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PC Crashes While Gaming: Why and How to Fix For Good

Prevent GPU crashes and get back to gaming with these tips

11 min. read

Updated onApril 11, 2024

updated onApril 11, 2024

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Key notes

Windows 10 is a very gamer-friendly operating system, but many reported that GPU crashes when playing games.

Sometimes, things may not be as smooth as they should be, as there’s a chance that you could encountergame crashes in Windows 10.

Some gamers recently reported that their GPU crashes when playing games. And since this is a serious and annoying issue, we’ll discuss all the troubleshooting steps you can try.

Some users have reported that their monitor crashes when playing games. This occurs if the GPU can’t meet the game’s requirements.

In other situations, users encountered the same issue without the system overheating. This is usually an in-depth issue with the driver or GPU connectivity. This same principle applies if the computer crashes after a few minutes in the game.

Why do my games keep crashing on Windows 10?

Having your games crashis one of the worst feelings you can have as a gamer, especially if you have been waiting for the release of a game title for a long time.

More specifically, some users have reported their PC crashing while playing Overwatch, and others complain aboutPC crashes while playing League of Legends.

It is worth noting that these types of errors occur no matter what kind of system you’re using, with many users mentioning that their PC freezes while gaming on AMD platforms.

In other situations, it seems that the problem appears as a game crash after updating a driver.

Here are the common causes of GPU crashes when playing games:

Other possible situations in which you might find yourself are caused by installing new hardware on your PC.

Some users have experiencedgames crashing after installing new RAM, which can be caused either because the motherboard is not properly recognizing the new hardware or if the RAM connectors are not properly cleaned before the installation process starts.

The same principle also applies if you’verecently installed a new GPU. If there’s any issue with the hardware, it will affect your performance.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons for which your GPU might be having issues while playing games on a Windows PC, and while most of them will be covered in this guide, if your GPU is not powerful enough to run the game, then there are only a couple of options available for you.

You can either invest in apowerful eGPUor connect it externally to your system, thus improving your PC’s GPU processing capabilities considerably.

If you haven’t already and don’t mind spending some time setting up your new GPU, you could also invest in aninternal GPU that is powerful enough, and go through the process of installing it on your motherboard.

The exact method for fixing game crashes in Windows 10 and 11 will depend on your specific situation, but some general solutions could prove helpful.

Why does my GPU keep crashing?

If the GPU crashes when playing games, check your drivers. Outdated or corrupted drivers will cause your system to crash when playing games.

In addition, overclocking can put extra stress on your graphics card and cause it to generate more heat. As a result, it will overheat and crash.

These are some of the common causes, but there are other ones as well.

How do I stop my GPU from crashing?

1. Install the latest drivers

1.PressWinkey+Xand chooseDevice Manager.

Scroll through the list and toggle theDisplay Adaptersoption.

3.Right-click the entry or entries found in the list and chooseUpdate Driver(Our system has two GPUs).

4.Choose eitherSearch automatically for drivers(if you don’t have the driver downloaded), orBrowse my computer for drivers(if you do).

Wait for the driver to be installed, then close the window and check whether the issue persists.

Windows 10 had problems with drivers compatibility since day one, and those problems are not resolved yet. So, there’s a chance your current graphics card driver isn’t compatible with Windows 10. This might be why your PC is crashing while gaming.

Many reported games crashing on Windows 10 with Nvidia GPU, but other brands also have this issue. As such, a driver update is mandatory.

2. Install the necessary software

Most of today’s games require some additional software to work properly and the best example is DirectX.

If GPU crashes when playing games, ensure you have the latest version on your PC.

If you’re unsure which programs you need to install to play your desired game, try searching for the information by exploring the game developer’s website or reading the game’s documentation.

Some games will not install if you don’t also have these specific programs. Most often than not, they will ask you to install them during the setup process.

If your PC crashes when playing games not overheating, check if you have all components installed.

3. Make sure the PC doesn’t overheat

Overheating is one of the most common instigators of sudden crashes on PCs. If games keep crashing on a high-end PC, it’s possible that your PC temperature is too high.

Your PC automatically shuts down if the CPU or GPU temperature hits critical levels. That way, it protects itself from major hardware failures.

These situations are quite common after extended exposure to the heat. So, you’ll need to check the cooling system, clean all fans, remove all dust and debris, and use aPC temperature monitoring tool.

Also, applying the thermal paste to the CPU is a must. It’ll reduce the overheating substantially. Moreover, you should also add some additional coolers if there’s free space to do it.

Just make sure that your power supply isn’t overwhelmed. If you need some software to follow the temperature changes, you can download SpeedFan and check the readings or even control the rotation of the main fans.

4. Disable background programs

In case GPU crashes when playing games, other apps are possibly interfering with it. Disable them and check if that helps.

Furthermore, you can also try usingRAM optimizer softwareto ensure that all elements are checked and ready for gaming.

5. Disable the onboard sound device

The generic sound driver provided by Windows 10 Update for onboard sound devices occasionally collides with other devices, especially the one from the GPU.

That might lead to GPU failure, which will eventually cause it to crash and stop you from enjoying your games.

6. Scan for malware

There are only a few chances that malware would cause critical issues on your system, but because of the number of people doing crypto-mining lately, a wide range of crypto-related malware has been released.

For that purpose, we advise you to perform a thorough scan with either Windows Defender orany third-party antivirusyou have at your disposal.

7. Check your hardware

Maybe the problem isn’t related to the system at all, maybe it’s on your hardware. If games are crashing without error, it’s possible that there’s a hardware issue.

Namely, the power supply was not strong enough for his graphics card, and that caused him a lot of problems.

So, keep in mind to check if your computer is assembled correctly, and if you find out something’s wrong, just change your current components with the proper ones.

The special emphasis goes to RAM and HDD. Sometimes, the HDD gets corrupted, or the RAM stick gets broken.

So, make sure everything works fine to exclude the hardware as the possible reason for the crashes while gaming.

Useful tips to improve your system’s gaming performance

Keeping these things in mind can help you fix issues related toOverwatch 2 keeps crashing on Windows 11.

We also have to mention the compatibility problems with the games themselves. Some older games (10+ years old) are simply incompatible with Windows 10. Therefore, there’s nothing you can do to play them on your PC.

How do I fix games crashing on Windows 11?

Windows 10 and 11 share many similarities as well as issues. Game crashes have been detected on both systems, and causes are usually related to the drivers or hardware issues.

Since both systems work similarly, almost all solutions are universal and will work on both operating systems.

We coveredgames crashing on Windows 11in a separate guide, so if your PC crashes while gaming, we suggest you read that guide for more in-depth information.

Can a power supply cause games to crash?

A bad power supply can’t handle intensive tasks such as gaming, so it may cause your system to crash. This is especially true if the power supply doesn’t have enough power to handle other hardware.

Using an old power supply can also lead to stability issues, so if you’re having problems, perhaps you should consider replacing your power supply.

How to prevent game crashes in the future

Bloatware is the biggest enemy when it comes to the performance of your PC. This can sometimes lead to computer crashes when playing games.

Therefore, try to uninstall as many programs as you don’t need or use. You will be surprised by how many of those you will find in the list of apps installed on your computer.

After performing this step, your PC will be in an optimal state to run games without any issues.

Many antiviruses nowadays have a built-in Game mode specially created to ensure the software doesn’t start crunching your drive for viruses during your game and eliminate other distractions.

It’s usually straightforward to activate from the main menu of the antivirus, and it’s worth switching that feature on for your peace of mind.

Even though the specific steps will depend on the antivirus software you’re using, above is how you can do it withESET HOME Security Premium.

As you can see, it’s not hard to cover all the possible causes of your gaming session being interrupted by system crashes.

If you follow the steps described in this guide carefully, you will surely be one step closer to solving this issue and avoiding encountering it at a future date.

The best way to avoid this issue is to ensure that your PC runs optimally, that no unnecessaryapplications are running in the background, and that your antivirus software is not causing issues.

Game crashes can also be avoided by using one of thegame booster software options, which can optimize your computer’s resources and make the most out of them.

We hope this article helped you solve the problems with games crashing on your Windows 10/11 PC.

If you have any comments or questions, use the comment section below this guide.

PC Crashes While Gaming: Why and How to Fix For Good#

How do I stop my GPU from crashing?#

1. Install the latest drivers#

2. Install the necessary software#

3. Make sure the PC doesn’t overheat#

4. Disable background programs#

5. Disable the onboard sound device#

6. Scan for malware#

7. Check your hardware#

Useful tips to improve your system’s gaming performance#

How do I fix games crashing on Windows 11?#

How to prevent game crashes in the future#