How to Fix Fallout 4 Crashing Issue on PC?

Fallout 4 often crashes due to certain settings enabled in the launcher, such as Godrays and weapon debris effects, leading to game instability. This problem has been frequently discussed by users on platforms like Reddit and the Steam Community.

Godrays is a lighting effect that allows beams of light to pass through gaps like trees and windows. In contrast, weapon debris creates a physical particle effect when weapons are fired or objects break. While these effects enhance graphics, they are known to cause crashes in Fallout 4.

Other potential causes of crashes include compatibility settings being improperly configured, outdated GPU drivers, insufficient memory, and corrupted game files.

Now that we’ve explained the causes, let’s dive into the solutions.

1. Turn Off Godrays and Weapon Debris

As mentioned, Godrays and Weapon Debris are graphical effects in the game that can lead to crashes. We suggest disabling these features as a first step.

1. Open the Fallout 4 launcher and go to Options.
2. Click on Advanced and disable both Godrays and Weapon Debris.
   
3. Play the game for a while to check if this fix resolves the crashing issue.

2. Configure Compatibility Settings

Compatibility settings help applications run with older Windows compatibility, useful for older programs on newer Windows versions. Adjusting these settings can sometimes resolve issues even in more recent applications.

Running Fallout 4 as an administrator can also help by allowing the game to access necessary files and redistributables.

1. Go to the Fallout 4 directory and right-click on its executable file.
2. Select Properties and navigate to Compatibility from the top.
   
3. Check Run this program in compatibility mode for and choose Windows 7 from the list.
4. Also, check Run this program as an administrator.
5. Click Apply then OK to save the settings.
   
6. Launch the game to see if the issue persists.

3. Verify the Game Files

Verifying game files is a way to fix any corrupted files in the game’s installation directory. Steam offers an option to repair corrupted files by downloading them from its server.

1. Launch the Steam app and go to Library.
2. Right-click on Fallout 4 and select Properties.
3. Navigate to Installed Files on the left pane and click Verify the integrity of game files.
   
4. After verification, check if the issue persists.

4. Update GPU Driver

Make sure you have the latest GPU driver, especially if updates have not been installed in a while. An outdated GPU driver can negatively affect game performance and stability.

1. Open your GPU vendor’s application, such as AMD Radeon Software or GeForce Experience.
2. Navigate to the Drivers section.
3. Click Check for Updates and install any available drivers.
   
4. After installing, see if the issue is resolved.

5. Limit Background Applications

Running too many background applications while playing Fallout 4 can use up resources and cause crashes. Limiting these applications can help free up memory.

1. Open the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. Right-click the unnecessary running applications and click End Task.
   
3. After closing unnecessary applications, check if the crashing issue is resolved.

6. Whitelist Fallout 4 in Anti-virus

Anti-viruses are known to conflict with various Steam games. To make sure that your antivirus isn’t doing the same, either disable your antivirus temporarily or add Steam in the whitelist. After performing the required steps, right-click on Steam and chose ‘Run as administrator’.

If the issue persists, consider additional methods such as lowering graphics settings, disabling overlay apps, performing a clean boot, and reinstalling DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables. If these fail, reinstalling the game might be the only solution to ensure no corrupted files cause the issues.