With the onset of the new title NASCAR Heat 5, users are experiencing a range of errors that’s nether uncommon with the NASCAR Heat titles nor with other titles released in the recent past. The most common error is the NASCAR Heat 5 crashing at startup or generally.
The cause of all the errors are same or similar and can range from Overlay in software, an instable DirectX 12, old operating system, your system not complying with the minimum requirements, or corrupted game files.
The crash can also arise when the user has not provided the game admin privilege, when the Firewall or the third-party antivirus is blocking some functions of the game, and the hard drive has bad sectors. To effectively resolve NASCAR Heat 5 from crashing at startup or mid-game, you should address the above issues.
I suggest you try the fixes we suggest one at a time and between each fix, try to run the game and check if the error occurs. If it does, return to the guide and try the next fix. For this, you can bookmark this page. Let’s proceed with the first fix.
Fix 1: Disable Steam Overlay
The first fix you must try is to disable the Steam Overlay. It has been noted that the Steam Overlay does not pair well with the game. You can disable the Steam overlay with global settings for all games or just for NASCAR Heat 5. Here are the steps to disable Overlay for the game.
- Launch Steam client
- Click on Library and right-click on NASCAR Heat 5
- Select Properties and uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
Close Steam and check if the NASCAR Heat 5 in-game crash or crash at startup still occurs.
Fix 2: Disable MSI Afterburner
MSI Afterburner causes issues with the game and it has also for the last installment. Therefore, you must close the MSI Afterburner from the Task Manager and launch the game.
Fix 3: Update the Graphics Driver or Roll Back
If you have not updated the graphics driver for a while, visit the official website of the graphics card manufacture and download the latest update copy. Do not update using the GeForce Experience, uninstall the current driver, download a new copy, and install. Now, check if the error still occurs.
If you have already updated the driver and the NASCAR Heat 5 crash started after the update, you can roll-back the driver to the previous version. Here are the steps:
- Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager
- Expand Display adapters, and right-click on the dedicated graphics card and select Properties
- Go to the Driver tab
- Click on Roll Back Driver
Fix 4: Play NASCAR Heat 5 on DirectX 11
If the NASCAR Heat 5 Game Crashes at Startup and Crashes Mid-game is not fixed using the above fixes, you can try and run the game on DirectX 11. Here is how you can force the game to start with DirectX 11.
- Lunch Steam > Library > NASCAR Heat 5
- Right-click on NASCAR Heat 5 and select Properties
- Click on Set launch Options and type -force-d3d11
- Click Ok to save changes.
Fix 5: Disable Shader Cache
For Nvidia users, you can disable the Shader Cache which is known to crash NASCAR Heat 5. Here are the steps to disable Shader Cache from the Nvidia Control panel.
- Right-click on Desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel
- Expand 3D Settings > Manage 3D settings > Program Settings
- Click Add and select NASCAR Heat 5
- Under Specify the settings for this program, locate Shader Cache and select Off.
Check if the NASCAR Heat 5 Game Crashes at Startup and Crashes Mid-game errors still occur. If they do, try the next fix.
Fix 6: Verify Integrity of Game Files
If the game itself is corrupted that could also lead to crash at startup or mid-game crash with NASCAR Heat 5. Here are the steps to check and repair corrupt files on Steam.
- Launch the Steam client
- From the LIBRARY, right-click on NASCAR Heat 5 and select Properties
- Go to LOCAL FILES and click on VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES…
Fix 7: Remove Bad Sectors from the HHD
If you have bad sectors on your HDD, it could also be causing the crash. Although you could correct the corruption in the file system via CHKDSK on Command Prompt, here is a simple alternative.
- Right-click on C drive or the partition where you have installed the game and the launcher.
- Select Properties and go to Tools
- Click on Check and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process. Try playing the game.
- After the process completes, the window will auto-exit.
Now, try playing the game and check if NASCAR Heat 5 crashing error still occurs.
Fix 8: Uninstall and Reinstall the Game
The above steps should resolve the crashing problem under most circumstances. If they do not, uninstalling and reinstalling the game should fix the issue.
If the problem still occurs, provide an exception to the game folder on the antivirus. Let us know in the comments if this worked or if you have a better solution.
Big fan of both HEAT 4 and HEAT 5 for the PC for months before HEAT 5 first came out.
A couple of months after using HEAT 5 both games began crashing at the exact same place. Doesn’t matter if the race is single race against bots or a hosted game online.
When it crashes the error is always the same: Utility 2017.4.37f1 (78b69503ebc4)
I have tried all that was recommended above several times.
Please help… I want to get back in the races so badly. Thank you in advance for any help.
Mine is in career after the second season on xbox one. Tried everything. What should I do?