Overwatch randomly freezes your computer? If you’re experiencing this annoying issue, don’t worry. Try the solutions here.
Why does Overwatch keep freezing?
You may run into issues of freezing for various reasons. Common causes of game freezing are hardware issues, incompatible drivers, corrupt game files, or overheating. Besides, running multiple programs on your computer at the same time can hog your resources and cause your game to freeze… but don’t worry. Check the solutions below.
How to fix Overwatch freezing?
You may not have to try them all, just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick for you.
- Check your computer specifications
- Run Overwatch as an administrator
- Repair the game
- Update your graphics driver
- End unnecessary background programs
- Clear temporary game files
- Check for Windows updates
- Adjust your virtual memory
- Reinstall the Blizzard launcher
Fix 1: Check your computer specifications
Here are Overwatch’s minimum system requirements:
| OS: | Windows 7 64-bit |
| Processor: | Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8650 |
| Graphics Card: | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 460, ATI Radeon™ HD 4850, or Intel® HD Graphics 4400 |
| RAM: | 4 GB |
The minimum system specs need to be met to run Overwatch smoothly on your PC. So, if you’re playing the game on an old computer, that’s maybe the core issue. In this case, you can either refund the game or upgrade your PC.
If you don’t know about your computer hardware information, here is how to check
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time to invoke the Run dialog.
2) Type dxdiag and click OK.
3) Check your operating system, processor and memory.
4) Click the Display tab, and then check your graphics card’s information.
Make sure your computer meets the minimum requirements to run the game, then move on to the fix below.
Fix 2: Run Overwatch as an administrator
Overwatch sometimes may not be able to access certain game files on your PC under normal user mode, which could be the cause of the freezing issue. To fix it, try running the game as an administrator. Here is how to do it
1) Right-click the Overwatch icon on your desktop and select Properties.
2) Click the Compatibility tab and check the box next to Run this program as an administrator. Then, click OK.
3) Right-click the Battle.net icon on your desktop and select Properties.
4) Click the Compatibility tab and check the box next to Run this program as an administrator. Then, click OK.
5) Relaunch Overwatch to test your issue.
If your game still freezes, then go ahead with the fix below.
Fix 3: Repair the game
The randomly freezing issue on Overwatch is sometimes triggered by damaged or missing game files. To fix it, try verifying the integrity of your game files. Here is how to do it:
1) Run Blizzard Battle.net App.
2) Click Overwatch > Options > Scan and Repair.
3) Click Begin Scan.
The Blizzard Launcher will fix corrupted game files if it detects any. Wait for the scans to be complete, then relaunch Overwatch to check if this worked for you. If not, read on and try the fix below.
Fix 4: Update your graphics driver
Your graphics card (GPU) is the most important component when it comes to determining gaming performance.
If you’re using an outdated graphics driver, or the driver is corrupted, you’re likely to encounter game issues, such as the game crashing, freezing or lagging. So you should update your graphics driver to see if it fixes your issue.
There are two ways you can get the latest correct graphics driver:
Manual driver update – You can update your graphics driver manually by going to the manufacturer’s website for your graphics product, and searching for the most recent correct driver. Be sure to choose only driver that is compatible with your Windows version.
Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your graphics driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with 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.
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 the graphics driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (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.)
Fix 5: End unnecessary background programs
Some programs running on your computer may conflict with your game or the Blizzard launcher, causing the freezing issue during gameplay. So you should turn off unneeded programs while gaming.
Also, here is a list of overlay programs that may cause Overwatch to freeze if they are not updated. If you have any of these programs, disable or uninstall them before playing.
| Airfoil | EVGA Precision | Mumble | Discord |
| Taksi | NZXT CAM | Dxtory | XFire |
| MSI Afterburner | RadeonPro |
Here is how to close unnecessary programs on Windows:
If you’re on Windows 7…
1) Right-click your taskbar and select Start Task Manager.
2) Click the Processes tab. Then, check your current CPU and memory usage to see what processes are consuming your resources most.
3) Right-click the resource-consuming process and select End Process Tree.
Try launching your game to see if this has resolved your issue. If your problem persists, try Fix 6, below.
If you’re on Windows 8 or 10…
1) Right-click your taskbar and select Task Manager.
2) Check your current CPU and memory usage to see what processes are consuming your resources most.
3) Right-click the resource-consuming process and select End task.
Try launching Overwatch to see if it works properly now. If not, check the next fix, below.
Fix 6: Clear game cache files
Corrupted game caches files can also cause game freezing issues. Try clearing the game cache files to see if that fixes your issue. Here is how to do it:
1) On your keyboard, press the Ctrl, Shift and Esc keys at the same time to open Task Manager.
2) On the Processes tab, right-click the Blizzard-related program (such as Blizzard battle.net App, agent.exe and Blizzard Update Agent), then click End task.
3) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo Key and R st the same time to open the Run dialog.
4) Type %ProgramData% and click OK.
5) Right-click the Blizzard Entertainment folder and select Delete. Then delete the Battle.net folder.
6) Relaunch Overwatch.
If the Overwatch freezing issue still exists, move on to the next fix.
Fix 7: Check for Windows updates
Windows updates can address bugs related to both hardware and software. So make sure you’ve installed all the new Windows updates to keep Overwatch running smoothly. Here is how to do it:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key. Then, type windows update and select Windows Update settings.
2) Click Check for updates, and then wait for Windows to download and install the updates automatically.
Restart your computer after the update is complete, then try running Overwatch again. If the freezing issue happens again, try the fix, below.
Fix 8: Adjust your virtual memory
Virtual memory is basically an extension of your computer’s physical memory. It is a combination of RAM and a portion of your hard drive. If your computer runs out of RAM when performing an intensive task, Windows will dip into virtual memory for temporary file storage.
Overwatch is likely to freeze if the size of your virtual memory is not big enough to save temporary files. Follow the instructions below to adjust the size of your virtual memory and see if this is causing your problem:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type advanced system settings.
2) Click View advanced system settings.
3) Click Settings.
4) Click the Advanced tab, and then click Change.
5) Uncheck the box next to Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
6) Click your C drive.
7) Click the option button next to Custom size, and then type 4096 in the text box next to Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB).
8) Click Set, and then click OK.
9) Restart your computer and your game.
You should be able to run the game without freezing now. If you still run into the freezing issue, don’t fret. There is still 1 more fix to try.
Fix 9: Reinstall Blizzard Battle.net app
If none of the fixes above worked for you, reinstalling the Blizzard games launcher is very likely the solution for you. Follow the instructions below:
1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and type control. Then select Control Panel.
2) Under View by, select Category.
3) Click Uninstall a program.
4) Right-click the Battle.net app, then click Uninstall/Change.
5) Download and install the Blizzard Battle.net app.
6) Download and install Overwatch again.
Hopefully, you’re able to play the game smoothly now. Please feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions or suggestions.