How to Fix “Out of Video Memory” Error in Alan Wake 2

The “Out of Video Memory” error message in Alan Wake 2 occurs when the game attempts to use more video memory than the system can provide. This typically happens when the graphics card has maximized its memory capacity as the game loads additional textures and content for a scene.

The system requirements for Alan Wake 2 are substantial; even medium settings require a high-end PC. Due to its uncompromised graphics quality, the game pushes your GPU to its limit to render the content.

Before proceeding, verify that your system meets the minimum requirements for Alan Wake 2. Once confirmed, follow the methods below to resolve the out of video memory error message.

1. Reduce Game Resolution

Firstly, lower the resolution of Alan Wake 2 on your system. A lower resolution reduces the video memory required by the game due to fewer pixels needing rendering by your graphics card.

Higher resolution in Alan Wake 2 consumes more video memory to render the game. Thus, reducing resolution can positively impact and eliminate the ‘out of video memory’ error message.

Please follow the instructions below:

1. First, open Alan Wake 2 on your PC.
2. Then, navigate to the Options menu.

   

3. Then, switch to the Graphics tab.
4. Finally, under the Display section, change the Display Resolution to a lower value.

   

5. If you’re using DLSS or FSR, you also need to lower the Render Resolution.
6. See if the problem persists. 

2. Lower Alan Wake 2 Graphics Settings

The graphics settings in Alan Wake 2 significantly influence your system’s video memory consumption. It’s evident that higher settings yield more load on your computer’s graphics card.

When this occurs, you may see an ‘out of video memory’ error if your GPU can’t handle the game’s textures. In this case, you should lower the game’s graphics settings and overall quality.

Fortunately, despite its high system requirements, Alan Wake 2 remains visually stunning even on lower quality presets. Use the instructions below to adjust the game’s graphics settings in AW2:

1. First, navigate to the Options menu.

   

2. After that, switch to the Graphics tab.
3. Then, scroll down and use the Quality Preset option to switch to a lower preset than your current one.

   

4. See if that resolves the issue. 

3. Close Background Apps

Background apps utilizing system resources can cause the error message to appear, especially when certain apps use more resources than usual. Therefore, close all such background apps to free up system resources.

This will enable the game to use more system resources and eliminate the error message. To close background apps using Task Manager, follow these instructions:

1. First, right-click on the Start Menu icon and select Task Manager from the menu.

   

2. In the Task Manager window, look for apps that are consuming your system resources.
3. Then, select the app and click the End task option.
4. Repeat this process depending on the amount of background apps you have. 
5. Finally, open Alan Wake 2 and see if the problem persists. 

4. Update Graphics Drivers

Using an old video card driver on your system can impact the performance of newer games. In addition, you will encounter several issues when running newer games with old drivers for compatibility reasons, and no support for the new games. 

Updating the display drivers on your system is a crucial step in addressing the video memory error. This involves performing a clean installation, which includes removing all existing video drivers and installing the newest version.

We will use the Display Driver Uninstaller utility for this task. AMD users can utilize the AMD Clean Uninstall utility. Follow the instructions below to reinstall your graphics drivers:

1. First, download DDU from the official website via this link.
2. Then, open the downloaded file and extract it.
3. Inside the extracted folder, run the Display Driver Uninstaller executable.
4. After that, click on the Continue button when the Options screen comes up.

   

5. Now, use the Select device type menu to choose GPU.

   

6. Then, follow it up by selecting the brand of your GPU.

   

7. To remove the drivers, click Clean and restart.

   

8. Wait for your computer to boot up.
9. After that, open your manufacturer’s website and download the graphics drivers for your card.
10. Install the latest drivers and then open Alan Wake 2. 
11. See if the problem occurs again.

5. Repair Alan Wake 2 Files

The error message may also occur due to damaged Alan Wake 2 game files on your computer. In this case, you’ll need to repair them.

This can be done very easily with the Epic Games Launcher. Follow the instructions below:

1. First, open the Epic Games Launcher on your system.
2. Then, click on the three dots under Alan Wake 2 and select Manage from the menu.

   

3. After that, click on the Verify option.

   

4. Wait for the game files to be scanned and repaired.
5. See if the issue is still there.

6. Adjust Virtual Memory Size

Windows features a paging function that virtually expands memory size when at capacity, enhancing overall performance by providing the computer with more memory to utilize.

Virtual memory operates by allocating a portion of your disk space to a paging file. The system uses this file to expand memory size during memory issues. To increase virtual memory size, follow these instructions:

1. First, open the Start Menu and search for Advanced System Settings. Open it up.

   

2. Then, click on the Settings option under Performance.

   

3. Switch to the Advanced tab and click on the Change button.

   

4. Then, untick the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives option.
5. After that, select the Custom size option.

   

6. Now, you will need to provide the initial and maximum limits for the paging file. A good rule is to make the initial size 1.5 times your RAM and the maximum size no more than 3 times your RAM. So, if you have 8 GB of RAM, you can set the initial size to 12 GB and the maximum size to 24 GB. 
7. Once you have set the initial and maximum limits, click OK and hit Apply.
8. Finally, open Alan Wake 2 and see if the error message is still there. 

You should be able to get rid of the out of video memory error message in Alan Wake 2 with these methods. In case you are still encountering the issue, we recommend reaching out to the support team for Alan Wake 2 and asking for further assistance.