[FIXED!] Runescape Dragonwilds Fatal Error Crashs

RuneScape: Dragonwilds keeps crashing with a fatal error? You’re not alone. Many players are reporting crashes just minutes into the game — some even experiencing full system freezes or black screens. The good news? We’ve dug through forums and discussions and gathered 6 of the most effective fixes to help you get back in the game. Read on!

1. Update your graphics driver

If RuneScape: Dragonwilds keeps crashing with a fatal error, your graphics driver could be the reason. The driver is what lets your game and graphics card talk to each other — if it’s outdated or incompatible, that communication can break down. So you should update your graphics driver to see if it fixes the issue.

You can try updating it via Device Manager, but it’s known for missing the latest stable or game-ready releases — especially for NVIDIA and AMD cards. If you want a more reliable option, you can do it with Driver Easy. It automatically detects outdated drivers, finds the exact match from the manufacturer, and installs it for you — no need to dig through websites or risk installing the wrong version. Driver Easy handles it all.

All it takes is just a few clicks:

2. Set launch options

If Dragonwilds crashes right after you launch it — or throws a fatal error before loading — forcing the game to run with a specific rendering API might help. Many players have found success by adding -dx11 to the launch options, which makes the game use DirectX 11 instead of the newer (but sometimes unstable) DirectX 12.

DirectX 12 can offer better performance if everything is optimized — but in games like Dragonwilds, it might actually cause more crashes. DirectX 11, on the other hand, is generally more stable across systems and GPUs, especially for a new title like this.

Here’s how to set it up on Steam:

1. Open Steam.
2. Go to LIBRARY, right-click RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and select Properties.
   
3. Under the General tab, locate Launch Options, and type -dx11.
   
4. Close the window.
5. Try launching the game and see if the fatal error still shows up. If it crashes again, don’t worry — move on to Fix 3 below.

💡 You can also try -vulkan if your system supports it, but stick with -dx11 first — it’s a more reliable choice for most setups right now.

3. Run Runescape Dragonwilds in compatibility mode

If Dragonwilds keeps crashing with a fatal error — especially on startup — running the game in compatibility mode may help. This forces the game to use an older version of Windows behavior, which can resolve conflicts between the game and your current system setup.

Some players also found success by enabling 640×480 screen resolution and running the game as administrator, particularly when dealing with crashes during the initial load.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Open Steam.
2. Go to your Library, and right-click RuneScape: Dragonwilds, then select Manage > Browse local files.
   
3. In the game folder, navigate to RSDragonwilds > RSDragonwilds > Binaries > Win64
   Then right-click on RSDragonwilds.exe and select Properties.
   
4. Go to the Compatibility tab and check the following boxes:
   • ✅ Run this program in compatibility mode for: (select Windows 8 or Windows 7 from the dropdown)
   • ✅ Run in 640×480 screen resolution
   • ✅ Run this program as an administrator
     
5. Click Apply, then OK.

Now relaunch the game and see if the fatal error disappears. If it still crashes, don’t worry — head to the next fix.

4. Reset GPU Overclock (MSI Afterburner)

Overclocking can give your GPU a performance boost, but in some cases — like with RuneScape: Dragonwilds — it might do more harm than good. If your graphics card is running beyond its default settings, it can cause instability and lead to fatal crashes, especially during the game’s startup or loading screen.

If you’re using tools like MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision X1, or AMD Adrenalin, try reverting your GPU to its default clock speeds. For example, in MSI Afterburner, simply open the program and click the Reset icon (a circular arrow) to restore all settings to default. Once that’s done, restart your PC to apply the changes.

Now try launching Dragonwilds again. If the fatal error is fixed, great! But if it still persists, please try Fix 5, below.

5. Verify game files

If you’re still getting a fatal error in RuneScape: Dragonwilds, there’s a chance some of the game files are corrupted or missing. This can happen after a botched update, interrupted install, or even just a random glitch in the file system. Fortunately, Steam has a built-in feature that checks your local files against the official game data and replaces anything that’s broken or out of place.

Here is how to do it:

1. Open Steam.
2. Go to your Library, right-click RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and select Properties.
   
3. In the left sidebar, click Installed Files > Click Verify integrity of game files.
   
   Steam will scan your game files — this might take a few minutes.
4. Once it’s done, try launching Dragonwilds again to see if the crashes stop.

💡 This fix is quick, safe, and often surprisingly effective — especially if your crashes started after a recent patch or update.

If your game runs more stably afterward, then corrupted or missing game files may have been the culprit. If crashes persist, move on to the final fix below.

💡 Not using any overclocking software? You can skip this step and move on to Fix 5, below.

6. Turn off Frame Generation (for RTX 40 series users)

If you’re playing RuneScape: Dragonwilds on an RTX 40 series GPU, disabling Frame Generation could help prevent fatal errors or sudden crashes. While this feature (part of DLSS 3) can dramatically increase FPS by generating extra frames, it may also cause instability in games that aren’t fully optimized for it — especially brand-new titles like Dragonwilds.

If the game won’t even launch, you can turn Frame Generation off directly in the config file:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R simultaneously, type %localappdata%, and hit Enter.
   
2. Navigate to RSDragonwilds > Saved > Config > Windows.
3. Open GameUserSettings.ini with Notepad.
4. Locate :bFrameGeneration=True and replace True with False.
   
5. Save the file and close Notepad.
6. Launch the game and see if it runs without crashing.

With these five fixes, you should be well on your way to resolving the fatal error in RuneScape: Dragonwilds. If you have any questions or ideas, or if you’ve found something that works for you, please share with us in the comments below!

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