Fix Valheim Keeps Crashing in Windows 10

Valheim is one of the most popular survival and sandbox video game published by Coffee Stain Studios. Without any doubt, Valheim offers a palm-sweating experience for its users and it is the reason for its vivid growth. Yet, many users have complained about Valheim keeps crashing issue when it is launched on PC. If you are also facing the same issue in this open-world survival game, then you are at the right place! We bring a perfect guide that will help you fix Valheim not responding, crashing, black screen, not opening, and other related issues.

How to Fix Valheim Keeps Crashing in Windows 10

If you are vexed by the Valheim keeps crashing on startup issue in your Windows 10 computer, Here are a few possible reasons why you must analyze them carefully to sort out the problem.

• PC does not meet the basic requirements of the game.
• Some other background program is interfering with the game.
• You are using an unverified version of drivers.
• The graphics settings of the game are misconfigured.
• Presence of Malware and viruses.
• The .NET framework and operating system are not updated to their latest version.
• DirectX version is not up-to-date.
• Overclocking.
• Any misconfigured or corrupt installation files of the game also causes the problem.
• The Microsoft C++ redistributable files are not compatible with the game and PC.

Here are a few possible troubleshooting methods that will help you fix Valheim crashing issue. Follow them as demonstrated in the same order and if you are lucky, you may attain a solution for your problem within the first few steps itself!

System Requirements for Valheim

If your PC does not meet the below requirements of the game, upgrade your PC and check if you can fix the problem.

Valheim System Requirements (Minimum)

• CPU SPEED: 2.6 GHz Dual Core or similar
• RAM: 4 GB
• OS: Windows 7 or later
• VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 500 series or similar
• PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
• VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
• FREE DISK SPACE: 1 GB
• DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 512 MB

Valheim Recommended Requirements

• CPU: i5 3GHz or better
• RAM: 8 GB
• OS: Windows 7 or later
• VIDEO CARD: GeForce GTX 970 series or similar
• PIXEL SHADER: 5.1
• VERTEX SHADER: 5.1
• FREE DISK SPACE: 1 GB
• DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 4096 MB

Method 1: Basic Troubleshooting Methods

Follow the given basic methods to fix the issue.

1A. Stop Overclocking 

Follow these points to stop overclocking.

• Every high-end computer is built with the option of Overclocking which helps in outputting more juice than your specifications that you already have. Running the graphics card or processor faster than the default speed refers to overclocking.
• When this happens, your computer will reach the maximum temperature after a particular time. The computer detects this and adjusts the clock speed to the normal speed until it is cooled down. The clock speed is increased again after they cool down.
• This increases the performance of your computer and is a great help if you don’t have a powerful computer.
• It must be noted that all the games do not support overclocking. The same applies to Valheim. So, you must try disabling all overclocking on your computer and try launching the game. If it launches well, the issue is fixed.

1B. Run Valheim as administrator

Certain permissions and features can only be accessed if you have granted admin rights to the Valheim game. In this scenario, you can fix Valheim keeps crashing by following the below-listed instructions.

1. Right-click on Valheim shortcut on the desktop or navigate to the installation directory and right-click on it.

2. Now, select Properties option.

3. Then, switch to Compatibility tab and check the Run this program as an administrator option.

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

Check if you have fixed the discussed launching issue.

1C. Close Background Processes

If you run any other advanced game in the background in addition to Valheim, this will lead to Valheim crashing issue on your PC. Several background apps consume a lot of CPU resources, and if you want to resolve it, you have to close all other background programs and applications as instructed in our guide How to End Task in Windows 10.

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

1D. Run Disk Cleanup

Few users have suggested that clearing some disk space on PC has helped them sort out Valheim keeps crashing on startup issue. This will enable your computer to install new files whenever needed which will help you fix the problem.

If there is minimum available space in your computer contributing to the launching problem in Valheim, follow our guide 10 Ways to Free Up Hard Disk Space on Windows that helps you clear all unnecessary files in your computer.

Also Read: How to Download Hextech Repair Tool

1E. Repair Corrupt System Files

If there are any missing or damaged files on your Windows 10 PC, you will face Valheim keeps crashing issue. Yet, you are repairing these corrupt files by using inbuilt utilities namely, System File Checker and Deployment Image Servicing and Management.

Read our guide on How to Repair System Files on Windows 10 and follow the steps as instructed to repair all your corrupt files.

1F. Update Windows

Also, if there are any bugs in your PC, they can only be fixed after a Windows update. Microsoft releases regular updates to fix all these bugs thereby fixing Valheim keeps crashing issue.

Hence, ensure if you have updated your Windows Operating System and if there are any updates pending in action, use our guide How to Download and Install Windows 10 Latest Update

After updating your Windows Operating System, check whether you can access the game without any issues.

Also Read: How to Uninstall McAfee LiveSafe in Windows 10

1G. Run Malware Scan

Presence of a virus or malware attack will result in gaming problems in your computer. If in case, the virus attack is very severe, you cannot connect to any online game continuously at all. To resolve the problem, you have to remove the virus or malware completely from your Windows 10 computer.

You are advised to scan your computer as instructed in our guide How do I Run a Virus Scan on my Computer?

Also, if you want to remove malware from your computer, check our guide How to Remove Malware from your PC in Windows 10. Once you have removed all the viruses from your computer, connect to your game and check if you face Valheim crashing issue again.

1H. Temporarily Disable Antivirus (If Applicable)

Some incompatible antivirus programs installed in your computer will cause Valheim not responding issue. To avoid conflicts, you must ensure the security settings of your Windows 10 computer and check if they are stable or not. To find whether the antivirus suite is the reason for Valheim keeps crashing on startup issue, disable it once and try connecting to a network.

Read our guide on How to Disable Antivirus Temporarily on Windows 10 and follow the instructions to disable your Antivirus program temporarily on your PC.

If you have a fix for your problem after disabling the antivirus program in your computer, you are advised to uninstall the program completely from your PC.

Read our guide Force Uninstall Programs which won’t Uninstall In Windows 10 to uninstall your antivirus program in your computer.

Method 2: Set Valheim Process to High Priority

The preference of an application or process tells the computer the importance and if it should be given preference over the others while allocating the resources. The priority of every application is normal except the system processes, by default. Valheim might not load on your PC if it didn’t get enough resources.

1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys together to launch the Taskbar.

2. Now, search for Valheim process.

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

Note: Change the priority with great caution as changing the priority of the process carelessly could make your system extremely slow or unstable.

4. Close Task Manager and Reboot your computer and check whether Valheim keeps crashing on Windows 10 issue is solved.

Also Read: Fix Error Code 118 Steam in Windows 10

Method 3: Verify Integrity of Game Files

We have seen many cases in which the game files are either missing or corrupt or it had incomplete installations. Users could also experience Valheim keeps crashing issue if they are interrupted by the update process or if the game files are being moved. In this method, you will be opening Steam and using the built-in function for verifying the integrity of the game. It will be replaced if the application finds something. Read our guide on how to verify integrity of game files on Steam.

Method 4: Turn On Game Mode

The game mode option available on the PC is used to prioritize and improve the gaming experience and reduce unnecessary interruptions. The game mode gives priority access to resources for the games you are playing, while other background running applications get fewer resources. Therefore, follow the below steps to turn on the game mode to optimize the play in games.

1. Press the Windows + I keys together to open Settings.

2. Click on the Gaming setting.

3. Select Game mode option in the left pane.

4. Here, switch On the toggle for Game Mode.

Once the Game mode is enabled on your PC, relaunch the game.

Also Read: Fix Overwatch FPS Drops Issue

Method 5: Adjust Windows Appearance and Performance

Here is how to fix Valheim not responding issue by adjusting the appearance and performance of your computer.

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

2. Select the Adjust for best appearance option.

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

Once done, play a test game and see if Valheim works without any issues.

Method 6: Disable Steam Overlay

The Steam Overlay is a piece of Steam that allows the users to access friends list, and web browser and allows in-game purchasing. It is a significant tool, yet it sometimes triggers Valheim keeps crashing issue. If you want to solve this problem, then turn off the Steam game overlay.

1. Launch Steam and click on the LIBRARY menu.

2. Now, right-click on Valheim and select the Properties… option.

3. In the GENERAL menu, uncheck the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option.

4. Finally, relaunch the game and check if the Valheim launching issue is solved.

Also Read: Fix Unable to Initialize Steam API in Windows 10

Method 7: Update or RollBack GPU Drivers

Graphical drivers help heavy graphical images and video processing applications simplify their tasks. If you face any launching conflicts while launching the game like Valheim, make sure you use an updated version of device drivers, as they serve as a link between the hardware and the Operating System of your PC.

Option I: Update Graphics Driver

Many users suggested that updating drivers has fixed Valheim crashing issue. Read and implement the steps instructed in our guide 4 Ways to Update Graphics Drivers in Windows 10 to do so.

Option II: Roll Back Graphics Driver Updates

Sometimes, the current version of graphics drivers may cause any launching conflicts and, in this case, you have to restore previous versions of installed drivers. This process is called rollback of drivers and you can easily roll back your computer drivers to their previous state by following our guide How to Rollback Drivers on Windows 10.

Save your changes and check if you got fix for Valheim not responding issue.

Method 8: Reinstall GPU Driver

If you still face Valheim keeps crashing issue after updating your GPU drivers, then reinstall device drivers to fix any incompatibility issues. You can easily reinstall Graphical drivers as instructed in our guide How to Uninstall and Reinstall Drivers on Windows 10.

Also Read: Fix Valorant Graphics Driver Crashed in Windows 10

Method 9: Update .NET Framework

.NET framework in Windows 10 computer is essential for uninterrupted service of modern apps and games. Many games have an auto-update feature for the .NET framework, and thus it will be updated automatically whenever an update is available. In another case, if an update prompts in your PC, you can manually install the latest version of the .NET framework, as discussed below, to fix Valheim keeps crashing on startup issue.

1. Visit the .Net Framework official download page.

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

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

3. Run the downloaded setup file and follow the on-screen instructions to install the .NET framework successfully on your Windows PC.

Once done, check if you have fixed the discussed issue or not.

Method 10: Update DirectX

To enjoy a seamless multimedia experience on Valheim, you have to make sure whether DirectX is installed, and it is updated to its latest version. DirectX helps you improve the visual media experience for graphical games and applications especially. It is worth updating DirectX needed for this game.

1. Press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.

2. Type dxdiag then hit Enter key to launch DirectX Diagnostic Tool.

3. Check the DirectX Version, if it contains DirectX 12 or not.

4. If you do not have DirectX 12 in your system, download and install it from the DirectX download page by following the on-screen instructions.

After installing DirectX, check if the issue occurs again.

Note: Ensure Check for WHQL digital signatures box is checked in System tab and in all tabs, check whether WHQL Logo’d is set to Yes.

Also Read: Fix Steam Content File Locked Error

Method 11: Modify Windows Defender Firewall Setting

You will also face Valheim keeps crashing issue, due to an over-reactive or over-protective antivirus suite in your Windows 10 computer. This prevents the connection link between the game launcher and the server. So, to fix this problem, you can whitelist Valheim in your Firewall settings or disable the problem temporarily.

Option I: Whitelist Valheim

To allow Valheim in your Windows Defender Firewall, follow our guide Allow or Block Apps through the Windows Firewall and implement the steps as instructed.

Option II. Disable Firewall (Not Recommended)

If you do not know how to disable Windows Defender Firewall, our guide How to Disable Windows 10 Firewall will help you do so.

Option III: Create New Rule in Firewall

1. Hit the Windows key and type Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security. Then, click on Run as administrator.

2. Now, in the left pane, click on Inbound Rules as depicted.

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

4. Now, make sure you select the Program option under What type of rule would you like to create? menu and click on Next> as shown.

5. Then, click on Browse… button corresponding to This program path: as shown.

6. Then, navigate to the C:Program Files (x86)Valheim path and double-click on setup file. Then, click on the Open button.

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

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

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

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

All done! Check if you have fixed Valheim not responding issue is fixed or not.

Also Read: 8 Ways To Fix Risk of Rain 2 Multiplayer Not Working

Method 12: Repair Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

Alternately, you can try to repair the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages to fix Valheim crashing issue as follows:

1. Hit the Windows key, type Apps & features, and click on Open.

2. Search for Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package.

3. Select the package, then click on Modify option.

4. Then, click Yes on the User Account Control dialog box.

5. In the pop-up window that appears, click on Repair. Wait for the process to finish.

6. Make sure to modify all the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages by following the above steps.

7. Finally, restart the PC.

Open the application that you were unable to open previously. If this did not work, try reinstalling the C++ redistributable instead.

Also Read: Fix Runtime Error C++ on Windows 10

Method 13: Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

If the previous method of repairing the Microsoft C++ Visual Redistributable did not fix Valheim keeps crashing issue, then you will have to reinstall the redistributable. Follow the given steps to uninstall & then install these again.

1. Open the Apps & features system settings.

2. Select the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable package, then click on Uninstall option.

3. Click on Uninstall option again to confirm and remove the package.

Note: Make sure to uninstall all the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages.

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

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

Dism.exe /online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup

6. Once the process is complete, reboot the PC.

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 on it in My downloads. Install the package by following the on-screen instructions.

9. Once the installation is complete, finally restart the PC.

Launch the game again and check if you face the loading problem again. This time, you will not face any issues.

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We hope that this guide was helpful and you could fix Valheim keeps crashing issue on your Windows 10 PC. Let us know which method worked for you the best. Feel free to reach out to us with your queries and suggestions via the comments section below.