Fix Star Citizen crash on Windows 10

Star Citizen is undoubtedly one of the most popular multiplayer online games with a relatively large number of players. However, it is not without bugs and bugs. Many users are facing Star Citizen crash issue. If you are also facing Star Citizen crashing issue, this guide will help you fix the issue with effective troubleshooting methods.

How to fix Star Citizen crash on Windows 10

If you are annoyed by Star Citizen crashing on startup on your Windows 10 PC, here are a few possible reasons why you should analyze them carefully in order to resolve the issue.

  • The PC does not meet the basic requirements of the game.
  • Some other background program is interfering with the game.
  • You are using an unverified driver version.
  • The game's graphical settings are not configured correctly and the Steam client DLLs are corrupted.
  • The presence of malware and viruses.
  • The .NET platform and operating system have not been updated to the latest version.
  • The DirectX version is not up to date.
  • Overclocking
  • Any misconfigured or corrupted game installation files also cause the problem.
  • The Microsoft C++ Redistributables are not compatible with the game and PC.

Here are a few possible troubleshooting methods to help you fix Windows 10 crashing on Star Citizen. Follow them as shown, in the same order, and if you're lucky, you might be able to find the solution to your problem within the first few steps!

Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods

Below are some common troubleshooting methods.

1A. Prerequisite: Check the game requirements.

First, you must make sure that your system meets the requirements of the game. Below are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Star Citizen.

Minimum Requirements

  • CPU SPEED: Quad-core processor
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) SP1, Windows 8 (64-bit), Windows 10
  • VIDEO CARD: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB RAM (4 GB highly recommended)
  • PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
  • VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
  • DEDICATED VIDEO MEMO: 2 GB

Recommended Requirements

  • CPU SPEED: Quad-core processor
  • RAM: 16 GB
  • OS: Windows 7 (64-bit) SP1, Windows 8 (64-bit), Windows 10
  • VIDEO CARD: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB RAM (4 GB highly recommended)
  • PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
  • VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
  • DEDICATED VIDEO MEMO: 4 GB

1B. stop overclocking

  • Every high-end computer comes with an overclocking feature that helps you output more power than your specs you already have. Running a graphics card or processor faster than the default speed is referred to as overclocking.
  • When this happens, your computer will reach its maximum temperature after a certain amount of time. The computer detects this and adjusts the clock speed to normal until it cools down. The clock speed increases again after they cool down.
  • This increases the performance of your computer and helps a lot if you don't have a powerful computer.
  • It is worth noting that not all games support overclocking. The same applies to Star Citizen. So, you should try to disable all overclocking on your computer and try to launch the game. If it starts normally, the problem is fixed.

1C. Run Star Citizen as Administrator

If Star Citizen does not have the necessary administrative privileges, certain important features of the game will be restricted, causing Star Citizen to crash whenever you open the game or install any updates. Follow the instructions below to run the game as an administrator.

1. Right-click the Star Citizen shortcut on your desktop, or navigate to the installation directory and right-click it.

2. Then select the "Properties" option.

3. Now go to the Compatibility tab and click on Run this program as an administrator.

4. Finally, click Apply > OK to save the changes.

Check if you fixed the Star Citizen crash issue.

1D. Close background running tasks

If you run any other advanced game in the background besides Star Citizen, it will crash Star Citizen on your PC. Several background applications are consuming a lot of CPU resources, and if you want to fix this problem, close all other background programs and applications as instructed in our How to end a task in Windows 10 guide.

In addition, you are advised to disable startup programs on your Windows 10 PC. To accomplish the task, follow our guide 4 Ways to Disable Startup Programs in Windows 10.

1E. Delete temporary files

Few users have suggested that clearing disk space on PC helped them deal with Star Citizen crashes on startup. This will allow your computer to install new files when needed, which will help you fix the problem.

If you don't have enough free space on your computer, which is contributing to the problem with starting Star Citizen, follow our 10 Ways to Free Up Hard Drive Space in Windows guide to help you clean up all the junk files on your computer.

1 floor Check for corrupted system files

If files are missing or corrupted on your Windows 10 PC, you will experience Star Citizen crash issue. However, you can repair these corrupted files using the built-in utilities, namely System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management.

Read our guide to restoring system files in Windows 10 and follow the steps to repair any corrupted files.

1g Update your GPU drivers

Graphics drivers help heavy graphics and video applications simplify their tasks. If you encounter any conflicts while running a game like Star Citizen, make sure you are using updated device drivers as they act as a link between your PC hardware and operating system. Many users have suggested that updating drivers fixed the problem of Windows 10 crashing in Star Citizen. Read and follow the steps in our guide 4 Ways to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 10 to do so.

1 hour Roll back graphics drivers

Sometimes the current version of graphics drivers can cause startup conflicts, in which case you need to restore the previous versions of the installed drivers. This process is called driver rollback and you can easily roll back your computer drivers to their previous state by following our guide How to roll back drivers in Windows 10.

Save your changes and check if you have a fix for the Star Citizen crash issue.

1I. Reinstall the GPU driver

If you are still experiencing Star Citizen crashing issue after updating your GPU drivers, please reinstall your device drivers to fix the incompatibility issues. You can easily reinstall your graphics drivers by following the instructions in our How to Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers in Windows 10 guide.

1J. Update Windows

Also, if there are any errors on your PC, they can only be fixed after updating Windows. Microsoft releases regular updates to fix all of these bugs, thus fixing Star Citizen crashes on launch. Hence, make sure you update your Windows operating system, and if there are any updates pending, check out our guide How to download and install the latest Windows 10 update.

After updating the Windows operating system, check if you can access the game without any problems.

1 to. Temporarily disable your antivirus (if applicable)

Some incompatible antivirus programs installed on your computer may cause Star Citizen to crash on launch. To avoid conflicts, you should verify the security settings of your Windows 10 computer and check if they are stable or not. To find out if the antivirus package is causing the issue under discussion, disable it once and try to connect to the network.

Read our guide on how to temporarily disable your antivirus in Windows 10 and follow the instructions to temporarily disable your antivirus program on your PC.

If you have a solution to your problem after disabling the antivirus program on your computer, then you are advised to completely uninstall the program from your PC.

Read our guide on Force Removal of Programs That Won't Remove in Windows 10 to remove an antivirus program from your computer.

Method 2: Enable Game Mode

The Game Mode option available on PC is used to prioritize and improve the gaming experience, and to reduce unnecessary interruptions. Game Mode gives priority access to resources for the games you play, while other apps running in the background get fewer resources. So follow the steps below to turn on Game Mode to optimize your gaming experience.

1. Press the Windows + I keys at the same time to open Settings.

2. Find the "Games" option as shown below in the system settings.

3. Select the Game Mode option in the left pane and turn on the Game Mode switch.

4. Once Game Mode is enabled on your PC, restart the game.

Method 3: Set Gameplay Priority to High

The preference of an application or process tells the computer its importance and whether it should be given priority over others when allocating resources. The priority of each application is normal, except for the default system processes. Star Citizen may fail to boot on your PC if it does not have enough resources.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys at the same time to open the Task Manager.

2. Now find the Star Citizen process.

3. Then change the priority to High priority and check if it works.

Note. Change the priority with great care, as inadvertently changing the priority of a process can make your system very slow or unstable.

4. Close Task Manager, restart your computer and check if the problem with Windows 10 causing Star Citizen to crash is resolved.

Method 4: Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows

Here's how to fix Star Citizen crashing problem by tweaking the look and performance of your computer.

1. Press the Windows key, type "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows" and click "Open".

2. Enable the "Adjust for best performance" option, as shown in the figure.

3. Now click "Apply" and then "OK" to save the changes.

4. After that, play a test game and check if Star Citizen works without problems.

Method 5: Verify the integrity of the game files (on Steam)

We have seen many instances where game files are either missing, corrupted, or have incomplete installations. Users may also experience Star Citizen crashing issue if they are interrupted by the update process or if the game files are moved. In this method, you will open Steam and use the built-in game integrity checker. It will be replaced if the application finds something. Read our guide on how to verify the integrity of game files on Steam.

Note. You must follow the same steps if you are using other publishing software.

Method 6Disable the Steam Overlay

The Steam Overlay is a part of Steam that allows users to access their friends list, web browser, and allows for in-app purchases. This is an important tool, but sometimes it causes Star Citizen to crash on launch. If you want to fix this problem, then disable the Steam game overlay.

1. Launch Steam and click LIBRARY.

2. Now right click on Star Citizen and select "Properties…".

3. Now go to the GENERAL tab and uncheck "Enable Steam Overlay While Playing".

4. Finally, restart the game and check if the problem in question is resolved.

Method 7: Update the .NET Framework

The .NET platform on a Windows 10 PC is essential for the smooth running of modern apps and games. Many games have an auto-update feature for the .NET platform, so it will update automatically whenever an update is available. Otherwise, if your PC is prompted to update, you can manually install the latest .NET Framework as described below to fix Star Citizen crash on launch.

1. Check for new updates for the .NET framework from the official Microsoft website .

2. If there are any updates, click the appropriate/recommended link and select the Download .NET Framework 4.8 Runtime option.

Note. Do not click "Download .NET Framework 4.8 Developer Pack" as it is used by software developers.

3. Go to My Downloads, double click the setup file to run the downloaded file, and follow the on-screen instructions to successfully install the .NET framework on your Windows PC. After that, check if you have fixed the problem in question or not.

Method 8: Update DirectX

To enjoy smooth media playback in Star Citizen, you must ensure that DirectX is installed and updated to the latest version. DirectX helps improve the visual experience of multimedia, especially in graphical games and applications. Worth updating DirectX required for this game. Follow our guide on updating DirectX on Windows 10.

Note. Make sure "Verify WHQL Digital Signatures" is checked on the "System" tab, and on all tabs, check if "WHQL Logo" is set to "Yes".

Method 9: Run a malware scan

Having a virus or malware attack will result in gaming problems on your computer. In the event that the virus attack is very serious, you will not be able to constantly connect to any online game at all. To fix this problem, you need to completely remove the virus or malware from your Windows 10 PC.

We recommend that you scan your computer according to the instructions in our guide How do I run a virus scan on my computer?

Also, if you want to remove malware from your computer, check out our guide How to remove malware from your computer in Windows 10. After you have removed all viruses from your computer, connect to the game and check if you encounter with Windows crashing in Star Citizen. Issue 10 again.

Method 10: Change Windows Defender Firewall settings

You will also experience Star Citizen crash on startup due to an overly reactive or overly protective antivirus package on your Windows 10 PC. This prevents the connection between the game launcher and the server. So, to fix this problem, you can whitelist Star Citizen in your firewall settings or disable the problem temporarily.

Option I: Star Citizen Whitelist

To allow Star Citizen in Windows Defender Firewall, follow our guide Allow or block apps through Windows Firewall and follow the steps as instructed.

Option II: Turn off the firewall (not recommended)

If you don't know how to turn off Windows Defender Firewall, our How To Turn Off Windows 10 Firewall guide will help you with that.

Option III: Create a New Rule in the Firewall

1. Press the Windows key and type Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security, then click Open.

2. Now in the left pane, click Inbound Rules as shown in the figure.

3. Then, in the right pane, click New Rule… as shown.

4. Now make sure you have selected the "Program" option under "What type of rule do you want to create?". menu and click "Next>" as shown in the figure.

5. Then click the "Browse..." button corresponding to the Path to this program: as shown.

6. Then navigate to the C:Program Files (x86) Star Citizen folder and double click on the installation file. Then click on the Open button.

7. Then click Next > in the New Inbound Rule Wizard window as shown in the figure.

8. Now select the radio button next to Allow the connection and click Next > as shown.

9. Make sure the Domain, Private, Public fields are selected and click Next > as shown.

10. Finally, add a name to the new rule and click Finish.

Done! Check if you fixed the Star Citizen crash issue.

Method 11: Restore the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package

Alternatively, you can try repairing the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Packages to fix the Star Citizen crash issue as follows:

1. Press the Windows key and type "Apps and Features", click "Open".

2. Locate the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package.

3. Select a package, then click Edit.

4. Then click Yes when prompted by User Account Control.

5. In the pop-up window that appears, click Restore. Wait for the process to complete.

6. Be sure to modify any Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Packages by following the steps above.

7. Finally, restart your computer.

Open an app that you couldn't open before. If that doesn't work, try reinstalling the C++ Redistributable Package.

Method 12: Reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

If the previous Microsoft C++ Visual Redistributable repair method didn't fix Star Citizen's continued crash issue, you'll have to reinstall the redistributable. Follow the given steps to uninstall and then install them again.

1. Open system settings for apps and features.

2. Select the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Package, then click Uninstall.

3. Click Remove again to confirm and remove the package.

Note. Be sure to uninstall all Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Packages.

4. Press the Windows key, type Command Prompt, then click Run as administrator.

5. Type the following command and press the Enter key.

Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

6. After the process is complete, restart your computer.

7. Next, visit the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable Webpage to download the latest C++ package as shown here.

8. Once downloaded, open the downloaded file by double-clicking it in My Downloads. Install the package following the instructions on the screen.

9. Once the installation is complete, reboot your PC permanently.

Launch the game again and check if you're still experiencing the loading issue. This time you won't run into any problems.

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We hope this guide was helpful and you were able to resolve the Star Citizen crash issue on your Windows 10 PC. Let us know which method worked best for you. Feel free to contact us with your questions and suggestions through the comments section below.

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