Fix: Fallout 76 Crashing

Fallout 76 was hyped by Bethesda and it has definitely gained fame after its release. However, players have reported that the game is actually full of bugs which sometimes make it almost unplayable. This article focuses on why the game is constantly crashing for some players, either on startup or while playing the game.

The methods below will be useful for players whose setup supports the minimum specifications for the game and who don’t have major general issues with their setup. Follow the methods we have prepared below in order to prevent Fallout 76 from crashing further.

What Causes Fallout 76 Crashing?

The list of possible causes is short but it represents the majority of causes players have complained about. The problems are pretty much related to graphics problems:

Solution 1: Limit Your FPS Using the Configuration File

Since the game is not quite demanding for PC users, FPS (frames-per-second) can go up to 1000 considering your GPU’s power. However, that is not necessarily a good thing since it can cause all sorts of problems, including the game’s constant crashing.

This often occurs in menus or on the home screen. Follow the methods below in order to edit the Fallout76Prefs.ini file to enable V-Sync which will limit the framerate to your monitor’s refresh rate (usually 60 Hz, 70 Hz or 75 Hz).

1. Navigate to the folder’s location in the File Explorer simply by opening a folder or by clicking the the folder icon from the taskbar.
2. Anyway, inside a folder or the Libraries entry, double-click to open your Local Disk and navigate to Users >> Your Account’s Name >> Documents >> My Games >> Fallout 76. Navigating to Documents can also be shortened from the Quick Access bar which is located at the left part of any opened folder.

3. Right-click the file called named ‘Fallout76Prefs’ and choose to open it with Notepad.
4. Use the Ctrl + F key combination or click Edit at the top menu and select the Find option from the dropdown menu in order to open the Search box.
5. Type “iPresentInterval” in the box and change the value next to it from 0 to 1. Use the Ctrl + S key combination in order to save the changes or click File >> Save and exit Notepad.

6. Try running the game again in order to check if the Fallout 76 crashing problem still appears!

Note: If you notice no changes to the game, it might be necessary to force V-Sync using the control panel of the graphics card you are using by tweaking the settings related to Fallout76. Follow the steps below (NVIDIA or AMD users).

NVIDIA:

1. Right-click on your desktop, at the blank side without icons, and select the NVIDIA Control Panel entry from the context menu which will appear. You can also double-click the NVIDIA icon in the system tray if you see it. NVIDIA Control Panel can also be located in the regular Control Panel by switching to the Large icons view and locating it.

2. Under the 3D settings section at the left navigation pane, click on Manage 3D settings at the left navigation side and navigate to the Program Settings
3. Click on Add and make sure you browse your PC for the executable which is used to launch Fallout 76. It’s located in the folder where you decided to install the game.

4. Under the Specify the settings for this program section, scroll down until you see the Vertical Sync Click the arrow and set it to On. This will force V-Sync for Fallout 76!

AMD:

1. Right-click the graphics card icon on your taskbar (after choosing to view all apps) and choose Radeon Settings from the context menu.
2. Click the Gaming tab in the home screen and choose Fallout 76 from the list of games you have on your computer.

3. Select the Profile Graphics option at the top and click the arrow next to the Wait for Vertical Refresh entry on the list.
4. Choose the Always on option from the dropdown menu. You can also use the Enhanced Sync option if you are using some of the newer Radeon graphics cards.

5. Save the settings for the game and relaunch it to see if the game still crashes.

Note: There are players for which just the opposite worked! This means that they had V-Sync enabled while the crashing occurred and it stopped when they disabled it. This can be done the same enabling it using the methods above.

In the Fallout76Prefs.ini file, simply change the “ipresentinterval” line from 1 to 0 or choose the Off option in NVIDIA or AMD tools.

Solution 2: Install an Older Driver

A recent update to your graphics drivers may have caused the game to misbehave. This problem is usually reported to both the graphics card manufacturer and to Bethesda but it may take a while for either of them to patch the problem. In the meantime, it may help you to simply use an older version of the driver in order to fix the problem!

1. Click the Start menu button, type in “Device Manager” afterwards, and select it from the list of available results by simply clicking the first one. You can also tap the Windows Key + R key combo in order to bring up the Run dialog box. Type in “devmgmt.msc” in the dialog box and click OK in order to run it.

2. Since it’s the video card driver you want to update on your computer, expand the Display adapters section, right click on your graphics card and choose the Uninstall Device

3. Confirm any dialogues or prompts which may ask you to confirm the uninstallation of the current graphics device driver and wait for the process to complete.
4. Look for your graphics card driver on NVIDIA’s or AMD’s Input the required information about the card and your operating system and click on Search.

5. A list of all available drivers should appear. Make sure you scroll down until you reach the required entry, click on its name and the Download button afterwards. Save it to your computer, open it, and follow the instructions on-screen in order to install it. Check to see if Fallout76 still crashes!

Workaround:

If the methods above haven’t quite worked for you, you can try a workaround until the issue is resolved in later updates and patches. The workaround consists of selecting play from the game’s home screen and using the Alt + Tab key combination in order to go back to Desktop.

After you hear the in-game sounds meaning that the game has loaded successfully, click the game’s icon in system tray in order to restore it back in fullscreen. This can be annoying to do each time but it has worked for many players!