Last Updated on September 4, 2023 by David
In the follow-up to Starfield, the game has a lot of hype behind it. Partly because it’s a new IP from Bethesda and the game is a mixed bag because it partly lives up to expectations. Aside from the quality of the game, PC players are experiencing errors and crashes while playing the game like DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG error or GPU Doesn’t Meet Minimal Specs error. In this Starfield guide, I will list fixes for the in-game crashes and crash at startup issues.
Starfield Crash Fixes That’ll Help
PC users report that Starfield is crashing while playing or at startup. There are multiple reasons why the game is crashing at startup or in-game. The following are the fixes that will help players fix the crashing issue. If you are having issues with the game’s default FOV, check out FOV Fix for Starfield.
Also, see our Starfield fixes DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG error, and GPU Doesn’t Meet Minimal Specs Error error.
Crash Fix
PC players are reporting that Starfield is crashing randomly while playing and there are multiple reasons behind it like in-game overlays, overclocked GPU, outdated drivers, and more. The following are the fixes that will help players fix the in-game crashes.
Disable Overclock, Enable Debug Mode
Overclocking can be useful to squeeze more performance out of your hardware and with a game like Starfield, overclocking makes sense, especially CPU as the game is CPU-heavy. However, overclocking can make the experience an unstable one with the game crashing in-game. If you have overclocked your GPU or CPU, revert them back to their default clocks and Starfield in-game crashes will be fixed.
In case your GPU is factory overclocked, enable the Debug Mode through the Nvidia Control Panel to force the GPU to use reference GPU clocks recommended by Nvidia. Open Nvidia Control Panel > Help > Debug Mode. Launch Starfield and the in-game crash is now fixed.
Delete DirectX Shader Cache
A corrupt DirectX shader cache is another reason why Starfield is crashing in-game. Delete the DirectX shader cache and the game will stop crashing. Navigate to C:\Users\’your username’\AppData\Local\NVIDIA and delete the DXCache folder.
There is another way to delete the DirectX shader cache, open Disk Cleanup > select C drive and press Ok > select DirectX Shader Cache > press OK, and Windows will delete the DirectX Shader cache. Launch Starfield and play the game, it won’t crash anymore.
Update GPU Driver
If you haven’t updated your GPU driver in a while, it is the reason why Starfield is crashing in-game. Apparently, Nvidia drivers prior to the 537.13 version are causing the game to crash. Download the Nvidia Driver version 537.13, install it, and ensure that you do a clean installation. This will fix the in-game crash issue.
Disable In-game Overlays
Almost every PC software related to video games has an in-game overlay that allows players to access features without having to minimize or close the game. These in-game overlays are useful but can interfere with the games and cause crashes. This is the reason why Starfield is crashing in-game if you have enabled in-game overlays like Steam overlay, GeForce Experience overlay, Discord overlay or more. Disable in-game overlays and Starfield crashes will be fixed.
To disable Steam in-game overlay, open Steam > settings > In-game > uncheck “Enable the Steam overlay while in-game.”
If you installed GeForce Experience with your Nvidia Driver, then the GeForce Experience overlay is enabled by default. Open GeForce experience > click on the Gear icon next to your username > General > turn off the “IN-GAME Overlay” options.
Crash At Startup, Game Not Launching Fix
Starfield players report that the game is crashing at startup or not launching. There are multiple reasons why the game is crashing at launch like outdated operating system, fullscreen optimizations, and more. The following are the fixes that will help PC users fix the Starfield crash at startup issue.
Run The Game Directly From Executable
According to PC users, when they launch Starfield through Steam by clicking the Play button, nothing happens. This can be fixed by launching the game directly from its executable. Right-click Starfield in Steam library > Manage > Browse local files. A new window will open with game files, launch the game directly from the executable and it will launch without any issues.
Update Windows To 22H2
Video games update frequently these days and with these updates, their requirement for the OS versions change. An outdated Windows OS is the reason why Starfield is crashing at startup. Update Windows 10 to version 22H2 and the game will launch without crashing.
Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Windows enables Fullscreen Optimization by default for every program and game installed on your PC. These optimizations can often cause issues with games and cause them to crash at startup. This is the reason for Starfield’s crash at launch issue and disabling Fullscreen Optimizations will fix it. Right-click Starfield in Steam library > Manage > Browse Local Files. A new explorer window will open with game files. Right-click the game’s executable > Properties > Compatibility tab > check “Disable Fullscreen optimizations” and apply changes.
Install Nvidia Driver 537.13
As I mentioned above, Nvidia drivers prior to 537.13 are causing Starfield to crash. If you have installed an old Nvidia driver version, this is the reason why the game is crashing at startup. Installing the driver version 537.13 fixes the crash at startup issue. Download the Nvidia Driver version 537.13, install it, and ensure to do a clean installation. Launch the game and it won’t crash at launch.
Delete Temporary Files
As the name suggests, Temp files are temporary Windows files that accumulate over time and can cause games to crash at launch. Deleting these temporary files fixes the Starfield crash at launch issue. Press Windows + R buttons > type %temp% and press enter. A new window will open containing some files and folders. Delete all the files, launch Starfield, and it will launch without any issues.
That is all for our Starfield fixes for the in-game crashes and crash at startup issues. If you are facing errors and issues with other PC games or your PC, then also see our hub for commonly occurring PC errors and their fixes.