Share this article

Improve this guide

GTA 5 Stopped Working: How to Fix it Quickly

An outdated graphics driver could be the cause of this issue

6 min. read

Updated onAugust 2, 2024

updated onAugust 2, 2024

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

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:

Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the highest-grossing Windows games that has broken industry records.

However, the game doesn’t always run flawlessly and has one error message that states,Grand Theft Auto5 has stopped working.

That error message pops up for some GTA fanatics when they start the game. Consequently, GTA 5 doesn’t run for them. There are, however, various ways that you can fix this issue.

How can I fix GTA 5 if it stops working?

How can I fix GTA 5 if it stops working?

1. Check GTA 5’s System Requirements

If GTA 5 has stopped working, double-check that your laptop or desktop meets GTA 5’s minimum system requirements, as shown above.

Note that the game requires NVIDIA and AMD video cards, so it isn’t going to run on desktops or laptops with Intel integrated graphics.

You can also check that GTA 5 will run on your PC at theCan You RUN it website. This website matches games’ system requirements with your system specifications to tell you if they will run.

EnterGrand Theft Auto5in the website’s search box, and press theCan You Run Itbutton. Then, a new page will open, showing you how your hardware specifications match the game’s system requirements.

If your PC doesn’t meetGTA‘s minimum system requirements, you can get a refund fromSteam,provided you downloaded the game less than two weeks ago.

YourSteamaccount will list games you can still get refunded. ThisSteam pageprovides further details on how to request a refund.

2. Install the Latest Visual C++ Redistributable Pack

The Visual C++ 2008 redistributable pack is also an essential requirement forGrand Theft Auto5, which should have been installed with the rest of the game. However, Visual C++ might not have been installed correctly; and there’s also a more updated version.

Press theDownloadbutton onthe Microsoft download websiteto update Visual C++ if you don’t have the latest version.

3. Run Grand Theft Auto 5 in Compatibility Mode

Grand Theft Auto 5 is not an outdated game, but it still predates Windows 10. As such, running the game in compatibility mode as an administrator might resolve the GTA 5 stopped working error.

4. Disable non-Windows Services

It might be the case that a third-party software service is crashing the game. To ensure that’s not the case, disable the non-Windows services.

5. Update your Graphics Card Driver

ThisGTAstopped workingerrorcould be due to an outdated graphics card driver. NVIDIA releasedGeForce Game Ready 350.12 WHQL driversmore specifically forGTA5.

So it’s worth checking if there is an up-to-date driver for your video card. This is how you can update an NVIDIA graphics card driver manually or automatically.

Regardless of this way, you can perform it effortlessly. It’s possible to find and detect GPU outdated drivers with a fully automated driver application.

With this efficient tool, you will get the full list of outdated drivers on your device and press one click to update them and fix problematic graphics drivers causing gaming issues.

⇒Get PC HelpSoft Driver Updater

6. Verify the Steam Game Cache

It’s worth verifying the Steam cache for any game that’s not starting. That might detect and repair corrupted game files.

7. Switch off antivirus software

Third-party antivirus softwareand their firewalls can stop the game from running. The quick way to find out if that’s the case is to switch off third-party antivirus software temporarily.

Right-click the antivirus software’s notification area icon and select its disable or turn off setting if you can find one on the context menu.

Then you can probably select to temporarily switch the software off before launchingGTA5.

8. Reinstall Social Club

Social Club is the online multiplayer setup forGTA5. Rockstar, the game’s publisher, suggests that players reinstall Social Club to fixGTA5 startup issues. You can do that by enteringappwiz.cplin Run and clickingOK.

Then select Rockstar Games Social Club, and press the Uninstall button. After that, right-click the Social Club installer and selectRun as Administratorto reinstall Social Club.

9. Uninstall Identity Cloaker

Some Grand Theft Auto 5 players have found that the GTA V has stopped workingerroris due to the Identity Cloaker software.

If you happen to have Identity Cloaker on your hard drive, uninstalling it will probably fix the game. You can uninstall Identity Cloaker via the Programs and Features tab, much the same as Social Club.

Those resolutions will probably fixGTA5 so that the game runs without a stopped workingerror. Aside from that, you can also try reinstalling the game.

Similarly, ifGTA 5 keeps crashing your PC, check our guide to fix it.

If you have a further fix for the GTA 5 stopped workingerror, please share the additional tip below.

More about the topics:GTA 5

Matthew Adams

Windows Hardware Expert

Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.

He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.

In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.

User forum

1 messages

Sort by:LatestOldestMost Votes

Comment*

Name*

Email*

Commenting as.Not you?

Save information for future comments

Comment

Δ

Matthew Adams

Windows Hardware Expert

He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.