Fix: Games Keep Crashing Without Error on Windows 10

Give a try to these quick fixes to solve the issue right away

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Key notes

  • Games keep crashing in Windows 10 for many reasons, the most common ones being outdated GPU drivers.
  • If all games are crashing on your PC without an error message, make sure to test your computer hardware.
  • Afterward, you may proceed to update your drivers, as well as your OS.
  • For a detailed guide on fixing the issue, consult our article.
fix game crash

There are millions of gamers on the Windows platform, and with Windows 10 remaining on almost 71.29% of PCs and Windows 11 reaching 15.44% penetration as of October 2022, it’s safe to say that Windows 10 is currently the most popular gaming system.

Despite its popularity, it seems that games are crashing for no reason on Windows 10, and things haven’t really improved from the previous iterations in this regard.

Why does my game keep crashing to desktop in Windows 10?

A game usually keeps crashing in Windows 10 when your device doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for it or the relevant drivers are outdated. The graphics driver plays a critical role here, so make sure to update it.

Also, overclocking the computer, malware infection, low system resources, corrupt game files, or bugs in the OS are likely causes when games keep crashing in Windows 10. Here are other instances of games crashing that you could experience anytime during your gaming sessions:

  • Games crashing to desktop – Adjust game settings.
  • All games crashing – Check hardware for damage.
  • Steam games crash on Windows 10 – Move the installed game to another location.
  • Old games crash on Windows 10 – Run games in compatibility mode.
  • Windows 10 crashes when playing games – Reinstall or update display drivers.
  • Games crash on Windows 10 randomly – Remove overclock settings.
  • Games crash on startup – Check and remove interfering third-party applications.
  • Games crashing without error – Run games in Window mode.

Without further ado, let’s jump right in and see how to perform the fixing actions to get rid of games crashing without an error message.

How can I fix game crashes in Windows 10?

1. Update your display drivers

1. Right-click the Start icon then select Device Manager.

open device manager in windows 10

2. Expand the Display adapters folder, right-click your AMD graphics card, and choose Update driver.

update-driver-w10 amd driver install problems

3. Click Search automatically for drivers to let Windows select and install the best available GPU driver on the system.

Search automatically for drivers

4. Wait for the drivers to be installed.

5. Once the installation is done, reboot your PC and check whether the games are still crashing.

Depending on what type of graphics card you’re using, it’s always good to keep your drivers updated.

You can automatically install the latest drivers via Device Manager. This is likely to prevent your games from crashing on your Windows 10 device, without you having to perform more complicated solutions.

You can also manually update your drivers. To do so, you need to find the model of your graphics card and visit the manufacturer’s website.

If there are Windows 10 drivers available, make sure that you download them, but if your manufacturer didn’t release Windows 10 drivers yet you can just download the latest drivers for Windows 8 instead.

All your drivers need to be updated, but doing it manually is time-consuming, so we recommend you use a third-party solution to automatically update your drivers.

2. Update your Windows 10

If this is a Windows 10 issue, it’s always good to keep your Windows 10 up to date. This seems like a major problem, so it’s most likely that Microsoft will fix this issue with the next Windows 10 update.

If your drivers are updated as well as your Windows 10, in most cases that’s enough to fix any game crashes. If the problem persists, it will probably be fixed with the newest Windows 10 update.

3. Run your games in window mode

As you probably know most games can be run in windowed or fullscreen mode, and if you experience crashes with your games on Windows 10 it doesn’t hurt to try running them in windowed mode.

To do this, you need to go to video settings in your game and find the option to run it in window mode.

Many games come with an application that allows you to set display settings before running the game, so you can try using them as well if you can’t start your game.

4. Check your hardware

Many users reported that games crash on their PC, and sometimes this problem can be caused by your hardware. A faulty memory module can cause this issue, so be sure to check your memory.

The simplest way to do that is to remove all but one memory stick from your PC and check if the problem occurs. If you want to perform a detailed check, you might want to use MemTest86+.

Simply download this tool, create a bootable drive and boot your PC from it. Now run the scan for an hour or so in order to scan your RAM.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to scan each memory stick individually with MemTest86+ for an hour or so in order to find the faulty module, so this method can take a while.

After finding the faulty module, remove it or replace it and the issue should be resolved. If you’re looking for the best benchmarking tools available right now, check out this list with our top picks.

5. Check your antivirus

If games crash on your Windows 10 PC, the problem might be related to your antivirus.

Some antivirus tools can interfere with your games and cause this error to occur. However, you can fix the problem simply by checking your antivirus configuration.

First of all, look for Gaming Mode feature and enable it. Many antivirus applications have this feature, and by using it, you’ll ensure that your antivirus isn’t interfering in any way with your games.

If the issue still persists, you might want to consider disabling your antivirus as a temporary fix. In the last case scenario, you might have to uninstall your antivirus.

For Norton users, we’ve got a dedicated guide on how to completely remove it from your PC. There’s a similar guide for the McAffe antivirus, as well.

Sometimes switching to a different antivirus software can fix the problem, and if you’re looking for a new antivirus, you might want to see our recommendation.

Therefore, to ensure the best digital protection and play uninterrupted games, you should use efficient antivirus software for gaming PCs.

6. Check your Windows Defender settings

  1. Open the Settings app. You can do that quickly by pressing Windows Key + I. When the Settings app opens, navigate to Update & Security section.update-security nmi hardware failure windows 10
  2. Select Windows Security from the left panel. From the right panel, choose Open Windows Security.
  3. Navigate to Virus & threat protection.
  4. Now navigate to Virus & threat protection settings.
    All games crashing
  5. Click Add or remove exclusions.
    Old games crash Windows 10
  6. Click Add an exclusion, select Folder, and select the game’s directory.
    Windows 10 crash when playing games
Steam games crash Windows 10

Now check if the problem is resolved. If the issue still persists, you might want to consider disabling Windows Defender. To do that, just follow steps 1-4 from above then disable Real-time protection.

Although Windows Defender is a solid application in terms of security, sometimes it can interfere with your games.

Keep in mind that disabling Windows Defender will leave your system vulnerable, so you might want to consider getting a new antivirus solution or a highly reliable VPN.

7. Remove overclock settings or underclock your graphics card

Many users tend to overclock their hardware in order to achieve better performance in games. However, sometimes your system can become unstable due to overclocking.

If games crash on your PC, that can be related to overclocking, so if you’ve overclocked your system recently, be sure to remove any overclock settings.

Several users reported that they fixed the problem simply by underclocking their GPU. According to them, they used EVGA Precision X16 to lower the GPU and power target.

In addition, they lowered the GPU temp target and enabled Kboost. Keep in mind that overclocking and underclocking can be potentially dangerous and it can lead to system instability.

In the worst-case scenario, you can damage your hardware if you’re not careful, so you’re overclocking and underclocking your hardware at your own risk.

8. Check third-party applications

Sometimes games crash on Windows 10 due to third-party applications. According to users, the issue was caused by FRAPS, but after uninstalling it, the problem was resolved completely.

It seems that applications that use DirectX can cause this problem to appear, so be sure to remove them.

There are several ways to remove an application, and the best way is to use uninstaller software. The tool will remove all files and registry entries related to the application that you want to remove.

If the solutions above proved to be unsuccessful in your case, make sure to check out the official Microsoft Support page and try out their solutions.

That would be all if you have any comments, or suggestions, just leave your thoughts in the comments section, below.

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