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How to Fix the Elden Ring Startup Crash, Bugs, and Troubleshooting on Console and PC 

By AndroidGreek Team
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Elden Ring is one of the hottest action role-playing games, developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco. The game is available on consoles including PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, PlayStation 5, and PCs for Microsoft Windows. Some players have reported that the game has been crashing on startup on consoles and PCs. If you’re getting frustrated, you can follow this troubleshooting guide to rectify the issue.

How to Troubleshoot Elden Ring Startup Crash, Bugs, and Other Issues on Console and PC

It’s quite common for games to have startup issues, and this guide helps you fix them manually until the developer rolls out a patch update. Follow the instructions below, step-by-step, to avoid any conflicts or confusion.

Reasons for the Elden Ring Crashing

Developers have put a lot of optimization into making the game run stably on your PC’s hardware. They constantly update their game. Crashes may occur due to missing or outdated drivers, corrupted files, or incompatibility issues with overlay apps or Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable.

How to Fix the Elden Ring Startup Crash, Bugs, and Troubleshooting on Console and PC

Before proceeding with the following troubleshooting guide, ensure you follow the instructions step-by-step to avoid any conflicts. Here is the guide to follow:

Elden Ring System Requirements

To run the game efficiently, your system needs certain hardware and software resources. Check the minimum and maximum PC game requirements for installation. These are based on the launch date version of the game; you may need to check for updates in the future. You can find this information on the support page of the game.

Minimum System Requirements for Elden Ring

  • Operating System: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-8400/AMD Ryzen 3 3300x
  • Memory: 12 GB of RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB/AMD Radeon RX 580 4GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 60 GB of Free Space
  • Sound Card: Windows-Compatible Audio Device
  • Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • Processor: 16 GB of RAM
  • Memory: 16 GB of RAM
  • Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 10700 8GB/AMD Radeon RX VEGA 56 8GB
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 60 GB of Free Space
  • Sound Card: Windows-Compatible Version

Upgrade Your Graphics Driver in Windows

It’s essential to upgrade your GPU driver, especially with the launch of the game. Manufacturers push updates to support the game.

To upgrade your Windows driver from the Device Manager, you need administrative privileges. Follow these steps:

  • Open Device Manager from Windows Search or Windows Run (Shortcut Key: Windows + R), and type devmgmt.msc.
  • Select the display adapter to expand your GPU driver.
  • Right-click on the Graphics Driver and choose Properties.
  • In the new pop-up window, choose “Search automatically for drivers” or “Browse my computer for drivers.” Select “Search automatically for driver.” Windows will search your computer for the best available driver and install it.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions if you find any updates.
  • That’s it!

Alternative: Update graphics from Windows Update

  • Open Windows Settings.
  • Select System and Security, then choose Windows Update.
  • Click “Check for Updates,” and if any update is found, proceed with downloading and installing. Check Optional Updates if no updates are found.
  • That’s it!

Manually install the graphics driver.

There are three major graphics drivers: Intel, Nvidia, and AMD. Check for the latest update on their driver support pages.

Reinstall Graphics

You can uninstall the device driver from Device Manager. After uninstalling, follow the above graphics driver installation guide.

  • Open Device Manager from Windows Search or execute the devmgmt.msc run command.
  • Expand the display adapter and proceed to your graphics card (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti).
  • Right-click on the name of the device, and choose Uninstall.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the uninstall and restart your PC.
  • That’s it!

Update your Epic Game Launcher

Reportedly, the Anti-Cheat system creates conflicts with eldenring.exe alongside Epic Launcher. Reinstalling or updating might help solve any Elden Ring issues.

  • Open the Epic Game Launcher.
  • Open Settings by clicking on the profile icon in the upper-right corner.
  • On the settings page, find “Software Update” and “Epic Online Service Install.” Click on Install if you have an update or Restart and Update available.
  • That’s it!

Run the game as administrator.

You can start any application or game as an administrator. If running as an administrator works, make the game always run as an administrator by default.

  • Open the Apps section on Windows Start.
  • Look for the Elden Ring. Once you find it, right-click on it and choose Run as administrator.
  • Confirm UAC (User Account Control) by clicking Yes.
  • That’s it!

Run Elden Ring as Administrator by default on Windows.

  • Open Windows Search and search for Elden Ring.
  • Right-click on Elden Ring to open its context menu and select Properties.
  • In the pop-up window, choose the compatibility tab.
  • Check the checkbox for Run this program as an administrator.
  • Click Apply to change your setting, and then OK to confirm your action.
  • That’s it! Exit the window and relaunch the game.

Delete temporary files and folders in Windows

Programs often store temporary files on your computer to launch apps faster. These files can slow down your computer over time. Cleaning these temporary files can boost performance.

  • Note: Ensure you have closed all active programs before performing this.
  • Open Windows Run by pressing and holding Windows + R.
  • Type temp and execute to open the temporary file location.
  • Click Yes if prompted for UAC or permission.
  • Select all files by pressing Ctrl+A.
  • Press Right-Shift + Delete to permanently remove the temporary files. Alternatively, use the delete button.
  • That’s it!

Delete Temporary Files from Windows Tool

You can also delete temp files from Windows settings.

  • Open Windows Start and search for Disc Cleanup.
  • Launch Disc Cleanup, and choose the drive location where your game is stored.
  • Select OK, and it will start processing.
  • Check the checkbox for the files you want to remove.
  • Click OK, and confirm your action by clicking OK on the Disc Cleanup confirmation pop-up.
  • That’s it!

Delete temp files from the Windows Settings app.

  • Open Windows Settings.
  • Head over to Storage.
  • Choose Temporary Files to proceed.
  • Check the checkbox for the files you want to remove.
  • Click Remove after selecting the files.
  • Confirm your action by clicking Continue.
  • That’s it!

Verify game files

If your game file is missing or corrupted, verifying the game file can fix the issue by re-downloading the file from the server.

  • Note: Don’t run the game while performing system-intensive processes like defragmenting your hard drive or scanning for viruses.
  • If the verification fails, you can simply ignore it; it’s normal.

On Steam

  • Open Steam and head over to the library.
  • Right-click on Elden Ring and choose the Gear Icon from the context menu.
  • Select Properties, and then Local Files.
  • Click on Verify the integrity of the game file.
  • That’s it!

Close background tasks

Background activities can take up huge resources like CPU and memory, causing a waste of bandwidth and battery drain.

Restrict background apps

Windows apps actively operate in the background, but Windows allows you to control which apps can run in the background and also stop apps from running in the background. It varies between Windows 11 and Windows 10. Check out the Windows 10 guide on Microsoft Support.

  • Note: It is not recommended to tweak or make any changes to the Windows process.
  • Open Windows Settings and head over to Apps.
  • Click on Installed Apps, and then choose the app you want to control.
  • Choose the app, and click on the triple-dot horizontal option.
  • Choose the Advanced Option, and then scroll to the Find Background App Permission Section.
  • Next, expand the menu from the drop-down menu under Let this app run in the background.
  • Choose never, and that’s it!

Close Background Processes from the Taskbar

  • Open Task Manager, using Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  • When it opens, it shows two different drop-down list categories: apps and background processes.
  • To arrange the background processes, click on Memory to identify which processes are taking more resources. Click on memory to sort the processes.
  • Once sorted, you can see the apps using the most memory in the Task Manager.
  • Right-click on the app, and then choose End Task.
  • That’s it; the app will close instantly.

Alternative: Set the game to high priority.

Windows 11’s latest taskbar lacks the High-Priority option, but if you are a Windows 10 user, you can perform this by following the article.

  • Open Task Manager from Windows Search or by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
  • Look for the game in the Apps, and once you find it, right-click in the Process tab.
  • Right-click on the app, and then choose Set Priority (Realtime, High, Above Normal, Normal, Below Normal, or Low) based on your usage.
  • That’s it!

Disable Steam Overlay

If the Steam overlay is enabled, try the game after disabling the Steam overlay. Some users confirm it will boost the game’s performance significantly after disabling the Steam overlay.

  • Open Steam and head over to the library.
  • Choose the game from which you want to disable the Steam overlay.
  • Right-click on the game, and then choose Properties.
  • From the General tab, uncheck the checkbox for “Enable Steam Overlay While in-game.”
  • That’s it!

Reinstall DirectX or update DirectX to the latest version.

DirectX works with your graphics and audio hardware, and games require DirectX, which can boost your GPU performance. There are multiple ways to update to the latest DirectX version; you can also simply reinstall DirectX.

  • Download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft Support.
  • After downloading, simply open it and run the DirectX package from its saved location.
  • That’s it!

Force-enable DirectX for the game

After reinstalling DirectX, enable the DirectX level for the game.

  • Open Steam and go to the library.
  • After that, right-click on the game for which you want to reconfigure.
  • Click on Properties from the context menu, and then head over to the Launch Options.
  • Remove the pre-existing launch option and replace it with the following DirectX level options in the box: dxlevel 90 (DirectX v9.0), dxlevel 81 (DirectX v8.1), and dxlevel 80 (DirectX v8.0).

Turn off Windows Firewall and Windows Defender/Anti-Virus.

Windows firewall and antivirus are essential to the security of your computer, and they help prevent malware from spreading and attacking your device. But sometimes, due to conflicts, you might need to disable the Windows Firewall and Windows Defender. We have shared the Windows 11 Guide; you can check the Windows 10 guide on the Microsoft Support page.

Turn off the Windows firewall.

  • Open the Control Panel from Windows Start or Search.
  • Go to System and Security.
  • And then head over to the Windows Defender firewall.
  • Next, select Turn Windows Defender Firewall On or Off from the left panel of the window.
  • Check the checkbox for Turn off Windows Defender Firewall, and then click OK to confirm your action.
  • That’s it.

Alternative:

For fast disabling, you can execute the CMD command to disable the Windows firewall.

  • Open CMD (Command Prompt) as Administrator from the Windows Start menu.
  • Enter the netsh advfirewall, set all profiles to off, and hit enter.
  • That’s it!

Turn off Windows Security/Desktop

  • Open Windows Settings, and then open Privacy and Security.
  • Go to Windows Security, and then choose Virus and Threat Protection.
  • It will open Windows Security, and from there, click on Manage Settings.
  • From there, toggle to disable the real-time protection.
  • That’s it!

Set Best Performance in Power Option

There are two different ways to configure power management options for high performance; both are easy.

  • Open the Windows Run dialogue box by pressing Windows + R.
  • Enter powercfg.cpl and hit enter to execute.
  • After that, it will open the Power Option Window; click on Show Additional Plans.
  • Check the checkbox for high performance.
  • That’s it!

Reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

Microsoft Visual C++ runtime library errors sometimes occur randomly on Windows devices due to certain applications. By reinstalling the Visual C++ runtime, you can fix this error.

  • First, uninstall the Visual C++ runtime.
  • Press Windows + R, and then enter appwiz.cpl to open the Programmes and Features window.
  • From there, look for Microsoft Visual C++, right-click on it, and choose Uninstall from the context menu.
  • After finishing the uninstallation, download the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime package from Microsoft Support.
  • After downloading, simply start installing by double-clicking on the saved location.
  • Once it finishes installing, restart your PC.

Perform a clean boot

It is used to diagnose and troubleshoot advanced Windows problems, and by choosing a specific set of drivers and startup programs, you can fix your ongoing malfunction.

  • Open the Windows Run Dialogue Box using Windows + R.
  • Enter msconfig, and then hit enter to open the System Configuration Window.
  • Now, check the checkbox for Selective Startup.
  • After that, go to Service from the Navigation menu, and then check the checkbox for Hide all Microsoft Services, and then click on Disable All.
  • Click OK to save all changes, and restart your PC.

After saving this, your Windows is in Clean Boot State, and it can help you fix the error. After this, don’t forget to undo the changes and use the normal startup.

Disabling in-game overlays

In-game overlays come in handy for a lot of things, but to save resources and reduce load, you should disable the in-game overlay to boost game performance. There are multiple apps, like the GeForce Experience app in-game overlay.

GeForce Experience Share In-Game Overlay

  • Open the GeForce Experience app, and then click on the Settings icon placed in the upper-right corner.
  • After that, in the General menu on the left-side panel, scroll down to the In-Game Overlay option.
  • Toggle to disable the GeForce Experience Share in-game overlay.
  • That’s it.

Disabling the Xbox Game Bar

  • Open Windows Settings.
  • Head over to Gaming from the left-side panel.
  • Click on the Xbox game bar.
  • Toggle to disable the “Open Xbox Game using this button on a controller.”

Disabling the Discord Overlay

  • Launch Discord.
  • Click on the Setting Icon on the bottom-right side panel next to your profile.
  • Go to Game Overlay, and then toggle to disable the Enable in-game overlay.

Disable Steam Overlay While In-Game

  • Launch Steam.
  • From the Steam menu, click on Setting from the drop-down menu, which appears in the upper-right corner of the display.
  • Go to In-Game from the left sidebar, and then uncheck the checkbox for Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
  • Click OK to confirm your action.

Disable overclocking of CPU and GPU

If you have turned on overclocking on your system, then it is advised that you disable overclocking by adjusting the settings “per core” or “disable” by matching the base value (Original Specifications). You can reach out to the OEM for help or head over to the OEM Forum or Support page.