Fix: VALORANT Crashing, Freezing & Stuttering on PC

VALORANT can often freeze due to enabled Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling. This is a feature in Windows that is used to transfer high-priority tasks from the CPU to the GPU, which results in improved overall gaming and PC performance.

Since VALORANT is primarily a CPU-based game, hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling may not have a significant impact, particularly if you are using a low-end graphics card. Instead, it could potentially cause freezing in VALORANT, as it shifts high-priority tasks to the GPU, which the CPU can handle more efficiently than the GPU. It’s important to ensure that you have a capable CPU that can consistently deliver frames to prevent stuttering and freezing in Valorant.

For assistance in determining the optimal CPU for Valorant, we offer a dedicated guide. Please refer to ‘Best CPU for Valorant‘.

When it comes to crashing, you should not have multiple background applications running, as they often cause VALORANT to run out of memory, resulting in crashes.

To address this issue, we have included all the methods that have been verified and have worked for affected users. Therefore, follow all of these methods, as one of them might work for you.

1. Disable hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling.

Using Hardware-Accelerated GPU scheduling while playing games can be a good idea when GPU performance is required. However, in the case of VALORANT, although GPU performance is necessary, CPU performance is most crucial, as it is a CPU-based game.

Thus, VALORANT may freeze if you use hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling, particularly with a low-end graphics card. Hence, try disabling it by following these steps:

1. Go to Windows Settings by pressing Win + I together.
2. Navigate to Display Settings, scroll down to the bottom, and open Graphics Settings.
   
3. Click Change default graphics settings to view more options.
4. Here disable the Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling by toggling off the button.
5. Once completed, launch VALORANT and play for some time to determine if it still freezes or crashes.

2. Configure the compatibility settings.

Compatibility settings include various different options; however, our main focus is on configuring two options. One is to run this program as an administrator, which will allow VALORANT to access the required DLL files of the MS Visual C++ redistributables and DirectX runtime.

The second option is to disable Full Screen Optimization, which disables the Windows built-in optimization that helps the application take control of the entire screen. However, since VALORANT has its own optimization, it can conflict with Windows’ built-in optimization, so we will try disabling it.

To configure the compatibility settings, follow these steps:

1. If you have a desktop shortcut, right-click the VALORANT icon and select Properties. Otherwise, navigate to the VALORANT directory to open its properties.
2. Then, go to Compatibility, and tick ‘Run this program as an administrator‘ and ‘Disable fullscreen optimizations‘.
3. Once done, click “Apply” and then click “OK.
4. Now launch the game and see the result.

3. Switch to your native resolution.

The native resolution, also known as the recommended resolution, is the difference between the normal resolution and the recommended resolution. The recommended resolution is more compatible with your monitor for receiving data in pixels.

If you are using a resolution higher than your native resolution, we recommend that you switch to your native one, because when you lower the resolution, the monitor displays fewer pixels on the screen according to the selected resolution. This helps offload some load from the GPU, which can help reduce freezing and crashing in games.

To change the monitor resolution, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the desktop and select Display Settings to open it.
   
2. Under Scale and Layout, next to Display Resolution, click the dropdown icon to see more resolutions.
   
3. Now select the Recommended or Native resolution and click Keep changes.
   
4. Once you have switched the resolution, launch and play VALORANT to check if the issue has been fixed.

4. Close background and overlay apps.

If you are accustomed to running numerous background applications, such as Discord, Steam, and other apps while playing VALORANT, you should consider disabling overlays and background applications.

Crashing and freezing in VALORANT often occur when CPU and memory usage spike to 90 percent. Hence, when playing VALORANT, no unnecessary background apps should be running.

Before following the steps, launch VALORANT to see how many background applications are using resources while you play VALORANT.

1. To close background apps, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager to open it.
   
2. Now, click the Memory option to view tasks consuming RAM, and then right-click each task to end it, except for VALORANT.
3. Once completed, click on CPU and close the applications that are consuming CPU usage.
4. Once done, now return to VALORANT and observe the difference.

5. Uninstall third-party antivirus software.

Using third-party antivirus software instead of Windows Defender can lead to crashes and freezes in VALORANT. Third-party antivirus software can interfere with running games and applications. It can also block VALORANT from accessing the required files it needs to run properly, which can cause this issue.

So, if you are using any third-party antivirus software, especially Avast antivirus, uninstalling it can fix your issue. Please follow these instructions:

1. Open the Run Program by pressing the Win + R keys simultaneously.
2. Enter “appwiz.cpl” and click OK. This will open the Control Panel’s Programs and Features.
3. Now right-click the antivirus software you are using, and click Uninstall.
   
4. Now follow the prompts to uninstall the antivirus software.
5. Once completed, open VALORANT to verify the results.

6. Roll back the graphics driver.

If your issue began after updating the graphics drivers, you can try rolling back to the outdated version instead of staying on the latest graphics drivers.

Despite having the latest graphics drivers, you could face crashes and freezes due to a fault that has not been addressed by your GPU manufacturers in the latest driver.

To roll back the graphics drivers, you can either use the Device Manager to install the previous driver update, or manually download and install the GPU driver by navigating to the manufacturer’s site and searching for the driver version name. We recommend using the Device Manager, as it is easier than installing an old GPU driver from scratch.

1. To do so, right-click the Start Menu and select Device Manager to open it.
   
2. Once it is opened, expand the Display Adapters, right-click the GPU driver, and select Properties.
3. Now, go to ‘Driver‘ and select ‘Roll Back Driver.’ If this option is not available, try installing the driver manually.
4. Select any reason here and click ‘Yes‘ to install the previous version of your driver.

7. Configure video and graphics settings in Valorant.

This method is very important if you are using high graphics and video settings. If your GPU is capable of handling high graphics settings, still try lowering the graphics and video settings to determine whether they are causing the issue or not. Match your graphics settings with the following settings.

1. Open VALORANT, go to Settings, and then select Video Settings from the top.
2. Here make sure that the Display Mode is set to Full Screen.
   
3. Now, go to Graphics Quality and ensure all settings are set to Low and Off. Anti-aliasing should be set to MSAA 2x, and Anisotropic Filtering should be set to 2x or below.
4. Once you have matched the settings, test them for some time. If the issue is not fixed, try other methods.

8. Install Microsoft Visual C++ and DirectX runtime.

Microsoft Visual C++ is used to run applications developed with C and C++. Meanwhile, DirectX is a collection of APIs that facilitate communication with the graphics card to operate games or applications.

If you are missing any version of Microsoft Visual C++ or have an outdated version of DirectX, VALORANT may crash or freeze. Therefore, it is recommended to have the latest version of DirectX and all versions of Microsoft Visual C++.

To install the required MS Visual C++ versions and DirectX, please follow these steps:

1. Download the DirectX installer from the link.
   
2. Once it is finished downloading, run the installer and follow the remaining instructions to install the DirectX.
   
3. Once completed, the next step is to install MS Visual C++.
4. Download the MS Visual C++ installer.
5. Run the installer and simply click the Install button.
6. Once it has been installed, launch VALORANT and check if the issue has been fixed.

9. Turn off Variable Refresh Rate (for Windows 10 Users)

Variable Refresh Rate automatically changes the refresh rate without user input. One might say it is one of the best technologies ever made in this industry. However, it can freeze VALORANT if you are not receiving the frames per second (FPS) according to your monitor’s hertz. Hence, it is recommended to disable it with the help of the following steps:

1. Open Settings and navigate to System Settings.
2. Click Display from the left sidebar, then click Graphics Settings.
3. In the Graphics Settings, disable the Variable Refresh Rate by toggling the button off.
4. Once finished, check the result.

10. Configure the Graphics Preferences Settings.

Graphic Preference settings will allow you to use High Performance for any program or game. They also help to choose between an integrated and dedicated GPU.

If you have configured VALORANT to run in power-saving mode, using the integrated GPU instead of a dedicated graphics card, it may result in crashes and freezes. Therefore, try adjusting the graphics preference settings for VALORANT.

1. To do so, click the Start Menu and search for Graphics Settings.
2. Open the Graphics Settings and click Browse.
3. Navigate to the VALORANT directory and select the VALORANT.exe file.
   
4. Then, click Add. Now select BootstrapPackagedGame from the list and click Options.
   
5. Select High Performance and click OK.
   
6. Again, click Browse and navigate to the VALORANT directory, then go to Shooter Game > Binaries > Win64.
7. Here select VALORANT-Win64-Shipping.exe and click Add.
   
8. Once added, Select VALORANT from the list and click Options.
   
9. Now select High Performance and click OK.
10. Once completed, launch VALORANT and check if the issue still persists.

11. Reinstall the graphics drivers using DDU.

If you are still experiencing crashing or freezing in VALORANT, you should now proceed to reinstall your graphics driver, as it is possible that your graphics drivers are either corrupted or outdated. This is why VALORANT keeps failing to utilize the GPU power, resulting in freezes or crashes.

To ensure that, you will need to reinstall the graphics driver using DDU. This application is used to remove drivers along with registry files. To accomplish this, follow these steps:

1. Download the Display Driver Uninstaller using the provided link.
2. Once it is downloaded, extract the DDU zip folder.
3. Navigate to the extracted folder, double-click the DDU 7Zip file, and click “Extract.
   
4. Once it is extracted, open the folder and run the DDU application.
5. Now select the Device and the Device Type from the right.
6. Click Clean and Restart.
7. Once the drivers are uninstalled, go to your GPU manufacturer’s site and download the graphics driver from there.
   
8. Once completed, install the graphics driver by executing the installer and following the on-screen instructions.
9. Once done, restart your computer again, and then launch VALORANT to see if it resolves the issue.

12. Disable Fast Startup.

Fast Startup is a feature in Windows that enables users to boot their PCs more quickly. This feature hibernates all running processes in a file, allowing the system to resume its previous state when the user returns. As a result, users can experience faster boot times.

However, since this feature doesn’t allow Windows to shut down completely, it can cause VALORANT to crash or freeze. Therefore, if fast startup is enabled or your PC has been running for an extended period, it’s recommended to fully shut down your computer every 24 hours, allowing the CPU to reset entirely.

To disable Fast Startup, follow the steps:

1. Click on the Start Menu, type “Control Panel,” and then press Enter to open it.
2. Navigate to Hardware and Sound > Power Options.
   
3. Click Choose what the power buttons do from the left pane.
4. Click on “Change Settings that are currently available” and uncheck “Turn on fast startup (recommended).
5. Now, click “Save Changes.” Once done, restart your computer and open VALORANT to see if your issue has been resolved or not.
   

13. Perform a clean boot.

If you are still encountering this issue, try performing a clean boot. A clean boot is a troubleshooting utility used to detect which third-party application or service is interfering with the problematic game or application. To perform a clean boot, follow these steps:

1. Press the Windows and R keys together to open the Run Program.
2. Enter the command ‘MSconfig‘ to open the System Configuration window.
3. Then, choose Selective Startup and proceed to Services.
   
4. Select ‘Hide all Microsoft services‘ and click ‘Disable All.’
5. Now find Vgc service and check it, so you won’t have a problem with Riot Vanguard.
   
6. Once done, click “Apply.” Then, go to “Startup” and click “Open Task Manager.
7. Here, right-click the applications one by one and click “Disable.
8. Once completed, restart your computer and see the result.

If the problem still persists, you should follow the advanced guide on VALORANT, which contains all the possible solutions for fixing this issue.