Like most Bethesda games, Starfield has not launched in the most stable state, with many players reporting crashes and freezes. The Xbox version of the game is more optimized in these matters, but the PC version is known to suffer these problems.
Due to their impatience, waiting for an official patch from Bethesda may not be viable for some players. As such, Starfield has a few fixes and workarounds for different crashes and freezes.
Starfield crash and freezes fix and workarounds
Multiple fixes for Starfield reduce the frequency of crashes and freezes. These cover creating exceptions in your Firewall, driver updates, and in-game setting updates.
Allow Starfield through your Antivirus and Firewall block
Not allowing Starfield to bypass your Antivirus or Firewall may be why your game is crashing. To enable this, open the Windows Security panel from the pop-up menu on the right side of the taskbar. Enable Starfield to bypass Windows security measures. The process may differ a bit if you use a third-party anti-virus solution.
Look to the product description to find out how to let applications bypass your anti-virus. For the firewall bypass, open the Control Panel and search for the firewall application using the search bar on the top right corner of the screen. Select the “Allow an app through the Windows firewall” option to allow Starfield to bypass the firewall.
Update GPU driver
This fix works for both crashing and freezing problems. Make sure your GPU drivers are up to date. Often, a manufacturer will release a GPU driver update to help increase performance for a specific game around its release. You will receive a notification whenever a new driver is available. If you do not, check the GPU manufacturer’s website for a new driver.
If your GPU is not updated, you may miss out on potentially better performance. To update your GPU driver, head to the bottom right portion of your task bat and pull up the GPU tray. In most cases, you can update your driver directly from here. Additionally, you can open the Device Manager and search for your GPU to update it manually.
Reinstall the game
Use this method when all other methods fail. Although it may take the longest (depending on your internet speed), this ensures the removal of any corrupted files that may be causing your game to crash. Open the Control Panel and head to the “Uninstall a program” option.
Uninstall Starfield and remove any cache and system files that may still be there. Next, perform a completely fresh reinstall of the game. All corrupted files that were causing your game to crash will be removed. Starfield should work properly now.
Install Visual C++
Most games these days use the Visual C++ packages released by Microsoft for Windows. In most cases, you will receive a prompt to install them while you are in the process of installing your game. These packages need to be updated to cater to the latest games. Starfield is no exception to this. To make sure your packages are correct and up to date, head over to the following link:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/cpp/windows/latest-supported-vc-redist?view=msvc-170
And make sure your Visual C++ library is up to date. Select the packages that correspond to your operating system and download them.
Update DirectX
Another easy fix for crashes and freezes on Starfield is to update DirectX. DirectX allows your applications to work directly with your graphics card and other PC components. Since Starfield uses DirectX, updating it is pivotal for better performance and preventing crashes and freezing.
To do this, open the update window of your computer and select the “check for update” option. DirectX is usually updated with every Windows update. Alternatively, you can head to Microsoft’s website and download DirectX directly from there.
Close Background Programs/Processes
Ensure that every other non-important application is closed, as having these applications open increases CPU and RAM usage. This ultimately reduces the amount of overhead available for the game. Open the Task Manager on your Windows PC by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-clicking on the taskbar.
Now, manually close all open programs that may affect your game’s performance. You will see CPU and RAM usage drop, making more of it available for your game. Playing the game after this should decrease crashes and freezing. The worst offenders include your web browsers, particularly if you have a lot of tabs open.
Install the Game on an SSD
Starfield is a massive game, with tons of detail and plenty of objects in your immediate vicinity. On the Xbox series consoles, the game uses Microsoft’s high-speed Velocity Architecture to load the game in seconds. But on the PC, the game uses whatever storage device you have.
If you use an HDD, you may encounter freezes and crashes in Starfield. It may be worth installing the game on a faster SSD to prevent it from freezing. The faster output of the SSD may allow your game to load more seamlessly. It will likely mitigate instances of freezing.
Lower Graphics Options
If all else fails, consider lowering graphics settings to prevent freezes and crashes in Starfield. Open the video setting options and start tinkering with the performance settings until you find a sweet spot. While visual quality may be necessary for some, crashing and freezing completely removes you from the game. Also, consider enabling the Dynamic Resolution Scaler.
