Fix: Garry’s Mod Crashing

Garry’s Mod crashing can be related to plenty of different causes. For example, you might be trying to run the game using a version of DirectX that isn’t compatible with your setup. Oddly enough, pressing the Shift key during the game can open Sticky Keys settings which can crash the game. Other reasons for constant crashes can be blamed on game files which can be broken, missing, or unreachable without administrator permissions.

What Causes Garry’s Mod to Crash?

We have created a list of all possible causes for you to check out. This should make it easier for you to simply scan through possible causes and find the ones which might apply to your own scenario!

1. Change the DirectX Version

Many users have reported that the game fails to run simply because the wrong version of DirectX is used to run the game. There is not a certain way to tell which DirectX version will work for everyone so we definitely recommend you try out a couple of different versions and see which one works for you!

1. Make sure you exit Garry’s Mod After that, open Steam by double-clicking its shortcut on the Desktop. If there is no such shortcut, click the Start menu button and type “Steam” inside. Click the first result which will appear.

2. After the Steam client opens, make sure you navigate to the Library tab at the top of the window, right-click Garry’s Mod from the list of installed games and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. Stay in the General tab and click the Set Launch Options. Type some of the commands below in order to force a specific version of DirectX run. Stick with the one which resolves the crashing issue:

dxlevel 80
dxlevel 81
dxlevel 90
dxlevel 95
dxlevel 98

4. If you have multiple launch options set up, you will need to separate them with a space. Click the OK button in order to apply the changes and check to see if Garry’s Mod still crashes.

2. Verify the Integrity of Game Files

Verifying the integrity of game files is an option available for each game you have installed through Steam. This enables you to scan the game’s installation folder for missing or corrupt files. The tool will replace them and it’s often used to resolve game crashing issues. Check out the steps below in order to try out this method.

1. Make sure you exit Garry’s Mod completely. After that, open Steam by double-clicking its shortcut on the Desktop. If there is no such shortcut, click the Start menu button and type “Steam” inside. Click the first result which will appear.

2. After the Steam client opens, make sure you navigate to the Library tab at the top of the window, right-click Garry’s Mod from the list of installed games and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. Navigate to the Local Files tab and click the Verify Integrity of Game Files Wait for the process to finish scanning and possibly re-downloading missing files.

4. Check to see if Garry’s Mod still crashes!

3. Turn off Sticky Keys

The idea of sticky keys is that, instead of holding a key, you simply press it and it “remains pressed” until you press a different key. It was created to assist people with disabilities but most users don’t need it and they can be turned off. In the game, you often press the Shift key. Pressing the Shift key five times consecutively opens the box asking you to enable this option. This often crashes the game and you should definitely consider disabling Sticky keys!

1. Use the Windows Key + I key combination in order to open Windows 10 Settings. You can also click the Start menu button followed with the cog icon at the bottom left corner.

2. Locate the Ease of Access section in Settings and left-click to open it. At the left-side navigation menu, scroll down until you reach the Interaction section and click on Keyboard.
3. Under the Use Sticky Keys section, uncheck the box next to Allow the shortcut key to start Sticky Keys option and exit Settings.

4. Reopen Garry’s Mod and check to see if it still crashes constantly!

4. Change Your Sound Settings

Many users have recommended changing sound settings in order to resolve constant crashing. Sound settings are a cause that has always been a bit overlooked when it comes to game troubleshooting and we highly recommend you follow the instructions we have prepared below in order to resolve the problem!

1. Right-click the volume icon in the system tray (right part of your taskbar at the bottom of your screen) and choose Sounds from the context menu which will appear.

2. Alternatively, you can open the Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu. You can also open the Run dialog box and type “control.exe” inside. Click OK in order to open it.
3. Change the View by option from the top right part of the Control Panel window to Large or Small icons and click to open the Sound section.

4. Either way, navigate to the Playback tab inside and left-click the Speakers you are using for the game. Click the Configure button below.

5. In the Speaker Setup window, under Audio channels, make sure you choose Stereo instead of Surround. Click the Next button and finish configuring your speakers the way you like. Click Finish in the final window in order to apply the changes and check to see if Garry’s Mod keeps crashing!

5. Disable Steam Cloud for the Game

Steam Cloud is an amazing option that can be used to back up some of your most important game files. It’s available for many games, including Garry’s Mod. However, some players have noticed that this feature causes the game to crash quite often and that disabling it manages to resolve the problem. Check out this method below in order to try this out!

1. Open your Steam client by double-clicking its desktop icon or by searching for it in the Start menu. You will need to make sure that Garry’s Mod is closed during this.

2. Navigate to the Library tab at the top of the window and make sure you locate Garry’s Mod in the list of games you have installed. Right-click its entry and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. Navigate to the Updates tab in the Properties window and check the Steam Cloud section at the bottom of the window. Uncheck the box next to Enable Steam Cloud synchronization for Garry’s Mod.

4. Click the OK button in order to apply the changes and reopen the game to see if still keeps crashing on your computer!

6. Reinstall the Game

Reinstalling the game is often the last thing anyone wants to do when troubleshooting a crashing problem. However, the fact is that this can help you resolve the problem easily. Also, the game client size is not so big and you can reinstall it quickly enough. The only problem is that you will have to install all the mods again! Check out the steps below in order to reinstall the game.

1. If you are a Windows 10 user, use the Windows Key + I key combination in order to open Settings. You can also click the cog icon after opening the Start menu.

2. Once inside, click to open the Apps section in order to access the list of all installed programs. Locate Garry’s Mod in the list, left-click its entry, and choose the Uninstall option which will appear.
3. Alternatively, you can simply open up your Steam client from your Desktop or by searching for it in the Start menu. Navigate to the Library tab, right-click Garry’s Mod, and choose Uninstall from the context menu. The option might also be called Delete Local Content.

4. Either way, while still in the Library tab, right-click Garry’s Mod entry in the list (it should be greyed out now) and choose the Install Game option from the context menu. Wait for the installation to complete and check to see if the crashing problem persists!

7. Try the Beta Version

In many cases, beta clients of the game manage to sort out various problems that have stuck with the game for a long time. These beta clients are often released to the public quickly enough but signing up for the beta participation can enable you to install the beta client immediately and try to resolve the crashing problem. Follow the steps we have prepared below in order to install the beta version of the Garry’s Mod client!

1. Open your Steam client by double-clicking its desktop icon or by searching for it in the Start menu. You will need to make sure that Garry’s Mod is closed during this.

2. Navigate to the Library tab at the top of the window and make sure you locate Garry’s Mod in the list of games you have installed. Right-click its entry and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. Navigate to the Betas tab in the Properties window and check the available beta clients under the Select the beta you would like to opt into. The best option would be the Testing 64-bit builds

4. Wait for the Steam client to download its files and run the game afterwards. Check to see if Garry’s Mod keeps crashing after making these changes!

8. Run the Game with Administrator Permissions

Steam games usually don’t require administrator permissions in order to run properly but many players have reported that doing so with the game’s main executable manages to resolve the crashing issues. It’s possible that certain game files are located in folders that can’t be accessed with normal permissions and you need to elevate the game. Follow the set of steps we have prepared below in order to try this out!

1. Make sure you exit Garry’s Mod completely. After that, open Steam by double-clicking its shortcut on the Desktop. If there is no such shortcut, click the Start menu button and type “Steam” inside. Click the first result which will appear.

2. After the Steam client opens, make sure you navigate to the Library tab at the top of the window, right-click Garry’s Mod from the list of installed games and choose Properties from the context menu.
3. Navigate to the Local Files tab and click the Browse Local Files This should open the folder where the game is installed. Alternatively, you can manually navigate to that folder if you know where it is. By default, Steam games are installed in C >> Program Files (x86) >> Steam >> steamapps >> common.

4. Once inside the installation folder, open the bin folder inside, locate the hl.exe file, right-click its entry, and choose Properties from the context menu which will appear. The hl.exe file might also be available inside the Garry’s Mod folder.
5. Inside the Properties window, navigate to the Compatibility tab and check the Settings Place a checkbox next to the Run this program as an administrator option at the bottom of the window.

6. Click the OK button in order to apply the changes you have made and reopen the game to see if it still crashes constantly!

9. Disable Discord Overlay

No matter how Discord overlay can be a useful feature, it is also a source of many different gaming-related problems and disabling it while playing Garry’s Mod is a good thing to do if you face constant crashing when playing the game along with Discord. Many users have confirmed that simply disabling Discord Overlay managed to get rid of constant crashing!

1. Open your Discord client by double-clicking its shortcut from the Desktop or by searching for it in the Start menu by clicking the Start menu button (or the Windows Key) and typing “Discord”. Open Discord by clicking the first result which will appear.
2. When the Discord home screen opens, navigate to the lower-left section of the window and look for the cog icon next to your username. You should see the User Settings text when you hover above it with your mouse cursor.

3. Navigate to the Overlay tab under the App Settings section inside User Settings and set the slider to the left next to the Enable in-game overlay Apply the changes you have made and check to see if Garry’s Mod keeps crashing constantly!

10. Check for Corrupted Addons

In many cases, it’s possible that you have simply installed a corrupted addon for Garry’s Mod and it has broken the entire game installation. You can resolve this problem by getting rid of all add-ons to see if the game still crashes. If it doesn’t you have the cause of your problem. The only thing left to do is to enable them one by one to see which one is to blame!

1. Follow the step 1-3 from the Solution 8 in order to open your Garry’s Mod installation folder. Once inside, open the folder named garrysmod and look for the addons folder.

2. Right-click the addons folder and choose Rename from the context menu. Change the folder’s name to something else and run the game to see if the crashing persists. If it doesn’t you will need to remove the addons you consider the most suspicious. It might take a while but it will definitely resolve your problem!