A game crashing on startup is almost always a software problem: damaged game files, a graphics driver fault, something blocking the game, or a missing runtime. The fixes below are in the order worth trying them, from quickest and safest to most involved.
This guide covers launch crashes on Windows 10 and 11 in any launcher. For problems that appear later, such as crashes mid-game, stutter or low FPS, start with our PC game troubleshooting guide.
Quick fixes to try first
These take a minute each and solve more launch crashes than you would expect.
- Restart the PC. Choose Restart rather than Shut down, so Windows reloads its drivers from scratch.
- End any stuck copy of the game. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc, find the game or its launcher helper in Task Manager, and click End task. A process left over from the last crash blocks a new launch.
- Finish pending updates. Let the launcher finish patching the game, and install waiting updates under Settings → Windows Update.
- Unplug extra devices. Racing wheels, flight sticks, extra controllers and some USB audio devices can crash a game while it detects inputs. Disconnect them for one test.
- Remove mods. A game update often breaks mods that worked before.
Also make sure the PC meets the game’s minimum requirements. A graphics card that lacks a required feature, such as DirectX 12 support, causes an instant exit that no setting can fix. You can check your PC against the game’s system requirements in a few minutes.
Verify the game files
Verifying game files is a check that compares your installed files with the launcher’s list and replaces any that are missing or damaged. It is the most effective single fix for startup crashes, and it leaves saves alone.
| Launcher | Steps |
|---|---|
| Steam | Library → right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files |
| Epic Games Launcher | Library → three dots on the game → Manage → Verify |
| Battle.net | Gear icon next to Play → Scan and Repair |
| EA app | Library → three dots on the game → Repair |
Steam’s support page lists the same steps under “Verify Integrity of Game Files”. On Steam, a message that a few files failed to verify and will be reacquired is expected: it means the check found the damaged files and is replacing them.
Update or clean-install the graphics driver
The graphics driver is the software that lets a game talk to your GPU, and it loads at the very start of the launch. An old or broken driver is the second most common cause of a crash before the menu.
Download the current driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel directly. If the game stopped launching right after a driver update, do the opposite and go back to the previous version.
When a normal update does not help, use the installer’s clean install option, which removes old settings and profiles. The steps for each brand, plus how to roll back, are in our guide to updating your graphics drivers.
Check administrator rights and antivirus
A game that cannot write its config or save files may exit without any message. Two things commonly cause that.
Controlled folder access. This Windows Security feature blocks unknown apps from changing files in protected folders such as Documents, where many games keep saves.
- Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection.
- Under Ransomware protection, click Manage ransomware protection.
- If Controlled folder access is on, choose Allow an app through Controlled folder access and add the game’s
.exe.
Antivirus quarantine. Check Protection history in Windows Security, or the quarantine list in your third-party antivirus, for the game’s executable or its anti-cheat files. Restore them and add the game’s install folder as an exclusion. Only do this for games installed from an official launcher.
To test for a permissions problem, right-click the game’s .exe, choose Properties → Compatibility and tick Run this program as an administrator. If that fixes it, the cause is file permissions rather than the game itself.
Turn off overlays and background apps
An overlay is software that draws on top of a game by loading its own code into it. That makes overlays a frequent cause of crashes at launch, when the game is creating its graphics window.
Turn these off one at a time and test after each:
- Steam overlay: Steam → Settings → In Game
- Discord overlay: User Settings → Game Overlay
- NVIDIA or AMD in-game overlay
- Xbox Game Bar: Settings → Gaming → Game Bar
- FPS counters, capture tools, RGB and fan-control utilities
If you can’t find the culprit, use a clean boot. Microsoft’s instructions use the msconfig tool: on the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services, click Disable all, then disable start-up apps in Task Manager and restart. If the game launches, re-enable services in small groups to find the conflict. Undo the clean boot when you are done.
Reinstall the Visual C++ and DirectX runtimes
Runtimes are shared Microsoft components that games rely on rather than shipping their own copies. If one is missing or damaged, the game fails at launch, sometimes with an error naming a file such as VCRUNTIME140.dll, MSVCP140.dll or d3dx9_43.dll, and sometimes with no message at all.
- Visual C++ Redistributable: download the latest supported version from Microsoft Learn. Install both the x64 and x86 packages, because some 64-bit games still use 32-bit launchers.
- DirectX End-User Runtime: older games need the legacy DirectX 9 components, which Windows does not include by default. Microsoft’s web installer adds them without changing the DirectX version built into Windows.
Many games also keep their own installers in a folder named _CommonRedist or Redist inside the game’s install directory. Running those installs the exact versions the game was built against.
Don’t download individual .dll files from third-party sites. They are often the wrong version, and some are unsafe.
Check the crash log
If the game still crashes, find out what failed instead of guessing.
- Search the Start menu for View reliability history.
- Click the day of the crash, then the red X entry for the game.
- Open View technical details and note the Fault Module Name.
A module that belongs to the graphics driver, such as one starting with nvlddmkm or atidxx, points back to the driver. A module from an overlay or anti-cheat points to that software. If it is the game’s own executable, the cause is more likely the game files, a mod or a bug in the current patch.
Many games write their own log as well, usually under Documents\My Games or %LOCALAPPDATA%. The last few lines often name the step that failed. The game’s official support site is the right place to search that text.
For a single-game example of this process, see our guide to fixing Elden Ring crashes on PC. If the PC itself shuts off or freezes when the game loads, check whether your PC is overheating before going further.
Update Your Graphics Drivers
