Fix: DOOM “Fatal error: gl_arb_clip_control not available”

The Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available) appears when players attempt to open Doom. The error message associated with this error points toward an outdated GPU driver, but this is not the only cause of this error. This problem is exclusive to the PC version of the game.

How to Fix Doom Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control)?

If you’re just starting to troubleshoot this issue, the first thing that you need to do is check if your current system configuration meets the minimum requirement.

In case your PC rig is more than equipped to render the game, make sure that your PC is actually using the dedicated GPU and ensure that you are using the latest compatible GPU drivers.

Update: If your system barely meets the minimum requirements, it’s possible that a competing 3rd party app that also requires GPU processing power is taking from the available resources and making the game crash.

Here’s a collection of methods that will help you identify the culprit and fix the issue so that you can play Doom without it crashing with the GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available error.

1. Check if you meet the minimum requirements

Start by checking if your PC is strong enough to meet the minimum requirements. It’s not uncommon to see the Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available) error in situations where the rendering PC barely meets the minimum GPU requirements.

In this case, the game will launch but has a tendency to crash during action-packed sequences where there’s a lot going on on screen.

Start by comparing your current PC specifications with the minimum requirements:

• OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64-bit versions)
• CPU: Intel Core i5-2400/AMD FX-8320 or better
• GPU: NVIDIA GTX 670 2GB/AMD Radeon HD 7870 2GB or better
• RAM: 8 GB
• HDD: 55 GB free

Note: If you’re playing in 4k resolution, you need at least an NVIDIA GTX 970 4GB or AMD Radeon R9 290 4GB

If you’re looking for a quick way to check if you meet the minimum requirements to play Doom, follow the steps below to analyze your PC automatically with the Can I Run It service:

1. Open any browser and navigate to the Can I Run It home page.
2. Scroll down under Can I Run it? and type Doom in the box, then click on the Can You Run It? button.
3. From the dedicated Doom page, click on Can You Run It? button.
4. Wait until the download is complete, then double-click on Detection.exe and click Yes at the User Account Control (UAC).
   Note: This is the main service that will analyze your current specification and cross-reference them against the minimum requirement.
5. Wait until the scan is complete. After a minute or so, the utility will auto close and you will see the ‘All done’ success message.
6. Return to the browser page and scroll down to the Minimum tab. If you see a checkmark near the Minimum tab, your PC is powerful enough to meet the minimum requirements of Doom.

2. Force the dedicated GPU

You can also expect to see the Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available) if you are rendering this game on a PC setup with both an integrated and a dedicated GPU.

In this case, the issue is likely caused by the OpenGL renderer version not being supported by the hardware on your computer. There is a potential that, on a laptop with switchable graphics, the game is being rendered on the integrated card rather than the dedicated card. This can also happen on a desktop if the computer does not recognize the main card.

Note: According to the Doom community, this issue arises because Bethesda did not create an explicit rule that forces the main executable to go for the dedicated GPU when 2 graphics cards are present. Since the preferred GPU is left o chance, Windows may decide to run the game using the integrated GPU.

To ensure that Doom does not run on an integrated GPU, follow the instructions below to navigate to your Windows Graphics settings and ensure that Doom is always running on the dedicated GPU option:

Note: The instructions below are universal and will work on on every recent Windows version.

1. To launch the Run dialog box, press Windows key + R.
2. From the newly appeared menu, type ‘ms-settings:display-advancedgraphics’ into the search bar to enter the Graphics Settings.
   
3. Within the Graphics Settings, locate the Doom game installation in the list of applications. Click the Add desktop app button and manually search for the game folder, then choose the main executable (the one that you use to launch the game).Note: On Windows 10, you will have to click the Browse button instead.
4. Once Doom is loaded under the Graphics tab, expand the associated drop-down menu (under Custom settings for applications).
5. Expand the GPU Preference option of Doom and set it to High Performance.
6. Save the changes, then reboot your PC to allow the changes to take effect.
7. Launch Doom once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

3. Reinstall GPU Drivers

The GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available Doom error might also be indicative of an outdated or corrupted GPU driver. As the error message states, you should try to update your video driver to the latest version compatible with your GPU model.

However, some community members have confirmed that in their case the problem was occurring due to a corrupted GPU driver and a simple update did not fix the issue.

To cover this scenario too, our recommendation is to utilize the DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) tool to uninstall the current GPU drivers and remove any remnant dependencies before clean installing the latest version of a compatible driver.

Follow the below procedures to uninstall your existing GPU driver and physics module before using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to uninstall any lingering driver data before clean installing the latest version:

Note: The steps below are compatible with both AMD and Nvidia GPUs.

1. First, start by ensuring that Doom doesn’t room in the background.
2. To uninstall the current GPU drivers, access Programs and Features by pressing Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
3. Type “appwiz.cpl” and click the OK button (or press Enter).
4. In the Applications and Features menu, search the list of installed programs for anything signed by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) or Nvidia Corporation (depending on your GPU manufacturer).Note: You can make it easier for yourself by clicking on the Publisher column to order all items based on their publisher.
5. Once you identify all the software associated with your GPU, right-click on each item and select Uninstall from the resulting context menu.
6. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall every GPU driver software, then restart your PC.Note: During this procedure, the display may experience some flickering. This is really typical.
7. Upon restarting your computer, generic GPU drivers will be utilized. After your computer has restarted, you must delete any remaining GPU driver files. To accomplish this, visit the official download website of Display Driver Uninstaller may be downloaded and obtain the most recent version.Note: This is freeware that will remove any remnant GPU files left behind when you uninstall the dedicated GPU drivers. This will ensure that you will be able to clean and install the newer version.
8. After the download is complete, use a tool such as 7zip or Winzip to extract the contents from the DDU package.
9. In order for DDU to operate properly, you must restart your computer in safe mode.
10. After your computer has rebooted, double-click the DDU application you extracted earlier, and when prompted by UAC (User Account Control), select Yes.
11. On the main Display Driver Uninstaller page, select your GPU from the drop-down option next to Select Device type.
12. Then, choose Clean and restart to initiate the GPU driver cleaning procedure.
13. Once the procedure is complete, restart your computer to boot in normal mode, and then use one of the tools listed below to install the newest suitable version of your GPU drivers:
    1. AMD Adrenalin – for AMD GPUs
    2. Nvidia Experience – for NVIDIA GPUs
14. Install the most recent driver, restart your computer and launch Doom once again to see if the problem is now fixed.

4. Run Doom in Clean Boot Mode

If your PC barely fulfills the minimal requirements for Doom with the minimum settings, it is possible that a competing third-party application that also demands GPU processing power is consuming the available resources and causing Doom to crash.

This is way more frequent on Windows 10 and older where GPU processing management is still somewhat unreliable.

To minimize the chance of getting a Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available) crash when playing Doom on a low-end PC, ensure that you set the game to the minimum graphics settings, then boot your PC in clean boot mode before launching the game once again.

Note: A clean boot will force your computer to start without any additional programs or services or startup items. When you boot in this mode, you’re essentially ensuring that no competing application can take away from the available GPU resources when playing Doom.

Depending on your Windows version, follow one of the articles below to achieve a clean boot state before launching Doom:

• How to Achieve a Clean Boot on Windows 10
• How to Achieve a Clean Boot on Windows 11

Once you achieve a clean boot state, open Doom once again and see if your PC can render it without the constant Fatal Error (GL_Arb_Clip_Control Not Available) crash.