[FIXED] Computer Crashes When Playing Games in Windows 10/11

How frustrating and unbearable it is for your Windows 10/11 computer to crash when you play games! Don’t worry, this article gives you some methods to solve the problem, quickly and easily.

Try these methods to fix computer crashes when playing games

You don’t have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.

1. Install the latest drivers
2. Disable background programs
3. Verify the game files
4. Check for software conflict
5. Check your hardware
   1. Run a memory check
   2. Run System File Checker
   3. Prevent your computer from overheating
   4. Check your power supply
   5. Upgrade your hardware devices

Fix 1: Install the latest drivers

When your computer crashes when you play games, one of the first things to do is to ensure that your drivers are all updated, especially the graphics card drivers.

There are two ways you can update your drivers: manually and automatically.

Update your drivers manually – You’ll need some computer skills and patience to update your drivers this way, because you need to find exactly the right driver online, download it, and install it step by step.

OR

Update your drivers automatically – This is the quickest and easiest option. It’s all done with just a couple of mouse clicks – easy even if you’re a computer newbie.

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 handles it all.

Fix 2: Disable background programs

Games are usually CPU- and RAM-intensive, i.e., they occupy a large chunk of your computer processor and memory resources. When too many unnecessary applications run in the background when a game is on, your computer resources are strained and could crash if it reaches an extreme point. In this case, it’s suggested that you disable unnecessary background programs when playing games. To do so:

On Windows 10:

1. Press Ctrl+ Shift+ Esc together to evoke Task Manager.
2. Select each resource-hogging application and click End Task to close them one by one.
   
3. Play the game and see if your computer still crashes. If so, please move on.

On Windows 11:

1. Right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
   
2. Select each resource-hogging application and click End Task to close them one by one.
   

Then run your game again and see if your computer crashes still. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix below.

Fix 3: Verify the game files

Corrupted or missing files in games could also be the culprit to the game crashes or even computer crash problems. To see if this is the case, you can verify your game files on the following game launchers:

• Epic Games Launcher
• Ubisoft Connect
• Steam

Epic Games Launcher

To verify the game’s files on Epic Games Launcher:

1. On Epic Game Launcher, find the game with problem in your Library. Click the three dots on the right side of the game line and select Manage.
   
2. Click Verify to start verifying the game files.
   
3. Wait for validation to complete. (It may take a while to verify all your files.)
4. When the validation is done, run your game again to see if it still cause your computer to crash.

Ubisoft Connect

To verify the game’s files on Ubisoft Connect:

1. Open Ubisoft Connect, and find the game with problem under the Games tab.
2. Select Properties, then Verify files under Local files.
3. If prompted, select Repair. Ubisoft Connect will then download and restore any missing or corrupted files.
   
4. Then launch your game again to see if your computer crashes.

Steam

1. Launch Steam.
2. In the LIBRARY, right-click on the game with problem and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
   
   
3. Select the Installed Files tab and click on the Verified integrity of game files button.
   
   
4. Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes.
5. Then see if this game still crashes your computer. If so, please move on.

Fix 4: Check for software conflict

Another very common reason why your computer crashes when playing a game is conflicting software programs running in the background. Some mentioned products include VPN software, antivirus programs, overclocking software like Rivatuner, and even certain resource monitoring programs like MSI Afterburner.

Here are programs usually mentioned in forums as possible conflicting software. Check and see if you have them installed:

• NZXT CAM
• MSI Afterburner
• Razer Cortex (if you have Razer products, try to make sure their drivers are updated to the latest version)
• Anti-virus or anti-spyware software
• VPN, proxy, or other firewall and security software
• P2P or file-sharing software
• IP filtering or blocking software
• Download manager programs

Most of the suspicious software is related to network connection or download, so if you don’t have the above-mentioned software installed, see if you have other software programs that’ll occupy your network resource.

If you’ve ensured that you have no such program installed, but your computer still crashes when a game is on, please move on to the next fix below.

Fix 5: On the hardware front

If none of the above software-related methods help to stop your computer from crashing when playing a game, it’s possible that your computer hardware is the culprit. Here are some areas that you should pay extra attention to:

Fix 5.1 – Run a memory check

A faulty memory card is also known to cause a computer to crash. To see if this is causing your problem, you can run the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic tool:

1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run box.
2. Type mdsched.exe, then click OK.
   
3. Click Restart now and check for problems (recommended).
   
   IMPORTANT: Make sure to save all your work before restarting.
   
   
4. Windows will run diagnosis automatically, which can take a few minutes. When it’s finished, your PC will reboot.
5. The results will be shown on your desktop. If you don’t see any notification, right-click the Start menu then click Event Viewer.
   
   
6. Click Windows Logs >> System >> Find. 
   
7. Type memory diagnostic, then click Find Next.
   
8. If you see “no errors”, your RAM is functioning well and is not the culprit to the crashing problem on your computer. Then please move on to the next method.
   

If you do see an error, you may consider replacing your RAM sticks. You will need to check if your device is still under warranty or consult your machine’s manufacturer for assistance if you’re not tech-savvy enough to do this on your own.

Fix 5.2 – Run System File Checker

Problematic system files can also cause your computer to crash when playing games. You can run System File Checker to see if there’re any system files missing or corrupted.

1. Press the Windows logo key + R together to open the Run box.
2. Type “cmd” and press Ctrl+ Shift+ Enter together to run Command Prompt as administrator.
   
3. Type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
   
4. It should begin running a system scan, and will take some time. When it finishes, restart your computer and check if it has fixed your problem. If not, try the next method.

Fix 5.3 – Prevent your computer from overheating

If your computer crashes easily without any error notification or message beforehand when you’re playing games, you should check to see if your computer is overheated.

Free tools like AIDA64, HWInfo, or CoreTemp can help you monitor your computer’s CPU, GPU, and other hardware components’ temperatures. To see if the overheated computer is the culprit to your computer crashing when playing games problem, please:

1. Install one of the tools mentioned above.
2. Leave it on when you play games.
3. Refer to this post: How to Know Your CPU Overheating and How to Fix It to tell if your computer is overheated with the readings on the tool, and then decide what to do if it’s really running too hot.

When you’ve ensured that your computer is not running too hot when a game is running but it still crashes, please move on to the next fix below.

Fix 5.4 – Check your power supply

Other than the issues mentioned above, insufficient power supply could also be the culprit to your computer crashes when playing a game problem.

To see if your computer has problems with its power supply, you can check more detailed information here: Make sure that your PSU is powerful enough

Long story short, you’ll need third-party tools (available for free) to run more tests to see if hardware components are the reason why your computer crashes when playing games. If you don’t have the time or patience to do so, you can always seek help from a hardware technician instead.

Fix 5.5 – Upgrade your hardware devices

If none of the above tests or modifications prove effective, it’s possible that the problem is with your older computer hardware devices. For instance, games rely heavily on processors and GPUs. If such devices are too old, even though they meet the minimum system requirements for the games, there are still chances that they become too fragile when the game runs, and therefore crashes.

That’s it. Hope the above fixes can meet your needs. If you have any other suggestions or ideas, please feel free to leave a comment below. Enjoy your game!

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