Why is my game crashing on laptop?
Quick Answer
Your game is likely crashing on your laptop due to overheating components like the CPU or GPU exceeding 90°C, outdated or corrupted graphics drivers such as NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready Driver 551.86, insufficient system RAM for demanding titles like Cyberpunk 2077 requiring 16GB, or corrupted game files on platforms like Steam. Addressing these specific issues with driver updates, temperature monitoring, and file integrity checks will resolve most crashes.
Understanding Why Your Game Crashes on Laptop
Game crashes on a laptop are primarily caused by a few specific factors, often working in combination, that push your system beyond its stable operating limits. The most frequent culprit is overheating, where your laptop's CPU or GPU reaches critical temperatures, typically above 90-95°C, causing the system to force-close the application to prevent hardware damage. For instance, an NVIDIA RTX 3060 Mobile GPU might throttle heavily or crash at 92°C during an intensive session of Alan Wake 2, leading to a black screen or a desktop return without warning.
Another significant reason is outdated or corrupted graphics drivers. Modern games rely heavily on the latest driver optimizations from manufacturers like NVIDIA (e.g., GeForce Game Ready Drivers) and AMD (e.g., Adrenalin Edition). If you're running a driver from six months ago, say NVIDIA driver version 536.99, while a new game like Helldivers 2 expects version 551.86 or newer, you're highly susceptible to instability, graphical glitches, and outright crashes because the game's code isn't communicating efficiently or correctly with your GPU hardware. Similarly, a corrupted driver installation can lead to erratic behavior, even if the version number appears current.
Insufficient system resources also play a crucial role, especially with demanding AAA titles. If a game like Starfield recommends 16GB of RAM and you only have 8GB, your laptop will resort to using slower virtual memory on your storage drive, leading to stuttering, freezes, and eventual crashes as the system struggles to manage memory. Furthermore, corrupted game files, often due to incomplete downloads, unexpected shutdowns, or storage drive errors, can cause crashes when the game tries to access missing or damaged assets. Even background applications, such as an antivirus program performing a scan or a browser with dozens of tabs open, can consume vital CPU, GPU, or RAM resources, indirectly triggering a game crash.
How to Specifically Fix Your Game Crashing
First, you need to monitor your laptop's temperatures using a reliable tool like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner. Launch the game, play for about 15-20 minutes until a crash typically occurs, then immediately check the maximum recorded temperatures for your CPU and GPU. If either component consistently hits above 90°C, overheating is a primary suspect. To mitigate this, ensure your laptop's vents are clear of dust by using compressed air, perhaps every 3-6 months, and consider using a cooling pad to improve airflow underneath.
Next, update your graphics drivers to the absolute latest version. For NVIDIA GPUs, download GeForce Experience, navigate to the 'Drivers' tab, and select 'Express Installation' for the newest Game Ready Driver, such as version 551.86, which typically takes 5-10 minutes. For AMD GPUs, use the AMD Adrenalin Software to check for and install updates. If a clean installation is needed due to persistent issues, use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Windows Safe Mode to completely remove old drivers before installing the new ones; this process can take 15-20 minutes including reboots.
Third, verify the integrity of your game files through your game launcher. On Steam, right-click the game, go to 'Properties,' then 'Installed Files,' and click 'Verify integrity of game files.' This process checks all game files against the server's version and redownloads any corrupted or missing ones, usually taking 2-10 minutes depending on game size. Epic Games Launcher has a similar 'Verify' option in its library. After verification, try running the game again.
Fourth, reduce your in-game graphics settings. Start by lowering demanding settings like 'Shadow Quality,' 'Volumetric Lighting,' and 'Anti-aliasing' from Ultra to High or Medium. Also, try capping your frame rate to 60 FPS if your laptop struggles to maintain higher rates, as this reduces the load on your GPU and CPU. Apply these changes one by one to identify which setting has the most impact on stability. Finally, ensure you have sufficient free storage space, ideally at least 15-20GB, on your primary drive, as Windows requires this for virtual memory and system operations, and close any unnecessary background applications before launching your game to free up RAM and CPU cycles.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One frequent error is ignoring the signs of overheating until a crash occurs. Many people continue playing even when their laptop feels excessively hot to the touch or when fan noise becomes unusually loud, assuming it's normal. However, sustained temperatures above 90°C for the CPU or GPU significantly reduce component lifespan and are a primary cause of system instability. To avoid this, actively monitor temperatures during gameplay with tools like HWMonitor and take breaks or lower settings if temperatures consistently climb past 85°C.
Another common mistake is assuming that simply having the game installed means it will run without issues, even on minimum specifications. For example, trying to run a graphically intense game like Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 on a laptop with a GTX 1650 and 8GB of RAM, without adjusting settings, will almost certainly lead to crashes. Many people do this because they want the best visual experience, but realistically, you must match your in-game settings to your laptop's hardware capabilities. Start with medium settings and slowly increase them, rather than starting high and hoping for the best.
Overlooking the impact of background applications is also a frequent oversight. Users often have multiple browser tabs open, Discord running, Spotify streaming music, and a demanding antivirus performing a scan, all while trying to play a high-resource game. Each of these consumes CPU, RAM, and sometimes GPU resources, leaving less available for the game and increasing the likelihood of a crash. To prevent this, make it a habit to close all non-essential applications from the system tray and Task Manager before launching your game.
Finally, some users ignore driver updates or install generic drivers from Windows Update instead of manufacturer-specific ones. While Windows Update might provide a basic driver, it often lacks the performance optimizations and bug fixes specific to recent games that are included in NVIDIA's Game Ready Drivers or AMD's Adrenalin Software. Always download drivers directly from the NVIDIA or AMD website for your specific GPU model to ensure maximum compatibility and stability for your games.
Expert Tips for Best Results
For superior thermal management, consider creating a custom fan curve using software like MSI Afterburner or your laptop manufacturer's utility (e.g., ASUS Armoury Crate, Lenovo Vantage). Instead of relying on the default fan profile which often prioritizes quietness over cooling, a custom curve can ramp up fan speeds earlier and more aggressively when the GPU or CPU hits 60-70°C, keeping temperatures lower and performance more stable. This proactive approach prevents thermal throttling and potential crashes before they even start, especially during long gaming sessions on a hot summer day.
Dive deeper into performance bottlenecks by monitoring individual component utilization and frame times. Tools like RivaTuner Statistics Server (bundled with MSI Afterburner) can overlay real-time CPU usage per core, GPU utilization, VRAM usage, and RAM usage, alongside average and 1% low frame times. If you see your GPU usage consistently at 99% while your CPU is only at 40%, your GPU is the bottleneck. Conversely, a low GPU usage (e.g., 60%) with high CPU usage (e.g., 90%) indicates a CPU bottleneck. Understanding these metrics helps you adjust settings effectively; for a GPU bottleneck, lower resolution or graphical quality; for a CPU bottleneck, reduce settings that impact CPU calculations like crowd density or physics.
If crashes persist despite all troubleshooting, a clean Windows installation can often resolve deep-seated software conflicts or corruptions that are difficult to pinpoint. Back up your important data to an external drive, create a Windows installation media using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, and perform a fresh install. This ensures you have a pristine operating system environment, eliminating years of accumulated software clutter, driver conflicts, and registry errors that could be contributing to instability. This is a more drastic step, but it often works wonders for stubborn crashing issues and takes approximately 1-2 hours to complete the installation itself.
Consider undervolting your CPU or GPU to reduce heat and power consumption without significantly impacting performance. Using tools like ThrottleStop for Intel CPUs or MSI Afterburner for GPUs, you can often reduce the voltage supplied to the component by 50-100mV while maintaining the same clock speeds. This lowers temperatures by several degrees Celsius (e.g., a 5-10°C drop from 90°C to 80-85°C) and can improve stability, especially in laptops with aggressive thermal limits. Start with small voltage decrements (e.g., 10mV at a time) and test stability thoroughly with benchmarks like Cinebench R23 (for CPU) or FurMark (for GPU) for 30 minutes to ensure your system remains stable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do new games crash more often than older, established titles on my laptop?
New games are frequently released with less optimization, have higher baseline system requirements, and may introduce new bugs or driver conflicts that older, well-patched titles have already resolved. For example, a game released in Q4 2023 might have day-one driver issues that a game from 2020, which has received multiple performance updates, no longer experiences.
How can I accurately check my laptop's temperature while gaming without interrupting gameplay?
You can accurately check your laptop's CPU and GPU temperatures using monitoring software like HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner. MSI Afterburner, specifically, allows you to set up an on-screen display (OSD) that shows real-time temperatures, clock speeds, and usage directly within your game, so you can monitor without alt-tabbing.
Can my antivirus software cause specific games to crash on my laptop?
Yes, your antivirus software can cause game crashes. Aggressive real-time scanning or specific firewall rules might incorrectly flag game executables or critical game files as threats, blocking their access or quarantining them, which leads to the game failing to launch or crashing mid-play. Try temporarily disabling your antivirus or adding the game's installation folder to its exclusion list for testing purposes.
What if only one specific game crashes, but all my other games run perfectly fine?
If only one specific game crashes, the issue is likely isolated to that game. First, verify the integrity of that specific game's files through its launcher (Steam, Epic Games). Next, check dedicated forums or community pages for that particular game for known bugs or specific troubleshooting steps, as it might have unique compatibility issues or specific driver requirements (e.g., a known conflict with a certain NVIDIA driver version).
Is it safe to undervolt my GPU or CPU to prevent crashes, and how much voltage should I reduce?
Undervolting your GPU or CPU can be safe and effective for preventing crashes by reducing heat and power draw, but it requires careful testing. Start by reducing the voltage in small increments, typically 10-25mV at a time, and then thoroughly test for stability in demanding games or benchmarks like FurMark for 30-60 minutes. If the system remains stable, you can try further small reductions; if it crashes, increase the voltage slightly.