Fix Computer Crashes When Playing Games: Top Causes and Solutions

A lot of gamers look forward to enjoying smooth and exciting gameplay on their computers. Besides that, it is a hassle when the device suddenly shuts down or restarts in the middle of a game. This pause destroys the gaming experience and can cause data loss or damage to system files. The issue basically affects many people and can happen due to various reasons.

These include overheating your computer or running too many apps in the background. The good news is that several simple and quick solutions exist that can help gamers resolve this dilemma. Therefore, this guide will help you discover a few quick fixes for computer crashes when playing games. Alongside that, we will add a pro tip for those who have corrupted videos, causing the video player to crash.

Part 1. Why Does My Computer Crash When Playing Games?

As discussed above, multiple reasons exist behind your game crashing your computer. Below, we will discover some common causes to better understand why your PC crashes when playing games:

1. Overheating the PC: Games use a lot of power, which makes your computer heat up. Whenever it gets too hot, your system might shut down to protect itself and cause crashes.
2. Background Programs: When too many programs run in the background, your game may not get enough memory or power. Ultimately, this can slow down your system and cause problems like crashing.
3. Game Settings: Some games use high graphics settings that older or low-end PCs can’t handle. In this situation, your system will crash whenever you play heavy games.
4. Outdated Drivers: As we all know, drivers basically help your computer parts work well with your games. If your graphics or sound drivers are old, they may not support new games and ultimately cause crashes.
5. Missing Game Files: When the game files are broken or incomplete, your game might not load correctly. Hence, this can even lead your system to crash or freeze during play and destroy your experience.

Part 2. 10 Ways to Fix Computer Crashes While Playing a Game Issue

After exploring some common reasons behind this problem, it becomes easier for users or gamers to resolve it. Thus, this section will give you the top 10 solutions to resolve computer crashes while playing games:

Fix 1. Install the Latest Drivers

Before heading towards the other fixes, installing the latest drivers, especially graphics drivers, can solve many gaming problems. New drivers help your computer work better with games and fix unknown bugs. Alongside that, it helps the system improve game speed and graphics quality. Hence, follow the quick steps below to know how to update the drivers when your computer freezes when playing games:

Step 1. Access your system’s device manager and click the “Display Adapter” option to initiate. After expanding it, right-click your dedicated driver and choose the “Update Driver” option.

Step 2. Upon seeing a new display, choose the “Search Automatically for Drivers" option to run a scan and restart your PC.

Fix 2. Turn Off Background Programs

Beyond the above fix, turning off background programs can help your computer run games more smoothly. These apps quietly use memory and power, even when you're not using them. If your computer freezes up when playing games, it could be because too many programs are open along with your game. Thus, adhere to the steps given to understand how you can quit background programs:

Guide: From your systems, "Task Manager,” right-click the program or app that is not important at this point and choose the "End Task” option.

Fix 3. Stop Overclocking Your Computer

Overclocking sometimes pushes your computer to run faster than usual, which can cause problems. While it may boost game speed, it also increases heat and power use. When your computer freezes while playing games, you should consider turning it off to stabilize your system.

Plus, going back to normal speed helps avoid crashes, keeps your PC cooler, and extends the life of your computer's parts during long gaming sessions.

Fix 4. Cool Down Your Computer

In addition to that, all gamers should know that cooling down their computer is important for smooth gaming. When your system gets too hot, it may slow down or even shut off to protect itself. Whenever your PC freezes when playing games, you can opt for cooling pads or improve airflow to cool it down. Hence, a cooler computer runs better, lasts longer, and is less likely to crash during games.

Fix 5. Upgrade to SSD from HDD

Besides the above fixes, gamers should also consider upgrading to an SSD to boost their computer’s speed and reliability. They basically assist with loading games faster or reduce waiting times, and help your system run smoothly. When your PC freezes while playing games, SSDs can handle data quickly and are less likely to cause delays or crashes.

A few good options that gamers can consider are the Samsung 990 Pro, the WD Black SN850X, and the Crucial T705. They all offer fast read and write speeds of up to 14,500 MB/s, making games load faster and run better. With an SSD, your PC becomes more responsive and ready for modern gaming demands without freezing.

Fix 6. Lower the Screen Quality of the Game

Another solution to resolve the PC freezing while playing games is to lower the screen quality of the game. Basically, high graphics settings use more power and memory, which can lead to your computer crashing. Upon lowering the resolution or reducing the effects from your device's display settings, you help the system run cooler and faster. Plus, this solution doesn't destroy your gameplay but makes it smoother.

Fix 7. Utilize the Game Mode

As we all know, game mode is a built-in Windows feature that helps your computer focus on gaming. It stops background tasks and gives more power to the game you are playing. Alongside that, this feature boosts your system’s speed, improves stability, and even reduces lag. Therefore, go through the guide below to enable this feature if your computer keeps crashing when playing games:

Guide. To initiate, head to your device’s settings and opt for the “Gaming” tab from the main display. Following that, access the “Game Mode” feature and turn on its toggle on the following screen.

Fix 8. Run System File Checker

Another built-in feature gamers can utilize is the SFC command when their computer keeps crashing while playing games. This dedicated command basically scans or checks your system for errors and replaces bad files with correct ones. Moreover, it makes your system more stable and helps prevent future crashes during gameplay. Hence, let’s dive below to run the System File Checker command on your device:

Step 1. Search for the “Command Prompt” on your system’s search bar and press the “Run as Administrator” option.

Step 2. Upon running it successfully, type the “sfc /scannow” command and hit “Enter” to run a scan and restart your device after completion.

Fix 9. Delete ClientRegistry.Blob for Steam Games

If your PC keeps crashing when playing games on Steam, the ClientRegistry.blob file might be the problem. This file stores old settings that can sometimes cause errors or even crashes. Upon deleting it, you basically force Steam to create a fresh one, which can fix the issue. Thus, follow the quick instructions below to know how you can delete this folder from your PC:

Guide: To inaugurate the task, access the “File Explorer” and head to this path: “C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam.” Afterward, right-click the “ClientRegistry.Blob” folder and opt for the “Delete” option.

Fix 10. Verify the Game Files

When your computer keeps freezing when playing games after applying the above fix, damaged or missing game files could be the cause. In this situation, you should verify the game files through Steam and replace broken ones automatically.

Furthermore, it doesn’t affect your saved data but helps fix loading errors and crashes during gameplay. Hence, go through the steps to understand how to verify the game files to resolve this dilemma:

Step 1. Start by running “Steam” on your computer and heading to the “Library” tab. Then, right-click the game that usually crashes while playing and choose the “Properties” option.

Step 2. Going ahead, navigate to the “Installed Files” tab and hit the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” button to finish the task.

Pro Tip. How to Fix Corrupted Videos Causing Video Player to Crash

Apart from the computer keeps freezing while playing games, many users face an issue where their videos get corrupted. This usually leads to the video player crashing, which can make users search for solutions to repair it. To cater to these needs, Repairit Video Repair stands out as the most powerful solution that offers a dedicated video repair tool. It supports over 20 video formats that help users fix them effortlessly.

Moreover, the tool lets you repair multiple videos simultaneously while keeping the original quality intact. When you fix your corrupted or damaged video files, you can check the result before exporting them to your system. Plus, if you're using video editing tools like Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, this dedicated tool fits in smoothly. Therefore, you can fix any problematic videos, like playback errors or flickering, using Repairit.

After exploring the capabilities that this tool offers, adhere to the steps below to fix your corrupted video files effortlessly:

Step 1. Open Repairit Video Repair Tool on Your PC

To initiate, run this program on your system and access the “Video Repair" tab. When you see the display, press the "Start” button in order to move to the next step.

Step 2. Import and Repair Corrupted Videos on Repairit

Moving forward, hit the “+Add” button to import all the corrupted video files from your device. Upon seeing it in the “Unrepaired Videos” section, press the “Repair” button.

Step 3. Save Your Fixed Corrupted Video Files

After the videos have been repaired, they appear in the "Repaired Results" section. Press both the "Save All” and the “Save" buttons to export them.

Conclusion

In summary, dealing with computer crashes when playing games can be stressful and ruin your fun. Therefore, this article has provided you with the top 10 solutions to help you resolve this problem. Apart from this, if videos crash during playback, the issue may be caused by file corruption. In that case, Repairit is a great tool for fixing damaged videos effortlessly while maintaining their original quality.