Payday 2 Crashing When Starting Heist? Fix it in 3 Steps

Recently, many users have complained about Payday 2 crashing when starting a heist. It can occur due to many factors affecting the game, which we’ll discuss. Also, this article will take you through some detailed steps for fixing Payday 2 crashing issues.

Alternatively, you can check one article about Payday 2 crashing on startup or not launching and ways to fix the problem on your Windows PC.

Why is Payday 2 crashing so much?

• Mods, particularly outdated or incompatible ones, can conflict with the game’s codes or each other.
• Missing or corrupted game files can cause crashes when certain assets or resources are required.
• Outdated Payday 2 game clients may have specific bugs or glitches in their code that causes crashing.
• Other applications running simultaneously with Payday 2 can conflict with the game.
• Outdated or malfunctioning graphics card drivers can lead to crashes in Payday 2.
• Payday 2 may crash due to insufficient resources to run the game smoothly if your system has limited RAM.

What can I do if Payday 2 is crashing when starting a heist?

Before attempting any troubleshooting steps for Payday 2 crashing when launching a heist, observe these preliminary checks:

• Turn off apps running in the background and close other resource-intensive programs.
• Ensure your computer meets the minimum system requirements for Payday 2.
• Verify game integrity in Steam to check for issues with the game files.
• Update your graphics card drivers to the latest drivers compatible with your system.
• Lowering the game’s graphics settings can reduce the strain on your system and prevent crashes.

1. Run Payday 2 as an administrator

1. Press the Windows + E keys to open File Explorer.
2. Go to (If you have installed the game in a different location, navigate to that folder): C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\PAYDAY 2
3. Locate the Payday 2 executable file, right-click, and select Run as administrator from the drop-down menu.
4. Click Yes on the User Access Control (UAC) prompt for administrator permission to run the game.
5. Launch the game and check if it crashes again when starting a heist.

Running Payday 2 as an administrator ensures the game has elevated privileges and can access system resources effectively. It is confirmed to fix crashes when launching heists in Payday 2.

Read about fixing the run as administrator option not working on Windows PCs.

2. Adjust the texture and shadow settings

1. Launch the Payday 2 client on your PC and click the Options button at the bottom right corner of the main menu.
2. Select the Video Settings tab.
3. Locate the Texture Quality option under the Advanced Video Settings section, click the drop-down menu, and select Medium.
4. Locate the Shadow Quality option and modify the slider or dropdown menu to the Medium option.
5. Click Apply, then the OK button to save the changes.
6. Close the Options menu and restart the game with the updated settings to fix the problem.

The above steps will optimize the graphical quality and performance of Payday 2 based on your system’s capabilities and preferences. Hence, it resolves the graphics issues causing Payday 2 to crash when starting the heist.

3. Disable mods

1. Start the Payday 2 game and click on the Options button at the bottom right corner of the main menu.
2. Select the Mod Menu tab to open the Mod Manager.
3. Go through the list of installed mods, uncheck the box, or toggle off the switch for all the mods to disable them.
4. Click Apply, then the OK button to save the changes.
5. Close and restart Payday 2 to check if the issue persists.

If the crashes stop, you can enable the mods individually to identify the problematic mod causing the issue when starting heists.

You can also check our complete guide on how to fix Payday 2 mods not working on your PC.

Finally, go through our article for a detailed explanation of what to do if you experience Payday 2 packet loss during multiplayer.

If you have further questions or suggestions regarding this guide, kindly drop them in the comments section below.