Fix Fallout: New Vegas Crashing on Windows 10 & 11 [Tested]

Tested and trusted fixes to try if Fallout New Vegas is freezing on your PC

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by Matthew Adams 

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Key notes

  • If Fallout: New Vegas is crashing on Windows 10, you have to know you are not the only one experiencing this issue.
  • Experiencing random crashes on Windows 10 while trying to play Fallout: New Vegas can cause some frustration to appear.
  • Using the compatibility mode in Windows 10 has proven to be a useful solution to this issue.
  • Another way to start resolving this problem is to edit some files from the game installation folder.
Fallout New Vegas is out of memory

Quite a few players have posted on Microsoft’s forum requesting support for fixing Fallout: New Vegas crashing or freezing.

Sometimes the game might suddenly crash and return players to the desktop. Or the game can completely freeze. One player said this in an MS forum post:

My problem is not just that Fallout freezes, but that when it does Windows 10 won’t close the program. So, I end up having to restart my computer. I don’t blame Windows 10 for the freeze, but it ought to be able to kill the program without a restart.

Just like we fixed the Fallout New Vegas runtime error, we have prepared detailed fixes to this issue in this guide.

Why does fallout new vegas keep crashing?

If you are dealing with Fallout New Vegas random crashes, below are some of the potential causes:

  • Wrong display setting: One of the major causes of this issue is wrong in-game display settings. This is especially true of the game crashes after you have started playing it for some time. The solution to this is to optimize your display settings.
  • Issues with the game: This problem might be due to your installation. You need to reinstall the game to restore normal service here.

Below are some of the variations of this issue you can expect this guide to fix:

  • Fallout New Vegas crashing on startup
  • Fallout New Vegas crashing randomly
  • Fallout New Vegas crashing on loading screen
  • Fallout New Vegas crashing with mods

How can I fix Fallout: New Vegas crashing or freezing?

1. Run Fallout in compatibility mode

  1. Press the Windows key and E simultaneously to open File Explorer.
  2. Open the Fallout: New Vegas folder.
  3. Right-click the Fallout.EXE game file and select Properties.
  4. Next, click the Compatibility tab shown directly below.
    Compatibility tab fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  5. Select the Run this program in compatibility mode checkbox.
  6. Select Windows 7 on the drop-down menu.
  7. Press the Apply button.
  8. Click OK to exit the window.

2. Edit the Fallout.ini and Fallout_default.ini files

  1. First, open File Explorer.
  2. Then open your FalloutNV folder.
  3. Right-click the FALLOUT file and select Open with.
  4. Select to open the file with Notepad.
  5. Find the bUseThreadedAI=0 setting in the file.
  6. Change the bUseThreadedAI=0 setting to bUseThreadedAI=1.
  7. Press Enter after bUseThreadedAI=1 to add a new line.
  8. Then add iNumHWThreads=2 in the empty line just beneath bUseThreadedAI=1.
    The Fallout file open in Notepad fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  9. Click File to open a menu.
  10. Select Save on the menu.
  11. Next, open this path in File Explorer: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Fallout New Vegas
  12. Right-click Fallout_default.ini and select Open with to open the file in Notepad.
  13. Modify the Fallout_default.ini file in exactly the same way you edited Fallout_default.ini as outlined in steps five to eight.
  14. Then save the file.

3. Install the New Vegas Anti Crash (NVAC) mod

Download the mod and extract the contents

  1. Open the download webpage for the New Vegas Anti Crash mod.
  2. Register and log in on the NexusMods website.
  3. Click the Manual Download button for NVAC.
  4. Then select download the NVAC.ZIP file.
  5. Open the folder you downloaded the NVAC.ZIP to in File Explorer.
  6. Double-click the NVAC.ZIP to open it.
  7. Click the Extract all option on the Compressed Folder Tools tab.
    Compressed Folder Tools tab fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  8. Click Browse to choose a folder path to extract the ZIP to.
    The Extract Compressed Folders window fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  9. Select the Show extracted files when complete checkbox.
  10. Press the Extract button.

Move the content to the right folder

  1. Open the NVSE subfolder.
  2. Next, select all the content within the nvse_5_1_beta4 folder by pressing the Ctrl + A hotkey. 
    nvse_5_1_beta4 folder fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  3. Press the Ctrl + C hotkey to copy the files.
  4. Open your Fallout New Vegas folder at: Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Fallout New Vegas
  5. Click the Paste button on the Home tab.
  6. Then open the NVAC folder.
  7. Open the NVSE, New Vegas Anti Crash, and Plugins subfolders as in the shot directly below.
  8. Right-click the nvac.dll file and select Copy.
    nvac.dll file fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  9. Open your Fallout New Vegas folder again.
  10. Then open the Data, nvse, and Plugins subfolders.
    Plugins folder fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  11. Press the Paste button to copy the nvac.dll into the Plugins subfolder.

4. Adjust display settings for Fallout

  1. Open the Fallout: New Vegas folder.

2. Click FalloutNVLauncher.exe to open the Fallout launcher.

3. Click OPTIONS.

options

4. Next, select the Windowed checkbox.

windowed

5. Click the None radio button for screen effects.

6. Select a lower resolution on the Resolution drop-down menu.

5. Reinstall Fallout: New Vegas

  1. Right-click Windows 10’s Start button and select launch Run from the open menu.
  2. Type appwiz.cpl in the Open text box and click OK to open the uninstaller window.
    Programs and Features window fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  3. Next, select Fallout: New Vegas within the uninstaller window.
  4. Click Uninstall on the Programs and Features window.
  5. Then click Uninstall to confirm.
  6. Thereafter, you’ll need to open the Steam software.
  7. Click Library in Steam.
    Steam Library fallout new vegas crashing windows 10
  8. Select Fallout New Vegas on your Library list.
  9. Then click the Install button for Fallout: New Vegas to reinstall the game.

How to fix Fallout New Vegas keeps crashing on Windows 11

Below is the list of fixes to apply if you are facing this issue on the latest OS:

  • Update your drivers
  • Run the game in compatibility mode
  • Reinstall the game with administrative privileges

These fixes should help you restore normalcy to the game on Windows 11 in no time. Thankfully, we have covered most of them in this guide already. So, you only need to make a few changes due to the difference in OS.

Those are some resolutions players have fixed Fallout: New Vegas crashing and freezing with. In the same vein, if you are experiencing FPS drop, lag, and stuttering on Fallout New Vegas, check our guide to fix it quickly.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re guaranteed resolutions for everyone, but those fixes are worth a try.

Matthew Adams

Matthew Adams Shield

Windows Hardware Expert

Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it. He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes. In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.