After some waiting, we finally have Death Stranding on PC. An incredible game that’s sure to win some awards. But, after waiting for so long for the game to release and when you get your hands on a copy, being unable to play can be excruciating. A lot of players jumping to play the game are reposting Death Standing crashing on PC or the game failed to launch. We have some fix you can try so continue with the post.
Fix 1: Terminate Unnecessary Applications
With so many games, third-party software that forcefully inject themselves between operations cause crash in the game. Hence, the first thing we must do to resolve the Death Stranding crashing on PC or failed to launch error is suspend all unnecessary programs and then launch the game. Here are the steps you can follow.
- Press Windows Key + R and type msconfig, hit Enter
- In General tab, uncheck Load startup items
- Go to the Services tab
- Check Hide all Microsoft services
- Now, click Disable all
- Click on Apply and OK.
Try launching the game, check if the error still occurs.
Fix 2: Update the Graphics Card Drivers
Although an outdated graphics card driver causes the most crashes, it’s a gamer’s modus operandi to keep all drivers and software updated on the system. This includes the OS, audio drivers, motherboards, processors, etc.
So, first update the graphics card drivers and check if Death Standing crashes on startup or in-game. Nvidia recently released Game Ready Driver that extends support for Death Standing and other recent games. Here are the link to both Nvidia and AMD drivers you need.
Select your OS and other specs and download and install the software. If the problem persists, update everything from OS to audio drivers and check again.
Fix 3: Run Death Stranding As Admin
You must also provide the game with admin permissions. Sometimes, games without permission do not function desirably. Windows by default does not provide the admin permission to any software, so you have to do it manually and you should be doing it for any new games you install. To perform the steps – right-click on the desktop shortcut of the game and select Properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and check Run this program as an administrator. That’s it, launch the game and check if the Death Stranding crash still occurs.
Fix 4: Clear Windows Temporary Files
Sometimes temporary files can become corrupted. These files are used by the game for better performance, but corruption can cause the game to crash. Delete these files and allow the game to download new files. This can potentially resolve the error. Here are the steps to delete temp files form your OS.
- Open the Run dialogue box by pressing on Windows Key + R
- Type %temp% in the field and hit Enter
- Press Ctrl + A and hit Delete (if you cannot delete some files, let them be and close the Window)
Fix 5: Disable Steam Overlay
Lately Steam Overlay has come under a lot of criticism for crashing games. Hence, let’s disable the overlay in an attempt to fix the Death Stranding crash problem.
- Launch Steam client
- Click on Library and right-click on Death Stranding
- Select Properties and uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
Close Steam and check if the in-game crash or Death Stranding crash at startup still occurs.
Fix 6: Repair Game Files
If a game is corrupted or some its files are missing it will most definitely crash. It could be at the start of the game or in mid-game. Both Steam and Epic Launcher provide you the option to scan and repair missing or corrupted game files. Here are the steps for both clients.
For Steam
- Launch the Steam client
- From the LIBRARY, right-click on Death Stranding and select Properties
- Go to LOCAL FILES and click on VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…
For Epic
- Launch the Epic Games Launcher
- From the Library menu, locate Death Stranding
- Click on the three dots
- Select Verify
Once the process completes, try playing the game and check if the Death Stranding crashing on PC or failed to launch problem still exists.
Fix 7: Set Exclusion on Windows Firewall or Other Antivirus
More often than not, the Windows Firewall or the antivirus on your system blocks some functions of the game which leads to a crash. You need to allow the game to bypass the security software. You can do it by setting an exclusion for the game on the software. Here are the steps.
Windows Firewall
- Press Windows Key + I and select Update & Security
- Click on Windows Security and select Firewall & network protection
- Click on Allow an app through firewall
- Locate Death Stranding and tick both Private and Public
- Save the changes.
Kaspersky Internet Security
- Home >> Settings >> Additional >> Threats and Exclusions >> Exclusions >> Specify Trusted Applications >> Add.
AVG
- Home >> Settings >> Components >> Web Shield >> Exceptions >> Set the exception.
Avast Antivirus
- Home >> Settings >> General >> Exclusions >> Set the exclusion.
We hope the post has helped to resolve your Death Standing crashing or failed to launch problem. Check out our other posts and guides on the game.