[SOLVED] Crusader Kings 3 Crashing on PC

Delving into the Crusader Kings 3 gameplay is thrilling. However, players are complaining about the crashing issue. If you happened to be one of them, don’t worry. Here are some fixes for you.

Try these fixes:

You might not need to try them all; simply work your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.

1. Launch the game from the installation folder
2. Update your graphics driver
3. Allow Crusader Kings 3 through Windows Defender
4. Disable antivirus software
5. Run the game as administrator and disable fullscreen optimization
6. Verify your game files
7. Perform a clean boot
8. Reinstall your game
9. Run Crusader Kings 3 with the dedicated graphics card
10. Expand the Windows paging file maximum size

Before getting started

Before you take any troubleshooting steps, make sure that Crusader Kings III is updated to the latest version. The latest game patch notes will fix the known bugs.

Plus, if you’re using mods, your crashing issue may be due to a mismatch between saved game files. The older the mod, the more likely it will not work properly in the current version. To get rid of bugs and incompatibility with new files, go to the mod page and resubscribe. If the game crashing problem persists, try to remove your mods and install them back one by one until you locate the faulty one.

If neither has proven effective in fixing the game crashing problem with Crusader Kings 3, try the fixes below to see which one works for you.

Fix 1: Launch the game from the installation folder

If you experience crashes while playing your game, it might be an issue related to compatibility. Launching it from the installation folder may fix it. Here’s how you can do this:

1. Press Windows logo key + R at the same time to open File Explorer.
2. Go to This PC > Windows (C:) > Program Files (×86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Crusader Kings III > binaries.
3. In the binaries folder, locate ck3.exe. Double-click it to launch the game.

Fix 2: Update your graphics driver

Your device drivers, the graphics driver, in particular, are very important because they directly impact your game performance. If you’re using a faulty or outdated graphics driver, you’re more likely to encounter crashing and stuttering issues. In order to fix it, you need to update your graphics driver.

There are mainly two ways you can update your graphics driver: manually and automatically.

Option 1: Manually update your graphics driver

NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel release updates for their drivers regularly. All you need to do is go to the official website of your graphics card manufacturer. Then find the driver corresponding with your Windows version and download it manually. Once you’ve downloaded the correct driver for your system, double-click on the downloaded file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the drivers. For Nvidia users, you can also use GeForce Experience to check for the driver.

Option 2: Automatically update your graphics driver (recommended)

Updating drivers manually can be time-consuming and risky. So if you don’t feel like doing it on your own, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. It’s a useful tool that automatically detects, downloads, and installs the correct or missing drivers for your system. And you can also roll back to your previous driver version if you’re not satisfied with the updated one.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the 7 days free trial or the Pro version of Driver Easy. It takes just 2 clicks, and you get full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee with the Pro version:

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 Activate & Update button next to the flagged device to automatically download and install the correct version of this driver.
   
   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 (You’ll need the Pro version for this – when you select Update All, you’ll get a prompt to upgrade. If you’re not prepared to purchase the Pro version yet, Driver Easy provides a 7-day trial at no cost, granting access to all Pro features like fast downloads and easy installation. No charges will occur until after your 7-day trial period ends.)
   
4. After updating, restart your computer to take effect.

After you’ve updated your drivers, restart your computer for them to take effect. Then launch your game to check if the problem persists.

Fix 3: Allow Crusader Kings 3 through Windows Defender

Windows Defender can protect your computer from unknown attacks. But it might also fail to recognize and trust your game. So in this case, you can add Crusader Kings 3 to the exception list.

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the R key simultaneously to open the Run box.
2. Type control firewall.cpl and hit Enter.
   
3. From the left navigation pane, click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
   
4. Scroll down and check if Steam and Crusader Kings 3 are on the list.
5. If not, click the Change settings button.
   
6. Click Allow another app….
   
   
7. Click Browse… and go to the installation folder for Steam and Crusader Kings 3.
   
   
   
   If you don’t know what the installation folder is for your Steam, simply right-click on its shortcut and select Open file location.
   
   
8. Find steam.exe and click on it. Then click Open.
   
   
9. When it’s located, click Add.
   
10. Now make sure Steam and Crusader Kings 3 are added to the list and tick Domain, Private, and Public. Once you’re done, click OK.

Try to launch Crusader Kings 3 again to see if it still crashes. If so, please move on.

Fix 4: Disable antivirus software

There will be conflicts between the antivirus scans and your game. So to avoid this, you’re supposed to try temporarily disabling your antivirus software. This method has proved to be working for many players.

To do this, simply click the links below and follow the instructions to disable the antivirus software you’re running:

• McAfee
• ESET
• Avast
• AVG
• Norton

Fix 5: Run the game as an administrator and disable fullscreen optimizations

If you’ve been experiencing constant crashes while playing the game, running it as an administrator may help. You can do this by simply following these steps:

1. Right-click on the Crusader Kings III shortcut on your desktop and select Properties.
   
2. Click the Compatibility tab and tick the boxes for Disable fullscreen optimizations and Run this program as an administrator. Click Apply and OK.
   

After applying the changes, launch your game. If the issue persists, try the next fix.

Fix 6: Verify your game files

Sometimes when files might be damaged or missing, you would encounter the issue of crashing. To fix it, you need to verify your game files on Steam or Xbox Game Pass.

If you’re using Steam

1. Launch Steam.
2. In the LIBRARY, right-click on Crusader Kings III 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.

After that, play your game to check if the issue is solved.

If you’re using Xbox Game Pass

1. Press the Windows logo key and search for the Crusader Kings III app.
2. Right-click on the app and select More > App settings.
   
3. Under the Reset section, click Repair.

Fix 7: Perform a clean boot

Some applications would use an overlay, which can cause Crusader Kings 3 to crash. You can manually stop them from running. But alternatively, you can perform a clean boot to ensure that no other applications are interfering with your game.

To do so, you can:

1. On your keyboard, press Win+R (the Windows logo key and the r key) at the same time to invoke the Run box. Type or paste msconfig and click OK.
   
2. In the pop-up window, navigate to the Services tab and check the box next to Hide all Microsoft services.
   
3. Uncheck all the services EXCEPT those belong to your hardware manufacturers, such as Realtek, AMD, NVIDIA, Logitech and Intel. Then click OK to apply the changes.
   
4. On your keyboard, press Ctrl, Shift and Esc at the same time to open Task Manager, then navigate to the Startup tab.
   
5. One at a time, select any programs you suspect might be interfering, and click Disable.
   

Restart your computer and it’ll be in a clean boot environment. Till then, you can pinpoint which apps are in conflict with your game.

Fix 8: Reinstall your game

In many cases, uninstalling and reinstalling the game can resolve many issues including the crashing issue. So you can give it a shot on Crusader Kings 3.

Here are the steps you can take:

1. Press the Windows logo key on your keyboard and find the Crusader Kings III app under the All apps category.
2. Right-click on the app and select Uninstall.
   
3. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and E at the same time.
4. Double-click on the folder Documents > Paradox Interactive.
5. Delete the Crusader Kings III folder.
6. Download and reinstall the game from your gaming platform.
7. Try launching the game.

If Crusader Kings 3 still crashes, please move on.

Fix 9: Run Crusader Kings 3 with the dedicated graphics card

When Crusader Kings 3 crashes easily on your computer, you may also want to check the Windows graphics settings to make sure that they’re set correctly. This includes running the game with the dedicated graphics card, and in the High Performance mode. To do so:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the I key at the same time to open Settings.
2. Select Gaming, and make sure that the toggle for Game Mode is set to On. Then click the Graphics tab.
   
3. Select Crusader Kings 3 or Steam from the list of apps, and select High performance.
   
4. Then click Change default graphics settings.
   
5. Make sure that the toggles for Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling and Optimizations for windowed games are both set to On.
   

Try to launch Crusader Kings 3 again to see if it crashes. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix, below.

Fix 10: Expand the Windows paging file maximum size

Virtual memory, or the paging file, is an area on the hard drive that Windows uses as if it were RAM. When your physical memory is running low, Windows will temporarily store files in virtual memory, then swap them back to RAM when required.

If your default virtual memory is too little, programs could run slowly or even crash, like your Crusader Kings 3. So you can try to expand the virtual memory size in this way:

1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog. Type SystemPropertiesAdvanced and press Enter to open the System Properties window.
   
2. Click on the Settings… button in the Performance section to view performance options.
   
3. In the Performance Options window, navigate to the Advanced tab. Then click the Change… button in the Virtual memory section.
   
4. Uncheck the box next to Automatically manage paging file size for all drives. Select your window drive (the drive or partition that has Windows installed on it – usually C:). Select Custom size to enter an Initial size and Maximum size for your virtual memory:
   
   – Initial size – If you’re not sure what value to use, just enter whatever the number is in the Recommended category.
   
   – Maximum size – The maximum size should be about 1.5 times the size of your physical RAM. Here, we recommend 32000 MB.
   
5. Once you’ve entered your virtual memory values, click Set, then click OK to continue.
   

So these are the fixes for Crusader Kings 3 crashing issue. Hopefully, they work for you and you can play the game smoothly. If you have any ideas or questions, please do not hesitate to leave us a comment.

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