“Elden Ring, developed by FromSoftware Inc. and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment in February 2022, is an action role-playing video game. With soul-like characters and engaging gameplay, this fantasy-action RPG boasts stunning graphics quality. It is available on various platforms, including PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS5, and Windows.
Regrettably, some players have encountered a crash on their Windows PC when launching Elden Ring. If you’re facing this issue, don’t worry. Just follow this troubleshooting guide thoroughly to resolve the problem effortlessly.”
Fix Elden Ring Crashing on Startup on Windows PC
“Numerous players have reported encountering the Elden Ring crash issue, and it’s likely attributed to multiple factors. Here are some identified reasons:
- High Graphic Settings: Excessive rendering settings may lead to crashes. Adjust the settings based on your PC configuration, lowering them to medium or lower if necessary. Experiment to find the right balance.
- Common Glitch: Restarting your Steam launcher might resolve the problem. If the issue started recently, try restarting Steam before launching the game again.
- AMD Rendering Instability: Users with AMD GPUs might face more crashes compared to Nvidia users. This rendering instability can impact gameplay, and finding solutions may be more challenging.
- Corrupted Files: Issues in the game’s installation folder, such as corrupted files, can cause crashes. Verify the integrity of the game files through Steam to fix this problem.
- Interfering Epic Games Launcher: The Epic Games Launcher, even if not used for playing the game, could cause Elden Ring crashing issues due to conflicts with the Easyanticheat launcher. Uninstalling the Epic Games Launcher may resolve this.
- Conflicting Temp Files: Temporary files on your PC, either software- or hardware-related logs, might interfere with the game and lead to crashes. Deleting temp files in TEMP, %TEMP%, and PREFETCH folders can help resolve this issue.
- Interfering Steam Overlay: Incompatibility between Steam’s overlay and the game could be a cause. Disabling the overlay feature on Steam might prevent new crashes, as reported by some users.
- Incompatible Rivertuner: The use of Rivatuner Statistics Server while playing Elden Ring has caused crashes for some players. Terminating the application’s processes through Task Manager can resolve this.
- Incompatible MSI Afterburner: Disabling MSI Afterburner temporarily might resolve the issue. Some users have reported success by ending its tasks in Task Manager as a workaround for Elden Ring crashes.”
Fix: Elden Ring Crashing in Windows PC 2024
“Now, having identified all the problems, here is a comprehensive list of methods that have assisted other players in resolving the Elden Ring crashing issue.”
Update Graphic Driver
“First and foremost, ensure that your graphics driver is up to date. This not only prevents potential conflicts but also improves the overall performance of the game.
You have two options for updating your driver: manual or automatic.
For manual updating, you can search for the specific driver on the manufacturer’s official website and then download and install it.
Alternatively, you can opt for driver software that automatically handles the update for you.”
Check System Requirements
“It is strongly advised to verify the game’s system requirements against your PC’s specifications to identify any compatibility issues.
If you are unsure about meeting the requirements or encounter compatibility problems, consider the following recommendations:”
Minimum System Requirements:
System Requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 10
- Processor: INTEL CORE I5-8400 or AMD RYZEN 3 3300X
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 3 GB or AMD RADEON RX 580 4 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB available space
- Sound Card: Windows Compatible Audio Device”
Recommended System Requirements:
- Operating System: Windows 10/11
- Processor: INTEL CORE I7-8700K or AMD RYZEN 5 3600X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 8 GB or AMD RADEON RX VEGA 56 8 GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 60 GB available space
- Sound Card: Windows Compatible Audio Device”
Change Settings to Medium
“Adjusting the graphics settings is often an initial and straightforward solution recommended by users.
Many players have resolved both crashing and stuttering problems by setting graphics to medium. It’s important to note that this adjustment is possible after navigating past the starting screen.
If you were not encountering the crashing issue prior to playing, access the graphics settings and ensure that everything is configured to medium or low.
If this approach doesn’t resolve the Elden Ring crash problem, consider trying the additional troubleshooting methods provided.”
Update/Delete Epic Games Launcher
“Elden Ring players who have not updated their Epic Games Launcher recently might encounter issues with the game’s Anti-Cheat system.
The eldenring.exe crashes because two Epic Launcher processes run concurrently with it, although the exact reason for this is unclear. Some users, however, have successfully resolved the crashing problem by either updating or deleting their Epic Games Launcher.
Follow these steps:
- Open Epic Game Launcher and log in.
- In the top right corner, click on your profile icon.
- Click on “Restart and Update.”
- Then, click on “Settings.”
- Run Elden Ring again to check for improvements.
If the issue persists, try uninstalling and deleting the entire Epic Games Launcher folder. Afterward, attempt to run Elden Ring again.
Alternatively, your antivirus program or Windows Defender might be causing Elden Ring to crash. Consider disabling them and then launch Elden Ring to see if the issue persists.”
Restart Steam
“Restarting the Steam application is another simple solution you can try to resolve issues with Elden Ring. Some players have successfully addressed the problem using this method.
This fix is generally effective when Elden Ring used to launch and play without any problems. It might be due to a new patch release, and you’re still using the old version, or you’re enrolled in the Beta program.
Here’s how to restart Steam:
- Open Steam and click the Steam button in the top right corner. Then, select “Settings.”
- Under Beta participation in the Settings menu, click “Change.”
- After entering the Settings menu, click “Change” under Beta participation. Expand the drop-down menu and select “Steam Beta Update.” Press “OK” to apply the changes.
- The application will need to be restarted to apply the changes. Select “Restart Steam” and wait for it to relaunch.
- Once Steam is open again, launch Elden Ring. If the game still crashes, try launching it again.
That’s it.”
Verify Game Files
“When faced with game crashes, it’s advisable to verify your game files since Elden Ring may crash due to missing or corrupted game files. You can address this problem by verifying the integrity of your Steam game files. Follow these steps:
- Sign in to Steam and open the Library.
- Right-click on Elden Ring and click on Properties.
- Navigate to the local files tab and select ‘Verify integrity of game files.’
Allow Steam to verify the game files for a few minutes, and the issue should be resolved thereafter.”
Activate Radeon Anti-Lag
“If you’re facing crashes with Elden Ring on a PC equipped with an AMD GPU, this quick fix might provide relief until AMD and FromSoftware coordinate an update for better compatibility.
The Radeon Software’s Radeon Anti-Lag feature has proven effective in resolving unexpected crashes, stuttering, and lag. Follow these steps to activate Radeon Anti-Lag:
- Launch the Radeon Software application.
- Select Gaming from the Radeon app. In the top right corner, click the three dots, and choose Add A Game.
- Locate the executable for Elden Ring and select it, then click Open.
- Double-click the Elden Ring icon in the list of games.
- Click the Radeon Anti-Lag toggle to enable it.
After enabling Radeon Anti-Lag, run Elden Ring and check if the crashing issue persists.”
Disable Steam Overlay
“To resolve the issue, try disabling Steam overlay in the game settings before launching Elden Ring. Many players have reported success with this method. Follow these steps:
- Open your Steam library.
- Right-click on Elden Ring and select Properties.
- Navigate to the General tab and untick the Enable Steam Overlay while in-game box.
Restart the game, and this may resolve the issue.”
Delete DXCache Files
“Verifying the integrity of game files through Steam has proven helpful for some players, and others have resolved the issue by deleting Nvidia cache files. This problem often arises after an unexpected machine shutdown or an interruption during a game update. Here’s what you can do:
- Verify the game files using the method mentioned earlier.
- Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box, type %appdata%, and hit Enter to open AppData.
- Click on the AppData folder when it appears on your screen.
- Open the Local folder and locate the NVIDIA folder.
- Navigate to the DXCache folder within the NVIDIA folder.
- Select and delete all files within the DXCache folder.
- Restart your computer and launch Elden Ring to check if the issue persists.
Replace your DLL file
“Caution: This solution is not considered safe, but if you’re running out of options and feeling desperate, you might consider it. Follow these steps:
- Open the game folder and locate the oo2core_6_win64.dll file.
- Rename the oo2core_6_win64.dll file to any other name.
- Download the oo2core_6_win64.dll file and place it in the game folder to replace the older version.
- Navigate to the game folder where Elden Ring is installed.
- Change the name of start_protected_game.exe.
- Create a copy of elden_ring.exe.
- Rename the copied file to start_protected_game.exe.
Now, check if the game works through Steam.”
Disable Afterburner
“There is a possibility that the MSI Afterburner program may be causing your Elden Ring crashes. A conflict may exist between this app and the game you are using, or with your current driver.
The MSI Afterburner software enables you to overclock the GPU directly from the software, enhancing performance. However, try closing it to determine if it’s causing the issue.
Unfortunately, there is no option to disable the Afterburner software. Therefore, the only way to turn off this software is to terminate the process directly from Task Manager.
Follow these steps to do so:
- Open Task Manager by pressing the keyboard shortcut CTRL + Shift + ESC. Search for MSI Afterburner, right-click it, and then end the task.
- Close Task Manager after completing this step. Try launching Elden Ring to see if the game still crashes.
If the error persists, proceed to the next method below.”
Deleting Temp Files
“Several players reported that their PCs were storing temporary files causing Elden Ring to crash. Deleting all files within the TEMP, %TEMP%, and PREFETCH folders proved effective in resolving this issue.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Open the Run dialog box by pressing Windows + R. Type TEMP and click OK to open the TEMP file.
- Choose all files within the TEMP folder and delete them. If you encounter issues deleting some files, click Skip.
- Close the TEMP folder. Open another Run dialog box, type %TEMP%, and hit Enter to open %TEMP%.
- Delete all files inside the %TEMP% folder.
- Open the Run dialog box again, type PREFETCH, and open the folder.
- Delete all files inside the PREFETCH folder. Skip files that cannot be deleted.
Restart your computer after completing these steps. Test the game upon reboot to check if the issue persists.”
Turn off Rivatuner Statistics Server
“You might encounter crashing issues with Elden Ring if you are using the Rivatuner Statistics Server software. Disabling the Rivatuner Statistics Server could potentially resolve the problem, especially if you had used the software for overclocking your hardware.
It’s important to note that Rivatuner Statistics Server doesn’t have an off button, so terminating its processes through the Task Manager is the only way to disable it.
Here are the steps to disable Rivatuner Statistics Server:
- Open the Task Manager by pressing CTRL + Shift + ESC.
- Look for Rivatuner processes in the Task Manager and end all of them.
- Launch the game to check if this resolves your crashing issues.
Final Words
“This concludes the troubleshooting guide on fixing Elden Ring crashing on startup on PC. Follow the methods provided above, and you should be able to resolve this issue. Feel free to leave a comment, letting us know which methods worked best for you.”