Why Does My Game Keep Crashing on My Laptop? (And How to Fix It)

Is your gaming experience constantly interrupted by frustrating crashes? Nothing’s worse than being deep into a game and having it suddenly freeze, forcing you to restart. A game crashing is often due to hardware or software issues. This article explores the common reasons why your games might be crashing on your laptop and provides actionable solutions to get you back in the game.

Common Causes of Game Crashes on Laptops

Several factors can contribute to game crashes. Understanding these potential causes is the first step towards resolving the problem.

  • Overheating: Laptops are notorious for overheating, especially when running demanding games. High temperatures can cause the game to crash as a safety mechanism to prevent hardware damage.
  • Insufficient RAM: Games require a certain amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) to run smoothly. If your laptop doesn’t have enough RAM, the game may crash due to memory limitations.
  • Outdated or Corrupted Graphics Drivers: Graphics drivers are essential for communication between the game and your laptop’s graphics card. Outdated, corrupted, or incompatible drivers can lead to instability and crashes.
  • Outdated Operating System: An outdated operating system can cause compatibility issues with newer games, leading to crashes. Regularly updating your OS ensures it has the latest bug fixes and security patches.
  • Software Conflicts: Other applications running in the background can sometimes conflict with the game, causing it to crash. This is especially common with overlay programs, antivirus software, and certain system utilities.
  • Hardware Issues: In some cases, hardware problems such as a failing hard drive, faulty RAM, or a damaged graphics card can cause game crashes. Such failures will only get worse over time.
  • Game Bugs or Glitches: Sometimes, the game itself has bugs or glitches that can cause it to crash. This is more common with newly released games or games that haven’t been properly patched.
  • Full Storage: Modern games are very large and require a substantial amount of free storage space. If your hard drive or SSD is nearly full, it can affect system performance and cause crashes.
  • Inadequate Power Supply: Some gaming laptops may struggle to provide sufficient power when running at full load. This can result in instability and crashes, especially if the battery is old or damaged.

Troubleshooting Steps to Fix Game Crashes

Now that you understand the potential causes, let’s explore practical steps to fix game crashes on your laptop.

1. Monitor Your Laptop’s Temperature

Overheating is a common culprit. Use monitoring software like MSI Afterburner or HWMonitor to track your CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming. If temperatures are consistently high (above 80-90°C for CPU and 85°C for GPU), take action:

  • Clean the Vents: Dust accumulation can restrict airflow. Use compressed air to clean the laptop’s vents and fan.
  • Use a Cooling Pad: A laptop cooling pad can provide extra airflow and help lower temperatures.
  • Reapply Thermal Paste: If you’re comfortable with it, consider reapplying thermal paste to the CPU and GPU. This can improve heat transfer and lower temperatures.

2. Free Up RAM

If your laptop doesn’t have enough RAM, close unnecessary applications before launching the game:

  • Close Background Programs: Close any programs you’re not actively using, such as web browsers, music players, and office applications.
  • Disable Startup Programs: Prevent unnecessary programs from launching at startup. Use Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) to disable startup programs.
  • Consider a RAM Upgrade: If you consistently run into RAM limitations, consider upgrading your laptop’s RAM. Check your laptop’s specifications to determine the maximum supported RAM.

3. Update or Reinstall Graphics Drivers

  • Update Drivers: Visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (NVIDIA or AMD) and download the latest drivers for your graphics card. Install the drivers, ensuring you choose the “clean install” option to remove any old files.
  • Roll Back Drivers: If the crashes started after updating your drivers, try rolling back to a previous version. Sometimes, newer drivers can introduce bugs.
  • Reinstall Drivers: If updating or rolling back doesn’t work, completely uninstall the graphics drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and then reinstall the latest drivers.

4. Update Your Operating System

  • Check for Updates: Go to Windows Update (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and check for any available updates. Install all available updates, including optional ones.

5. Resolve Software Conflicts

  • Disable Overlay Programs: Disable any overlay programs, such as Discord, Steam Overlay, or GeForce Experience Overlay.
  • Temporarily Disable Antivirus: Temporarily disable your antivirus software to see if it’s causing the crashes. If the game runs fine with the antivirus disabled, add the game to the antivirus’s exception list.
  • Perform a Clean Boot: Perform a clean boot to start Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This can help identify if a specific program is causing the conflict. Search for “msconfig” in the Windows search bar, go to the “Services” tab, check “Hide all Microsoft services”, click “Disable all”, and then go to the “Startup” tab and click “Open Task Manager” to disable startup items.

6. Check for Hardware Issues

  • Run Memory Diagnostics: Use the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to check for RAM errors. Search for “Windows Memory Diagnostic” in the Windows search bar and run the tool.
  • Check Hard Drive Health: Use a disk checking tool (e.g., CrystalDiskInfo) to check the health of your hard drive or SSD.

7. Verify Game File Integrity

  • Steam: Right-click on the game in your Steam library, select “Properties”, go to the “Local Files” tab, and click “Verify integrity of game files…”.
  • Other Platforms: Most gaming platforms have a similar option to verify the integrity of game files. Use this to check for and replace any corrupted or missing files.

8. Free Up Disk Space

  • Uninstall Unnecessary Programs: Uninstall any programs you no longer use.
  • Delete Temporary Files: Use Disk Cleanup to remove temporary files and other unnecessary data.
  • Move Files to External Storage: Move large files, such as videos and photos, to an external hard drive or cloud storage.

9. Adjust In-Game Settings

  • Lower Graphics Settings: Reduce the game’s graphics settings, such as resolution, texture quality, and shadow effects. This can reduce the strain on your laptop’s hardware.
  • Cap Frame Rate: Limit the game’s frame rate to match your monitor’s refresh rate. This can prevent the GPU from working too hard.

Still Crashing? Contact Support.

If you’ve tried all the above steps and your game is still crashing, contact the game’s support team for assistance. They may be aware of specific issues or bugs and can provide tailored solutions.

By following these steps, you can identify and address the common causes of game crashes on your laptop and enjoy a smoother gaming experience.