diff --git a/players/join.bat b/players/join.bat
index 1779f9f..8129612 100644
--- a/players/join.bat
+++ b/players/join.bat
@@ -29,6 +29,23 @@ set BT_EXITCODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
 echo [%DATE% %TIME%] btl4.exe exited with code %BT_EXITCODE% >> launch_report.txt
 if not exist join.log echo join.log WAS NEVER CREATED: the exe was blocked before it could run (loader failure or antivirus) >> launch_report.txt
 if exist join.log for %%A in (join.log) do echo join.log size: %%~zA bytes >> launch_report.txt
+
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+rem HANDOFF WAIT (2026-07-25).  The front end does NOT stay resident: it
+rem CreateProcess()es the mission generation and ExitProcess(0)s itself
+rem (btl4console.cpp).  So OUR child exiting means "the menu handed off",
+rem NOT "the game closed" -- without this wait the window announced "The
+rem game has exited" while the game was still loading, which reads as a
+rem crash to a playtester.  Wait for the handed-off generation(s) to go.
+rem A genuinely dead exe leaves no process and falls straight through, so
+rem the #41 launch forensics above still work.
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+:btwait
+tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq btl4.exe" /NH 2>nul | find /I "btl4.exe" >nul
+if not errorlevel 1 (
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+    goto btwait
+)
 echo.
 echo The game has exited.  If you did NOT quit on purpose
 echo (crash, or it never connected), send the operator BOTH files:
diff --git a/players/join_lan.bat b/players/join_lan.bat
index f6fb9c1..7d36037 100644
--- a/players/join_lan.bat
+++ b/players/join_lan.bat
@@ -32,6 +32,23 @@ set BT_EXITCODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
 echo [%DATE% %TIME%] btl4.exe exited with code %BT_EXITCODE% >> launch_report.txt
 if not exist join.log echo join.log WAS NEVER CREATED: the exe was blocked before it could run (loader failure or antivirus) >> launch_report.txt
 if exist join.log for %%A in (join.log) do echo join.log size: %%~zA bytes >> launch_report.txt
+
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+rem HANDOFF WAIT (2026-07-25).  The front end does NOT stay resident: it
+rem CreateProcess()es the mission generation and ExitProcess(0)s itself
+rem (btl4console.cpp).  So OUR child exiting means "the menu handed off",
+rem NOT "the game closed" -- without this wait the window announced "The
+rem game has exited" while the game was still loading, which reads as a
+rem crash to a playtester.  Wait for the handed-off generation(s) to go.
+rem A genuinely dead exe leaves no process and falls straight through, so
+rem the #41 launch forensics above still work.
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+:btwait
+tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq btl4.exe" /NH 2>nul | find /I "btl4.exe" >nul
+if not errorlevel 1 (
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+    goto btwait
+)
 echo.
 echo The game has exited.  If you did NOT quit on purpose
 echo (crash, or it never connected), send the operator BOTH files:
diff --git a/players/play_solo.bat b/players/play_solo.bat
index 48f6bd1..57fda3d 100644
--- a/players/play_solo.bat
+++ b/players/play_solo.bat
@@ -28,6 +28,23 @@ set BT_EXITCODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
 echo [%DATE% %TIME%] btl4.exe exited with code %BT_EXITCODE% >> launch_report.txt
 if not exist join.log echo join.log WAS NEVER CREATED: the exe was blocked before it could run (loader failure or antivirus) >> launch_report.txt
 if exist join.log for %%A in (join.log) do echo join.log size: %%~zA bytes >> launch_report.txt
+
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+rem HANDOFF WAIT (2026-07-25).  The front end does NOT stay resident: it
+rem CreateProcess()es the mission generation and ExitProcess(0)s itself
+rem (btl4console.cpp).  So OUR child exiting means "the menu handed off",
+rem NOT "the game closed" -- without this wait the window announced "The
+rem game has exited" while the game was still loading, which reads as a
+rem crash to a playtester.  Wait for the handed-off generation(s) to go.
+rem A genuinely dead exe leaves no process and falls straight through, so
+rem the #41 launch forensics above still work.
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+:btwait
+tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq btl4.exe" /NH 2>nul | find /I "btl4.exe" >nul
+if not errorlevel 1 (
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+    goto btwait
+)
 echo.
 echo The game has exited.  If it closed unexpectedly,
 echo send the operator content\join.log.
diff --git a/players/play_steam.bat b/players/play_steam.bat
index 6223714..9898125 100644
--- a/players/play_steam.bat
+++ b/players/play_steam.bat
@@ -22,6 +22,23 @@ rem case this shell ran play_solo.bat first
 set BT_FE_SOLO=
 cd content
 ..\build\Release\btl4.exe
+
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+rem HANDOFF WAIT (2026-07-25).  The front end does NOT stay resident: it
+rem CreateProcess()es the mission generation and ExitProcess(0)s itself
+rem (btl4console.cpp).  So OUR child exiting means "the menu handed off",
+rem NOT "the game closed" -- without this wait the window announced "The
+rem game has exited" while the game was still loading, which reads as a
+rem crash to a playtester.  Wait for the handed-off generation(s) to go.
+rem A genuinely dead exe leaves no process and falls straight through, so
+rem the #41 launch forensics above still work.
+rem ------------------------------------------------------------------
+:btwait
+tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq btl4.exe" /NH 2>nul | find /I "btl4.exe" >nul
+if not errorlevel 1 (
+    timeout /t 2 /nobreak >nul
+    goto btwait
+)
 echo.
 echo The game has exited.  If it closed unexpectedly, send the operator
 echo content\steam.log.  Steam not running = the menu still works but