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Fix: Darksiders 2 issues in Windows 10/11

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Updated onAugust 1, 2024

updated onAugust 1, 2024

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Key notes

To fix various driver issues on your PC, you will need a dedicated tool to find the freshest and the original drivers. You can use PC HelpSoft Driver Updater to do it in 3 easy steps:

If you are a fan of hack and slash role-playing games, you might be familiar with Darksiders 2. This game was released in 2012, and it’s no surprise to see Darksiders 2 has certain problems onWindows 10, so today we’re going to fix those problems.

Fix Darksiders 2 problems in Windows 10

Table of contents:

Fix – Darksiders 2 crash

Solution 1 – Turn off Steam Overlay

If Darksiders 2 is crashing on your Windows 10 computer, it might be due to Steam Overlay, so in order to fix this problem, it advised that you disable Steam Overlay. We have to mention that by disabling Steam Overlay you won’t be able to see any Steam-related notifications and messages, so keep that in mind. To disable Steam Overlay do the following:

Solution 2 – Disable Steam Cloud synchronization and delete options.dopt

Users reported that after changing few options the game doesn’t start anymore and instead it crashes to Desktop every time. This problem makes Darksiders 2 almost unplayable, but there’s a way to fix it.

First, we need to disable Steam Cloud sync:

After Cloud sync has been disabled, you can safely remove options.dopt file by following these steps:

You should be able to start the game, but keep in mind that all your graphics settings will be reverted to default values. If you need to adjust any video settings remember not to change the shadows setting, or you’ll cause the game to start crashing again.

Solution 3 – Lower shadows setting in graphics options

If Darksiders 2 is crashing on your computer, a crash can be related to the shadows setting. It’s advised not to set shadows to Maximum, so make sure that you lower or turn off shadow settings.

For a better gaming experience, we recommenddownloading Game Fire for free. It will help with various gaming issues, such as freezes, crashes, low FPS, lags and slow PC.

Solution 4 – Run the game in compatibility mode

Windows 10 is a modern operating system, and certain software and video games aren’t fully compatible, therefore it’s recommended to run those game in compatibility mode. To do that, follow these steps:

Solution 5 – Install DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables

Darksiders 2 requires DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables in order to work properly, and if any of those isn’t installed, it will cause the game to crash. In order to fix that, you need to install both DirectX and Redistributables from Darksiders 2 directory.

After installing all the required components, Darksiders 2 should start working again.

Solution 6 – Turn off anti-aliasing and Vsync

Darksiders 2 can crash due to your graphics settings, and users reported anti-aliasing option can sometimes cause issues with Darksiders 2. In order to fix this problem, it’s advised that you disable anti-aliasing option from the options menu. Another cause of the Darksiders 2 crash is Vsync, so it’s recommended that you turn off this option as well.

Solution 7 – Add Darksiders 2 to the list of exceptions in your firewall/antivirus

Darksiders 2 crashes can sometimes be caused by yourantivirusorfirewallsoftware, so before starting Darksiders 2, make sure the game is added to the list of exclusions in your firewall and antivirus.

Solution 8 – Reinstall Darksiders 2

Another common-sense-driven solution is to perform a clean reinstall of the game. There are various reasons why the installation might’ve gone awry, starting with the corruption of some files or the nature of Windows 10 which changes the platform with every major update. For that purpose, we advise you to reinstall the game and move from there.

Here’s how to do it with Steam:

Fix – Darksiders 2 black screen

Solution 1 – Delete AMD_Logo_movie.wmv

If you are getting a black screen while the game is starting, you should know this problem is related to a single file. If you’re having this issue, it’s advised you open the game’s installation directory, navigate tomediavideosand deleteAMD_Logo_movie.wmv. Before deleting the file, be sure to make a copy and save it to a safe location, just in case.

Solution 2 – Change your desktop resolution

Few users reported black screen issue was caused due to their system resolution, and the only solution is to temporarily change your desktop resolution. It seems Darksiders 2 has issues detecting certain resolutions, so it’s advised that you lower your screen resolution and try starting the game again. We have to mention that you might have to try a few different resolutions before you find the one that works for you.

Solution 3 – Disable Comodo defense+ feature

As we previously mentioned, it’s important to add Darksiders 2 to the list of firewall exceptions, but in some cases, that doesn’t fix the black screen issue. Users reported Comodo firewall can cause issues with Darksiders 2, so if you’re using Comodo, be sure to disable its defense+ feature before starting the game.

Solution 4 – Update GPU drivers

Game issues too often go hand in hand with faulty or incompatible graphics drivers. The thing with drivers is the complexity of the problem. Sometimes generic drivers provided via Windows Update won’t suffice, sometimes they will. On other occasions, Darksiders 2 might be supporting only the specific driver release for your graphics card.

This means that even the official drivers that are up-to-date won’t work as intended. Basically, you’ll need to experiment with drivers in order to find the one who can run the game.

Here’s how to install/upgrade proper drivers in Windows 10:

A safer and quicker method is to use dedicated software such asPC HelpSoft Driver Updater. It will detect whether your driver is out of date and download and install the best version available. It is easy to use, lightweight, and most of the process is automated.

Solution 5 – Run the game as an administrator

Another side workaround that can come in handy is to run the game with administrative permissions. By doing so, you should be able to avoid possible limitations imposed on the game’s process.

Follow the instructions in order to run Darksiders 2 on Windows 10:

Fix – Darksiders 2 stuttering

Solution 1 – Make sure you meet the requirements

The first rather obvious thing we can’t overlook when addressing stutters in Darksiders 2 is system requirements. Darksiders 2 isn’t an overwhelmingly demanding game, but it’s still valuable to meet, at least, the minimum hardware requirements.

Minimum requirements:

Recommended requirements:

Solution 2 – Use RadeonPro

Before we start, we have to mention this solution only applies to AMD owners, so if you own a Nvidia graphics card, skip this solution.

Solution 3 – Change Nvidia Control Panel settings

Solution 4 – Change Catalyst Control Center options

Solution 5 – Replace d3d9.dll file

If Darksiders 2 is stuttering on your computer, downloadthisfile. After you’ve downloaded the file, open it, and moved3d9.dllandantilag.cfgto Darksiders 2 installation directory.

Solution 6 – Change Darksiders 2 process priority to High

In some cases, Darksiders 2 can stutter if its priority isn’t set to High, but we can easily change that by doing the following:

If this solution fixes stuttering problems, you will have to repeat it every time you start Darksiders 2.

Darksiders 2 is an extremely fun game, but as you can see, it has its share of issues on Windows 10. If you’re having any of these issues, feel free to try some of our solutions.

Fix: Darksiders 2 issues in Windows 10/11#

Fix Darksiders 2 problems in Windows 10#

Fix – Darksiders 2 crash#

Fix – Darksiders 2 black screen#

Fix – Darksiders 2 stuttering#

Fix: Darksiders 2 issues in Windows 10/11

Fix Darksiders 2 problems in Windows 10

Fix – Darksiders 2 crash

Fix – Darksiders 2 black screen

Fix – Darksiders 2 stuttering