How to Fix The CS:GO ‘Fatal Error Loading Vertex Shader’
Some CS:GO players have reported that while playing, the game crashes and pops up a message showing the ‘fatal error loading vertex shader’. This problem is typically encountered on Windows 10 and a lot of people have reported that the error occurred right after installing Steam and CS: GO on a new PC.
After investigating the problem in-depth, we came to the conclusion that there are a few scenarios that might lead to the appearance of this problem. Here’s a shortlist of possible culprits that could cause this vertex shader error:
- Corrupted files – This error is caused by the damaged or missing files that this game has. This could lead to the game crashing, or game-crashing bugs during the time you play and certain corrupted dependencies are being used. Fortunately, Steam has an option that can check the integrity of the game files. And you can also force-delete the shader and check the integrity after.
- Missing GPU drivers – You could be missing one or more GPU drivers and that could affect the game, making it crash and not respond when certain physics modules are being used. The easiest way to resolve this issue is to search online for the latest drivers for your specific GPU.
- HTML MOTD is crashing the game – As it turns out, CS: GO might crash when you attempt to connect to certain servers that are using the MOTD (Message of the day) functionality. In this case, you can resolve the issue by modifying the launch Options inside Steam’s settings.
- Corrupted game sharder – There is one particular game shader (weapondecal_vs30) inside CS: GO’s files that is often associated with this particular error. Several users have reported that they were able to boot the game normally again once they have deleted it from the game installation folder.
Now that you are aware of the possible causes, here’s a list of methods that can lead you to the fix of the fatal error loading vertex shader for CS:GO:
Method 1: Verify Integrity of the Game Files on Steam
Some players have reported that by verifying the integrity of the files on Steam, it will report to you if there are any files that are missing or affected by corruption. After running the integrity check and repairing the affected files, most users managed to stop the loading vertex shader error from occurring, as well as the game from crashing.
Here are the steps on how to verify the integrity of the files on Steam:
- Start by opening Steam, then go to the game’s library page.
- Next, right-click on CS:GO, and click on Properties.
Accessing the Properties screen of CS Go - After opening the Properties menu, on the left side, click on Local files.
Accessing the Local files - Then click on Verify integrity of game files and wait until it is fully done.
Verifying the integrity of the game file - After the verification, a message will pop up and tell you if any files failed to validate, and if that is the case the files will be reacquired.
Validating Steam files
If this solution didn’t help as you’re still encountering the same error while attempting to launch the game, check below for the next one.
Method 2: Change the Launch Options for CS:GO
Some user reports say that by changing the launch options for CS:GO, you can disable the HTML MOTDs that might be problematic and prevent them from appearing. This process could fix the loading vertex shader error if the issue is being caused by the fact that you have HTML MOTDs enabled on your game installation.
Check the next steps to see how to change the launch options to ensure that the usage of HTML MOTDs doesn’t cause this crash:
- Open the Steam app, and click on the game’s library.
- Right-click on the game, and access the Properties menu.
Accessing the Properties menu of Counter-Strike GO - After the Properties menu opened right in the General section, click on Launch options.
- In the border, right-click on ‘cl_disablehtmlmotd 1’ to disable the HTML MOTDs.
- Then close the Properties tab, and test the game to see if you still encounter the loading vertex shader error.
If this solution wasn’t helpful, move down below for the next one.
Method 3: Uninstall CS:GO and Reinstall it
For a few players, the simple process of uninstalling and reinstalling the game has fixed the loading vertex shader fatal shader. After deleting all of the files and reacquiring them, the error stopped occurring and they could play the game normally again.
If you don’t know how to uninstall CS:GO from your Windows computer, check the following steps:
- Open the Steam app, and go to the game’s library menu.
- Next, right-click on CS:GO, and move the cursor right where it says Manage, and click on Uninstall.
Uninstalling Counter-Strike Global Offensive - Then click on Uninstall again and proceed with the action.
Uninstalling the game - Restart your computer to make sure that all the processes from Task Manager are closed.
- After your PC boots back, reinstall the game directly from Steam’s library and launch it to see if you encounter the error.
Check below for the next method if this wasn’t helpful.
Method 4: Delete the Shader and Verify Integrity again
A lot of players have said that this loading vertex shader error can be fixed by deleting the file named ‘weapondecal_vs30’.
This is a problematic file that a lot of users are blaming this particular error on. But after you do this, it is essential to verify the integrity of the game’s files. This action will reacquire the file and will stop the error from occurring.
Here are the steps on how to delete the shader:
- Firstly, you’ll need to locate the file in the CS:GO folder. It is located in:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Global Offensive\platform\shaders\fxc.
- After that, you need to delete the file named ‘weapondecal_vs30’ by right-clicking on the file and choosing Delete from the context menu.
- After you delete the file, go to the game’s library menu and verify the integrity of the files as it is showed in Method 1.
If neither of the solutions mentioned before fixed your shader error, check below for the last one.
Method 5: Updating GPU drivers to the Latest Version
According to a few players that encountered this error, because of the outdated GPU drivers, the GPU fails to render the game, and as a result, the error appears.
This can either occur due to an outdated GPU driver dependency or due to a missing physics module that the game needs to use in order to function properly.
If you know you haven’t updated your GPU in a while, follow the next steps to see how to do it from inside Device Manager:
- Press Windows key + R to open a Run dialog box. Type ‘devmgmt.msc’ and press OK to open the Device Manager.
Opening Device Manager - Inside the Device Manager, scroll down through the list until you reach Display Adapters, then extend the menu specific for that.
- After you’ve extended the menu, right-click the GPU driver that you want to update, and click on Update driver.
Updating the Driver Note: If you are using a laptop, you’ll probably see both the integrated GPU, as well as the dedicated one. In a scenario like this, you only need to update the dedicated one.
- Next, click on Search Automatically for updated driver software. Wait for the scan, and if your GPU drivers are outdated, you need to follow the instructions on how to install the newest drivers.
Searching automatically for the updated driver version - After the installation is finished, reboot your PC and test CS:GO again to see if the error still occurs.
Note: In the event that Device Manager didn’t find a new driver version in your case, you can also use the proprietary software provided by your GPU manufacturer to ensure that you’re using the latest driver version compatible with your GPU model:
GeForce Experience – Nvidia
Adrenalin – AMD
Intel Driver – Intel
