JosefNemec/Playnite · error · Exception

PowerShell 3.0 or newer is not installed.

Error message

PowerShell 3.0 or newer is not installed.

What it means

Thrown by ExecuteScript when PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled is false — the host machine lacks PowerShell 3.0+, which Playnite requires to run game install/uninstall/etc. scripts. The message is localized via LOCErrorPowerShellNotInstalled.

Source

Thrown at source/Playnite/GamesEditor.cs:1640

            bool global,
            GameScriptType type,
            Dictionary<string, object> vars = null)
        {
            if (!execute || script.IsNullOrWhiteSpace())
            {
                return true;
            }

            try
            {
                if (runtime == null)
                {
                    throw new Exception("Cannot execute script, no runtime given.");
                }

                if (!PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled)
                {
                    throw new Exception(resources.GetString("LOCErrorPowerShellNotInstalled"));
                }

                var scriptVars = new Dictionary<string, object>
                {
                    {  "PlayniteApi", Application.PlayniteApiGlobal },
                    {  "Game", game.GetCopy() }
                };

                vars?.ForEach(a => scriptVars.AddOrUpdate(a.Key, a.Value));
                var expandedScript = game.ExpandVariables(script);
                var dir = game.ExpandVariables(game.InstallDirectory, true);
                if (!dir.IsNullOrEmpty() && Directory.Exists(dir))
                {
                    runtime.Execute(expandedScript, dir, scriptVars);
                }
                else
                {
                    runtime.Execute(expandedScript, PlaynitePaths.ProgramPath, scriptVars);

View on GitHub (pinned to 5911f4e964)

Solutions

1. Install Windows PowerShell 3.0 or newer (Windows Management Framework) on the host.
2. On Wine/Proton, ensure wine-mono/powershell core is available or run on a host with PowerShell.
3. Guard UI features that rely on scripts behind a PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled check so they are disabled gracefully.

Example fix

// before
if (!PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled) { throw new Exception(resources.GetString("LOCErrorPowerShellNotInstalled")); }

// after — caller-side capability check
if (!PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled && !script.IsNullOrWhiteSpace()) {
    Dialogs.ShowMessage("PowerShell 3.0+ is required to run this game's scripts.", "Unsupported", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
    return false;
}

// Check PowerShell availability before offering script-dependent features.
if (!PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled) {
    Dialogs.ShowMessage("PowerShell 3.0+ is required.", "Unsupported", MessageBoxButton.OK, MessageBoxImage.Warning);
    return;
}

static bool ScriptingAvailable => PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled;

When it happens

Trigger: ExecuteScript is invoked with a non-empty script on a system where PowerShellRuntime.IsInstalled evaluates false (no compatible PowerShell engine detected).

Common situations: Running Playnite on a stripped-down Windows image or under Wine/Proton where PowerShell is absent; PowerShell registry keys damaged; security policy uninstalled Windows PowerShell.

Related errors

• PowerShell 5.1 is not installed.
• LOC.ErrorPowerShellNotInstalled
• Cannot execute script, no runtime given.
• Cannot load script file, uknown format.
• Interactive session is already running

AI-assisted analysis of JosefNemec/Playnite@5911f4e964 (2026-08-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/796bef5c9c74ae8c. Report an issue: GitHub.