Troubleshoot Frequent Game Crashes

Introduction

If your CLX gaming PC is crashing while playing games, this guide will help you identify and troubleshoot some of the most common causes.

Game crashes can be caused by the game itself, Windows, graphics drivers, overheating, unstable BIOS or memory settings, background software, or hardware instability. The best approach is to work through the steps below one at a time.

If the issue continues after completing the recommended troubleshooting, contact CLX Support and we'll help you determine the next steps.

First: What Happens When the Game Crashes?

Before troubleshooting, determine what happens when the crash occurs:

• The game closes and returns you to the Windows desktop: This can be related to the game, drivers, or software.
• The game freezes, but Windows continues working: This can be related to the game, GPU drivers, or system instability.
• The screen goes black, but the PC remains powered on: This can indicate a GPU, driver, display, or power-related issue.
• The entire PC restarts: This can indicate hardware instability, overheating, power delivery, memory instability, or other system-level issues.
• The PC completely shuts off: This can indicate a power or thermal issue.

Also determine whether the problem occurs in one specific game or multiple games. If only one game is affected, the issue may be specific to that game or its configuration. If multiple games are crashing, the issue may be related to Windows, drivers, system settings, or hardware.

Basic Troubleshooting

Start with these steps before making any major system changes.

1. Restart the PC

Restart Windows and test the affected game again. This can clear temporary software issues and ensure pending updates are fully applied.

2. Update Windows and the Game

Make sure Windows and the affected game are fully updated.

If the issue started immediately after a game or Windows update, keep that information in mind when troubleshooting.

3. Close Background Applications

Temporarily close unnecessary applications, especially programs that add overlays or monitor system performance.

Examples include:

• Discord overlays
• Game launchers
• GPU monitoring software
• Hardware monitoring utilities
• Recording or streaming software
• RGB control software

Then test the game again.

4. Check Your Temperatures

Overheating can cause instability during gaming.

Use a reliable hardware monitoring application to check your CPU and GPU temperatures while playing. Pay attention to whether temperatures become unusually high immediately before the crash.

If the temperatures appear normal, continue to the next step.

Check for Recent Changes

Think about whether anything changed shortly before the crashes began.

Examples include:

• Installing a new GPU or other hardware
• Updating GPU drivers
• Updating the BIOS
• Changing XMP or EXPO settings
• Changing CPU or GPU performance settings
• Installing new software
• Installing Windows updates

If the crashes started immediately after a change, consider reverting that change if you are comfortable doing so.

GPU Driver Troubleshooting

Graphics driver issues are a common cause of game crashes.

Update Your GPU Driver

Download and install the latest graphics driver for your GPU from the appropriate manufacturer.

After installing the driver, restart the PC and test the affected game again.

Perform a Clean Driver Installation

If updating the driver does not resolve the issue, you can perform a clean GPU driver installation using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU).

DDU removes existing graphics drivers and related files before a fresh driver installation.

After using DDU, install the latest driver for your GPU and test the game again.

If you're not comfortable using DDU, contact CLX Support and we'll be happy to help.

Check Memory Stability

Unstable memory settings can cause games to crash even when Windows appears to work normally.

If you have manually enabled or changed XMP, EXPO, memory overclocking, or other BIOS performance settings, temporarily return those settings to their default configuration and test the system again.

If the crashes stop after returning the settings to default, continue using the system with the default settings and contact CLX Support if you need assistance determining the cause.

Check the Game Installation

If only one game is crashing, the issue may be specific to that game.

Depending on the game launcher, use its built-in option to verify or repair the game files.

You can also check the game's recommended system requirements and known issues.

After verifying the game files, restart the PC and test the game again.

BIOS Updates

A BIOS update is not normally required simply because a game is crashing.

If the troubleshooting above does not resolve the issue, contact CLX Support before updating the BIOS. Our team can determine whether a BIOS update is appropriate for your system and help identify the correct BIOS version if necessary.

Never install a BIOS file intended for a different motherboard model or revision.

Test the System Again

After completing each troubleshooting step, test the affected game again before moving on to the next step.

This makes it easier to determine which change, if any, resolved the issue.

If the game continues to crash after completing the recommended troubleshooting, contact CLX Support.

When contacting us, have your CLX serial number, order number, affected game(s), and a description of what happens during the crash available. If possible, include any error messages or screenshots.

Our support team can help determine whether the issue is related to software, drivers, system configuration, or hardware and recommend the appropriate next steps.

Important Note

Avoid making multiple major changes at the same time. If you change the BIOS, reinstall drivers, modify memory settings, and reinstall the game simultaneously, it becomes much harder to determine what actually resolved the problem.

If you're unsure about a troubleshooting step, contact CLX Support before making changes to your system.