It’s a bummer when you’re ready to immerse yourself in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (DBZ for short in the following) but end up getting an error message that reads “Fatal error,” alongside game crashes on startup. Since the release of DBZ, many players have reported the same problem so you’re definitely not alone. Daunting as it seems, this fatal error could be resolved by a few simple fixes. Read and check them out…
4 Fixes for DBZ: Kakarot fatal error
Here’re 4 fixes that have proved useful to many DBZ players. You may not need to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
Fix 1: Update your graphics drivers
Fix 2: Disable fullscreen optimizations
Fix 3: Verify the integrity of game files
Fix 4: Close unnecessary background programs
Fix 1: Update your graphics drivers
It is best practice to update your graphics drivers first when you encounter a crashing issue. That’s because the manufacturers (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel, etc.) of your video cards keep updating drivers in a bid to satisfy the needs of new big titles, which fixes some driver-related bugs or allows you to make the most of your video cards.
You can update your graphics drivers in Windows Device Manager, but you should know that more often than not, Windows don’t provide you with the latest (or even necessary) drivers because they may not seem “stable” enough under the standards of Microsoft. You can also download and install drivers from your manufacturer’s website but that may cost you much time and effort considering that you need to find the correct driver (both compatible with your PC and able to solve your problem) online, download it and install it step by step. It can be a trial-and-error process sometimes.
Simply put, we suggest you use Driver Easy – a reliable and powerful driver updater tool – to manage everything for you if you’d like to save your time and energy on driver updates.
How to use Driver Easy
Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong driver, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy takes care of everything.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 clicks:
1) Download and install Driver Easy.
2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3) Click the Update button next to your graphics driver to automatically download its correct version, then you can manually install the driver (you can do this with the FREE version).
Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
I’m using AMD graphics card
For AMD graphics card users, there’s a specific way for you to solve the fatal error problem with DBZ. That is, you can update AMD drivers from AMD Radeon Software. Here’re the steps you should take:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and S at the same time to invoke the search box. Type into AMD Radeon Software and click the corresponding result.
2) In the pop-up window, click the Home tab in the top left corner. Then, click the small arrow button next to DRIVER & SOFTWARE.
3) On the next screen, go to the System tab and select Recommended + Optional. Then click Check for Updates.
4) When you see there’s an available download, click the Download button and install it on your PC.
5) When complete, relaunch DBZ and wait to see if the problem reoccurs.
In case this fix didn’t help, you should proceed to the next one below.
Fix 2: Disable fullscreen optimizations
Note that the Disable fullscreen optimizations option only appears in Windows 10 so if you’re not a Windows 10 user, just skip this method and head over to the next one. Now here’s the procedure:
1) Locate the executable file of DBZ in your PC. Right-click on it and select Properties.
2) In the Properties window, go to the Compatibility tab and check the Disable fullscreen optimizations box. Then, click Change high DPI settings.
3) In the next window, tick the Override high DPI scaling behavior check box. Then click OK.
4) Click Apply > OK.
Check to see if you continue to experience the fatal error with DBZ. If you do, then try out Fix 3.
Fix 3: Verify the integrity of game files
If you play DBZ on Steam, you can verify the integrity of your game files using the following procedure:
1) Log in Steam and click LIBRARY.
2) Right-click Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and select Properties.
3) Go to the LOCAL FILES tab and select VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…. Then wait for the process to be complete.
4) Once complete, exit Steam and reopen it. Run DBZ and wait to see if it keeps crashing.
If this fix is to no avail, move on to Fix 4 below.
Fix 4: Close unnecessary background programs
There’s a chance that DBZ conflicts with certain programs. Although this kind of software clashes doesn’t come up very often, it’s still worth trying to close unnecessary programs before you start the game.
To completely shut down a program:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and X at the same time, then click Task Manager.
2) In the Task Manager window, on the Processes tab, select the program you want to shut down and click End task. (If it’s a program you’re using, e.g. Microsoft Word, make sure you save any unsaved work first.)
Note that your trouble is sometimes caused by interference from antivirus software. To see if that’s the problem for you, temporarily disable your antivirus program and check if DBZ can run normally. (Consult your antivirus documentation for instructions on disabling it.)
Also, remember to check carefully in the blacklists (or quarantine) of your third-party antivirus and Windows Firewall for any files related to DBZ. Once you spot them, manually add the files into whitelists.
If the game works properly after you disable the antivirus, contact the vendor of your antivirus software and ask them for advice, or simply install a different antivirus solution.
There you go – 4 fixes for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot fatal error crash. Hopefully this post helped you resolve the problem. If you have any follow-up questions or ideas, please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks for reading!