unknown, however there are two fixes. The first option is to lower the screen resolution. The second option is reducing or disabling GUI scaling.
The opening videos on Day 3 crash my game while in full screen mode.
Try mousing upward and selecting windowed mode, and viewing the OP that way.
At the end of Day 3 during the opening video, the screen goes black.
This MEGA folder contains morning Day 4 gamesaves for all the routes. Simply drag and drop the saves to your faterealtanua_savedata folder. They will appear on the farthest page of gamesaves. Load one from there (don't worry, the game will only let you load the correct save for the route) and continue.
At the end of Day 3 during the opening video, I get a blue screen and crash.
Delete the Vita OP for that route. 'Patch' is Fate, 'rinpatch' is UBW, and 'sakpatch' is HF.
When Saber attacks Archer after being summoned, I get a blue error screen.
Remove patch_op.xp3 from the faterealtanua_savedata folder.
I get two blue screens on launch.
This can be caused if your Windows username has special non-English characters. If your username is not the issue, there's one other thing to try. Create a backup copy of 'datasu.ksd' and 'datasc.ksd' with the extension .bak. So you end up having 4 files in your faterealtanua_savedata folder:
datasu.ksd
datasu.ksd.bak
datasc.ksd
datasc.ksd.bak
Image: http://imgur.com/J6AquMo
There is image distortion on the border of the screen, following visual effects.
If you're getting something like this after camera-shaking vfx, there are THREE OPTIONS:
Go to line 42 of this pastebin and follow the instructions.
Go to the graphics settings and turn OFF the special effects and turn ON the instant effects (if you had them off), then hold Alt+Tab. After you alt tab you need to go back in and RE-ENABLE the special effects.
Delete the contents of faterealtanua_savedata except for files with names beginning with 'data' (these are your game saves!) and reinstall the English patch.
The game starts with the window extending past the screen / forcing fullscreen
Go to the crack exe and right click it, select Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and check 'Disable display scaling on high DPI settings'. If this alone does not work, also check 'Run program as Administrator'.
Upon saving the game, I get a white prompt with all question marks.
First make sure the contents of your game folder match the example in Step #3. Alternatively, try running the game exe in administrator mode.
When Archer is given the order to clean up, and the screen turns gray/grayscale, the game crashes.
Several people have had this issue, and all of them fixed it by completely reinstalling the game. Note that when you're reinstalling this includes the faterealtanua_savedata folder, BUT be sure to back up anything beginning with 'data', as those are your progress files.
The game only shows a white screen, but I can hear the music, what's going on?
Press Alt+Enter when launching the game to force full-screen mode.
Upon game launch, a window appears then is closed- the game does not launch.
Try launching in Windowed instead of Fullscreen.
I wish to play the game in Japanese. How do I go about this?
Simply don't apply the patch- that is, skip steps 4, 5, 6, and 7. If you should have any questions, comment below tagging /u/AdelKoenig followed by your question.
I have no idea what I'm doing and need a lot of help.
PM /u/savepoints if you're completely lost.
I have a question not answered here. Should I make a new post about it on the subreddit? Should I PM you?
Please don't, it is actually against the submission guidelines. Comment below with screenshots of faterealtanua_savedata and the relevant route's game folder (including the folder path)- hosted either on www.Imgur.com or www.Gyazo.com. Even if I'm unable to solve your problem, perhaps someone else can. In the meantime, it may be helpful to search through the comments (Q&A sort recommended) to find the solution to your issue. If your issue is unique (not listed above) please tell me about it so I can add it to the FAQ.
When you have completed the VN...
After the Fate/Stay Night story, you can choose to watch an anime adaptation of one of it's routes or read the sequel- Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. This thread contains a suggested watch order. Another lists all the Fate works.
The following is installation information specifically for Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
Windows: install info by /u/AdelKoenig
Android: at the bottom of this post is install info by /u/ModelZXGiro and the FHA Android patch.
Fate Stay Night Syntax Error
The Fate/Stay Night visual novel is one of the most popular to date. It holds the source material for many of the Fate works you may have seen, and truly offers the full picture of the narrative, something that anime adaptations might not be able to achieve. To install the visual novel, please follow this guide. It is by far the most comprehensive of its kind for this game. Over 30,000 people served!
For the Windows guide, simply follow the steps. For Mac and Linux, do the same but configure Wine as 32-bit and complete this as well. Additionally, Mac users can view this
0. Obtain Fate/Stay Night Realta Nua (you'll know which version based on this. Do NOT use the Fuwanovel version- this guide is not for that version! Due to the subreddit's rules, I can't exactly tell you where to get the game, but try searching up 'Fate/stay night [Realta Nua] windows'. Alternatively, an anime torrent site might contain it. When you've got it, verify that the file is roughly 6GB and contain 6 .RAR files (3 routes, 3 cracks). Note that the .RAR and .7z file formats are interchangeable.
Make one central folder and name it whatever you want. Inside this folder, place the individual folders for the routes. Inside the central folder should be the three routes in their own folders: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven's Feel. Edit each folder and EXE so that there are no '／'. DELETE THE SLASHES! It's also possible that some may run into issues with the '[]' brackets, but it's uncommon. Example for Fate would be 'Fate stay night[Realta Nua] -Fate-.exe'. At this point you should have something like this.
Apply a crack to each game (Fate, Heaven's Feel, Unlimited Blade Works), there should be three cracks for the three games. This is done by copying the files in the crack to its respective route. You'll be launching the game using the cracked .exe's. Your Fate folder will look like this. Note the file path.
Download the English patch, but don't watch the video, as it contains spoilers. Patch here- be warned that downloading through Internet Explorer may break the download. You must decide on either the Tumblr-hosted patch (pure English translation) or Google Drive (English + extras). Extras: tons of visual effects, PS Vita version openings, PS Vita version soundtrack (in addition to original & switchable), H-scenes option, H-scenes censoring/uncensoring option, original more violent CGs, and Fullscreen/Windowed views. Many thanks to Beast's Lair for their years of work to create these patches!
Look in C:/Users/<username>/Documents or 'My Documents' (if on Windows). Windows 10 if you have OneDrive enabled, the documents path will be C:Users*<username>*OneDriveDocuments. Create a folder titled 'faterealtanua_savedata'.
Paste in the contents of 'English patches', and 'H Mod' (if over 18) into the savedata folder. The H-patches allow you to turn the H-scenes on and off from the Config screen in-game. Windows 10 users: use of the Vita OST has been linked to a blue screen on game startup. Optionally, you can move the Vita OP into the savedata folder as well, but the Vita openings for UBW and HF contain spoilers- and also may result in crashes when watching these openings in fullscreen mode.
Make sure there are NO subfolders in the faterealtanua_savedata folder. It should look like something like this (disregard the datasc/datasu/data files here, they are progress files that will be generated upon playing). You MUST place the folder in My Documents, separate from the directory with the actual games.
This game will begin with a Prologue. The Prologue starts with the lance scene and the first events from Rin Tohsaka's perspective, and is over once Saber is summoned. Play the VN in this exact order: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, then Heaven's Feel. It's absolutely critical that you play each route to completion before starting the next. Don't worry about accidentally changing routes; in Realta Nua, you can only play the route you launch. The flowchart was made for the version of the game where route switching is possible- in Realta Nua is not.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you're having technical problems with the VN, first go through these common problems and solutions.
I want to back up my progress, where are the save games located?
In the faterealtanua_savedata folder. Every file that begins with 'data' are progress files. To be more specific: the .bmp are actual saves you can load, datasu / datasc contain overall career progress through all routes. If you're fully reinstalling the game, that almost always excludes these files. The saves are portable. Just copy them into faterealtanua_savedata (on any machine) and you should be able to play them again.
I get a blue screen upon application launch, how can I fix it?
Check that inside your Documents folder, the savedata folder is present and contains the right files like this, but don't worry about the files beginning with 'data'. Those are progress files generated upon making choices after Day 3 of each route. If that didn't fix it...
Windows 10 users use this. All other Windows users: try changing your Windows system locale to Japanese (help here) or using HongFire's HF pApploc to launch an individual EXE as Japanese.
I get a blue screen 'EAccessViolation', what's wrong?
Get the installer for the latest version of LAV filters. Mac users: try going through this solution.
What about the Combined Community Codec Pack?
CCCP has mixed results with this VN. In some cases, it solves the above EAccessViolation error that updating LAV filters did not. In others, it causes the game to crash upon playing a Vita OP movie. If this happens, uninstall both CCCP and LAV, then reinstall LAV again. There may be a way to use both CCCP and LAV filters while retaining the ability to watch the Vita OPs in full-screen.
The auto-read speed is too slow/fast, how can I change it?
Everything setting-related is managed in the game's config menu. Start up the route you're on and go to Config, or in-game with the right mouse click.
I launched the game and got some registration prompt. What is this?
You launched the wrong program! Launch it from the other .exe file.
I want to force the game to 1080p / other resolution. How can I configure this?
You can't get rid of the black bars without fiddling with GPU settings, it was designed to run in a 4:3 aspect ratio. You can only run the VN in either Windowed or Fullscreen mode. The internal rendering resolution will not change, so the game will actually look higher quality in Windowed- because it's not stretched out.
Is there any way I can play this VN on my Android device?
Yes! You can find my post at this link. The thread is locked. Should you have any questions regarding the Android version, feel free to reply below.
Why didn't you include a download link to the game and cracks?
One of the few rules on this subreddit is that users not post links to torrents, so a magnet link or direct download wouldn't be allowed. Instead, simply search for it yourself given the information in step 1.
I'm unable to play this on Windows 8.1 in full screen. Why is this?
In a small number of cases, Windows 8.1 will upscale GUI elements. Whether this is caused by nonstandard resolutions/aspect ratios is unknown, however there are two fixes. The first option is to lower the screen resolution. The second option is reducing or disabling GUI scaling.
The opening videos on Day 3 crash my game while in full screen mode.
Try mousing upward and selecting windowed mode, and viewing the OP that way.
At the end of Day 3 during the opening video, the screen goes black.
This MEGA folder contains morning Day 4 gamesaves for all the routes. Simply drag and drop the saves to your faterealtanua_savedata folder. They will appear on the farthest page of gamesaves. Load one from there (don't worry, the game will only let you load the correct save for the route) and continue.
At the end of Day 3 during the opening video, I get a blue screen and crash.
Delete the Vita OP for that route. 'Patch' is Fate, 'rinpatch' is UBW, and 'sakpatch' is HF.
When Saber attacks Archer after being summoned, I get a blue error screen.
Remove patch_op.xp3 from the faterealtanua_savedata folder.
I get two blue screens on launch.
This can be caused if your Windows username has special non-English characters. If your username is not the issue, there's one other thing to try. Create a backup copy of 'datasu.ksd' and 'datasc.ksd' with the extension .bak. So you end up having 4 files in your faterealtanua_savedata folder:
datasu.ksd
datasu.ksd.bak
datasc.ksd
datasc.ksd.bak
Image: http://imgur.com/J6AquMo
There is image distortion on the border of the screen, following visual effects.
If you're getting something like this after camera-shaking vfx, there are THREE OPTIONS:
Go to line 42 of this pastebin and follow the instructions.
Go to the graphics settings and turn OFF the special effects and turn ON the instant effects (if you had them off), then hold Alt+Tab. After you alt tab you need to go back in and RE-ENABLE the special effects.
Delete the contents of faterealtanua_savedata except for files with names beginning with 'data' (these are your game saves!) and reinstall the English patch.
The game starts with the window extending past the screen / forcing fullscreen
Go to the crack exe and right click it, select Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and check 'Disable display scaling on high DPI settings'. If this alone does not work, also check 'Run program as Administrator'.
Upon saving the game, I get a white prompt with all question marks.
First make sure the contents of your game folder match the example in Step #3. Alternatively, try running the game exe in administrator mode.
When Archer is given the order to clean up, and the screen turns gray/grayscale, the game crashes.
Several people have had this issue, and all of them fixed it by completely reinstalling the game. Note that when you're reinstalling this includes the faterealtanua_savedata folder, BUT be sure to back up anything beginning with 'data', as those are your progress files.
The game only shows a white screen, but I can hear the music, what's going on?
Press Alt+Enter when launching the game to force full-screen mode.
Upon game launch, a window appears then is closed- the game does not launch.
Mirror Moon Fate Stay Night
Try launching in Windowed instead of Fullscreen.
I wish to play the game in Japanese. How do I go about this?
Simply don't apply the patch- that is, skip steps 4, 5, 6, and 7. If you should have any questions, comment below tagging /u/AdelKoenig followed by your question.
I have no idea what I'm doing and need a lot of help.
PM /u/savepoints if you're completely lost.
I have a question not answered here. Should I make a new post about it on the subreddit? Should I PM you?
Please don't, it is actually against the submission guidelines. Comment below with screenshots of faterealtanua_savedata and the relevant route's game folder (including the folder path)- hosted either on www.Imgur.com or www.Gyazo.com. Even if I'm unable to solve your problem, perhaps someone else can. In the meantime, it may be helpful to search through the comments (Q&A sort recommended) to find the solution to your issue. If your issue is unique (not listed above) please tell me about it so I can add it to the FAQ.
When you have completed the VN...
After the Fate/Stay Night story, you can choose to watch an anime adaptation of one of it's routes or read the sequel- Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. This thread contains a suggested watch order. Another lists all the Fate works.
The following is installation information specifically for Fate/Hollow Ataraxia.
Windows: install info by /u/AdelKoenig
Android: at the bottom of this post is install info by /u/ModelZXGiro and the FHA Android patch.