Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord Crash Fixes Guide

Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is a thrilling action RPG game with frustrating technical difficulties that can disrupt your conquest. From crashes, black screens, and other errors that can prove quite annoying while leaving you to stare at the desktop instead of the battlefield.

This guide will help you fix some common issues players encounter that causes the game to crash in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord. We’ll break down the problems step-by-step and provide clear instructions for fixing them.

Table of Contents

1. GPU device instance has been suspended
2. Failure To Start Process
3. Unable to initialize Steam API
4. Missing “MSVCP140.dll” Files
5. Game Not Launching
6. Mod Crashes
7. Game Crash Fix
8. NVIDIA GPU Lag Fix
9. Black Screen Fix
10. No Audio Fix
11. Freezing, Stuttering, Lag, or 100% CPU Usage

1. GPU device instance has been suspended

Some players are reporting that the game crashes at the menu, giving the following error:

“d3d_device_context_-> Map at rglGPU_device::lock_texture Failed!
The GPU device instance has been suspended. Use GetDeviceRemovedReason to determine the appropriate action.”

To fix this error, try to avoid GPU overclocking. If you’re playing the game while your GPU is being factory overclocked, revert to the default clock speeds, and the error should be fixed.

But, if you’ve not overclocked your GPU, it’s likely that your GPU will not handle the game very well. In such a case, you should better lock your FPS to reduce the load on the GPU. Go to your game settings and adjust the Max Frame Rate so your game no longer crashes at the main menu.

2. Failure To Start Process

Another crash that players are frequently running into while trying to launch Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord is:

“Failure to start process for Mount and Blade Bannerlord.
Access is denied. (0x5)”

Here’s how to fix this error:

Right-click “Steam.exe” and select Properties. Then click the Compatibility tab and click “Run this program as an administrator”. Repeat this process for Mount And Blade II Bannerlord’s exe and “Launcher.exe”. Once done, you should be able to launch your game without any error.

3. Unable to initialize Steam API

If you’re getting the Steam API error when you launch the game, you can either simply exit Steam and relaunch the game from the desktop or reinstall Steam and Mount and Blade 2 again full version. Once the game reinstalls, you need to do the following to prevent a Bannerlord crash:

Verify game cache and integrity
Remove all mods and vortex
Install CC Cleaner and clean
Allow Bannerlords 2 through Windows Firewall
Run Steam.exe and Bannerlords 2.exe as administrator

4. Missing “MSVCP140.dll” Files

This error mainly occurs because your Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables are not up-to-date. All you have to do is download the Visual C++ Redistributables and install them which will automatically update the file.

5. Game Not Launching

If your game is either crashing on startup or it’s not launching at all, here are a few steps you need to follow to fix it:

Step 1: Delete Language Files

Open File Explorer and navigate to the folder where Mount & Blade 2 is installed. For most users, this will be in the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Mount & Blade II Bannerlord\modules\sandbox\module_data\languages folder.

Delete the CN and CNS files in the languages folder.

Step 2: Update Launch Options and Verify Game Files

Open Steam and go to your Library.
Find Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord and right-click on it.
Select Properties and then click on the Launch Options tab.
Type window in the launch options field.
Click on the Local Files tab and then click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.

Step 3: Configure Compatibility Settings

Click on the Browse button and navigate to the MountBladeII.exe file.
Right-click on the file and select Properties.
Click on the Compatibility tab.
Make sure the following options are checked:
Run this program in compatibility mode
Disable full-screen optimization
Run this program as an administrator
Click OK to save the changes.

Step 4: Update Graphics Card Drivers

Ensure your graphics card drivers are up to date. For NVIDIA users, open GeForce Experience and click on Drivers > Check for Updates.

For AMD users, download the software that comes with your graphics card and follow the same process.

Restart your computer once the update is complete.

6. Mod Crashes

If you’re having problems in selecting and running your mod, here is a quick fix you can follow:

The first thing you need to do is disable Security Feature. Use the following steps for this:

Right-click on the Steam Library and select Properties.
In the Local Files tab, click Browse Local Files.
Navigate to the Modules folder, where your mod is located.
Find your mod (e.g., Developer Console) and open it.
Go to the bin folder, then windows_64_shipping_client.
Locate the dii folder and right-click on it.
Select Properties and click Unblock at the bottom.
Click Apply and then OK.

Once this is done, you need to restart the mod, go back to the mod menu and select to play it.

7. Game Crash Fix

If your game keeps crashing on startup or during gameplay, use the given fixes to ensure a smooth gaming experience. But before we dive into the fixes, make sure your computer meets the minimum system requirements to run Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord and not cause it to crash.

Once this is done, jump right into the given fixes:

Fix 1: Update Graphics Driver

Outdated graphics drivers can cause Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord to crash. Update your graphics driver to the latest version to fix the issue.

Press the Windows key + S to open the search bar.
Type “Device Manager” and click on the icon that appears.
Click on the “Display Adapters” icon.
Right-click on the dedicated graphics card you’re using to play the game.
Select “Update Driver” and choose “Search automatically for updated driver software” or “Browse my computer for driver software”.

Fix 2: Verify Integrity of Game Files

Corrupted game files or incorrect configuration files can cause the game to crash. Use the Steam client to verify the integrity of the game files.

Open Steam and navigate to your game library.
Find Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord and right-click on it.
Select “Properties” and choose the “Local Files” tab.
Click on “Verify Integrity of Game Files”.
Steam will check the game files and download any missing or corrupted files automatically.

8. NVIDIA GPU Lag Fix

Step 1: Configure NVIDIA Control Panel

Right-click on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
In the NVIDIA Control Panel, click on Manage 3D settings.
Click on Program settings and then click on Add.
Select the Mount & Blade 2 Bannerlord launcher or executable from the program list.
Ensure the CUDA – Graphics processing mode is set to your main GPU.
Click on Power Management and set it to Prefer maximum performance.
Set the Texture filtering option to Performance.

Step 2: Update NVIDIA Drivers

Open the GeForce Experience application.
Go to the Drivers tab and download and install the latest version of your driver.

Step 3: Disable In-Game Overlay

Open the GeForce Experience application.
Go to the Settings and navigate to the General tab.
Disable the In-game overlay option.

9. Black Screen Fix

If you’re stuck on a black screen or stuck on the loading screen, you can fix it by allowing Mount and Blade 2 through Windows Defender Firewall. To do so, you need to follow the given steps to fix this Bannerlord crash:

Navigate to the bottom left corner of your screen and click on the Windows symbol.
Use the Windows search function to find Windows Defender Firewall.
Click on Windows Defender Firewall to open it.
In the top left corner, click on the second link that says Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
Click on Change settings on the right-hand side.
Click on Allow another app.
Click on Browse and locate the Mount and Blade 2 executable file (this may be in a different directory on your PC, so you’ll need to search for it).
Select the executable file and click Open.
Click Add to add the app to the allowed list.

10. No Audio Fix

If your game audio is not working, follow the given steps to fix it:

Step 1:

Click on the Sound icon and go to Manage Audio Devices.
Select or use your preferred audio device.
Restart your PC and play the game.
If that doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Step 2:

Click on the Sound icon and go to Manage Audio Devices.
Click on More Volume Settings.
Select your preferred audio device and check the volume levels.
Scroll down and click on More Sound Settings.
Disable any unused audio devices.
Right-click on your preferred audio device and select Configure Speakers.
Complete your setup and click Properties.
Check the box to disable all enhancements and apply the changes.
Click Advanced and try setting the quality to CD and DVD quality.
Close the window and restart your PC.
If that still doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Step 3:

Click on the Search bar and type “Device Manager”.
Open Device Manager.
Click on Sound, Video and Game Controllers.
Right-click on your preferred audio device and select Update Driver.
Click on “Browse my computer for drivers” and then “Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer”.
Select your preferred audio device and click Next.
Click Yes to confirm and close the window.
Restart your PC.
If that still doesn’t work, move on to the final step.

Step 4:

Right-click on the Sound icon and select Sound Settings.
Scroll down and click on Troubleshoot common sound problems.
Click on Output Devices and wait for the problem to be solved.

11. Freezing, Stuttering, Lag, or 100% CPU Usage

If you’re experiencing freezing, stuttering, or lagging, here are 2 steps tweaks you need to make in your game settings:

Step 1: Ensure You’re Using the Correct Graphics Card

When you first install Banner Lord, it defaults to your integrated graphics card. To fix this, go to Video and switch from the default graphics to your proper graphics card (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050). This will require a restart. After restarting, go back to the options, and you’ll notice a significant increase in GPU memory.

Step 2: Optimize Graphics Settings

Set VSync to None, as it consumes processing power and is unnecessary.
Limit your Frames to 60 (or 144 if you have a 144Hz monitor).
Go to the Audio screen and switch the Sound Channel to 128 Europe.

In the Performance section:

Turn off Screen Space Reflection, as it consumes memory and is not essential.
Disable Motion Blur, as it can be nauseating and doesn’t provide any benefits.
Set Shadow Type to Static Only, as dynamic shadows consume much GPU power.
Set the Number of Corpses to Low or None, as it can cause lag and is not crucial to gameplay.