If Overwatch 2 keeps crashing on your computer, don’t worry, you’re not alone. The exact cause of the crashes differs, outdated device drivers, corrupted game or system files, memory issues, etc. could all be the culprit. That said, here are some tested and proven fixes that have worked well to fix the Overwatch 2 crashing on PC problem for many. Try them to see if they do wonders for you as well.
Try these fixes for the Overwatch 2 Crashing on PC problem
You don’t have to try all the following fixes: simply work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick to fix the Overwatch 2 crashing on PC problem for you.
- Make sure Radeon Boost is disabled
- Update Windows
- Update your display card driver
- Repair game files
- Close background applications
- Change the power management settings
- Check if your computer is overheating
- Run RAM check
- Repair corrupted or damaged system files
Before we move further…
If Overwatch 2 keeps crashing on your computer since day one, the first thing you should do is to ensure that your computer meets the system requirements for the game. This applies to almost every game crash issue. If your machine is below or just at the requirements, you may need to upgrade your hardware for Overwatch 2 to run smoothly.
Here are the requirements for Overwatch 2 for your reference:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
| OS | Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack) | Windows® 10 64-bit (latest Service Pack) |
| Processor | Intel® Core™ i3 or AMD Phenom™ X3 8650 | Intel® Core™ i7 or AMD Ryzen™ 5 |
| Memory | 6 GB RAM | 8 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 series, AMD Radeon™ HD 7000 series | NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1060/ GeForce® GTX 1650 or AMD R9 380/AMD RX 6400 or Intel® Arc™ A770 |
| DirectX | Version 11 | Version 11 |
| Storage | 50 GB available space | 50 GB available space |
If you’re not sure how to check your computer specs, you can press the Windows key and the R key on your computer at the same time, then type msinfo32 to check your system specs in detail:
In general, Overwatch 2 doesn’t require a super powerful computer for it to run smoothly, so when you’re sure that your machine meets the system requirements to run the game, but Overwatch 2 still crashes, please move on to the other fixes below.
1. Make sure Radeon Boost is disabled
Radeon Boost usually enhances gaming performance by dynamically adjusting the resolution. But according to some gamers, this feature somehow conflicts with Overwatch 2, and causes the crashing problem on their PC.
If you have an AMD display card, you can try disabling Radeon Boost to see if it fixes the Overwatch 2 crashing on PC problem for you. To do so:
- Launch Radeon Software.
- Go to Gaming, then click Global Graphics.
- Scroll down to make sure that Radeon Boost is set to off.
- If you have two AMD display cards, do the same with the other GPU.
Try to launch Overwatch 2 again to see if it still crashes. If the problem persists, please move on.
2. Update Windows
If your system isn’t updated regularly, there could be compatibility issues that can cause Overwatch 2 to crash. Plus the system requirement for the game specifically asks for the latest service pack. So to make sure that you have the latest available updates installed:
- On your keyboard, hit the Windows key, then type check for updates, then click Check for updates.
- Click Check for updates, and Windows will scan for any available updates.
- If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Restart your computer for the update to take effect if needed.
- If there are no available updates, you’ll see You’re up to date like this.
Then try your Overwatch 2 again to see if it still crashes. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.
3. Update your display card driver
An outdated or incorrect display card driver could also be the culprit to your Overwatch 2 crashing on PC problem, so if the above two methods don’t help to stop the crashes with Overwatch 2, it’s likely that you have a corrupted or outdated graphics driver. So you should update your drivers to see if it helps.
There are mainly 2 ways you can update your graphics driver: manually or automatically.
Option 1: Update your graphics driver manually
If you’re a tech-savvy gamer, you can spend some time updating your GPU driver manually.
To do so, first visit the website of your GPU manufacturer:
Then search for your GPU model. Note that you should only download the latest driver installer that’s compatible with your operating system. Once downloaded, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to update.
Option 2: Update your graphics driver automatically (Recommended)
If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.
You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 steps (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):
- Download and install Driver Easy.
- Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
- Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
Note: You can do it for free if you like, but it’s partly manual. - Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
Launch Overwatch 2 again and see if the latest graphics driver helps to stop it from crashing further. If this fix doesn’t work for you, try the next fix, below.
4. Repair game files
Corrupted or missing files will also cause crashing problems in Overwatch 2. To see if this is the case, you can verify your game files on:
Steam
- Launch Steam.
- In the LIBRARY, right-click Overwatch 2 and select Properties from the drop-down menu.
- Select the Installed Files tab and click on the Verified integrity of game files button.
- Steam will verify the game’s files – this process may take several minutes.
Battle.net
- Launch the Battle.net client and select Overwatch 2.
- Click the gear icon next to the Play button and then select Scan and Repair.
- Click Begin Scan.
- When the verification is done, close Battlet.net and reboot your PC.
See if Overwatch 2 stops crashing after the game files repair. If the problem persists, please move on.
5. Close background applications
Irrelevant or conflicting applications running in the background could also be the culprit to the crashing problem in Overwatch 2. To see if this is your case, you can try to close all unneeded applications before gaming. To do so:
- Right-click the Windows taskbar and select Task Manager.
- Select each resource-hogging application and click End Task to close them one by one.
Then run Overwatch 2 again and see if it stops crashing. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix below.
6. Change the power management settings
The default power plan by Windows strikes a balance between power consumption and PC performance, which is a good choice most of the time, especially when you’re not using resource-hungry applications a lot. But games like Overwatch 2 usually need more resources than other regular software programs, so it’s not a bad idea to switch to the High performance plan to improve your game performance. This is even more true when you’re having crashes mid-game.
To change the power mode:
- On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time, then type powercfg.cpl and press Enter.
- In the pop-up window, expand Hide additional plans and select High performance.
Relaunch Overwatch 2 and see if it still crashes. If so, please move on.
7. Check if your computer is overheating
Hardware components overheating is another common reason for game crashing and freezing, especially if your computer crashes too when you’re playing other games, or using other resource-hungry software programs like Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.
If you can feel the heat on your computer case or on your computer itself, or you can hear the fan(s) running very loud when you play Overwatch 2, you need a cooler environment for your machine to make sure that your computer doesn’t crash because of the heat.
You can usually use free tools like HWMonitor or AIDA64 to tell whether your computer CPU, the CPU core, and the GPU are running too hot.
Here is a detailed post with more detailed information if your computer is overheating and how you can do about it: How to Know Your CPU Overheating and How to Fix It
8. Run RAM check
Some forum users reported that the Overwatch 2 crashing problem on their computers was caused by faulty RAM sticks. To see if this is also your case, you can run the built-in Windows Memory Diagnostic tool:
- Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run box.
- Type mdsched.exe, then click OK.
- Click Restart now and check for problems (recommended).
IMPORTANT: Make sure to save all your work before restarting.
- Windows will run diagnosis automatically, which can take a few minutes. When it’s finished, your PC will reboot.
- The results will be shown on your desktop. If you don’t see any notification, right-click the Start menu then click Event Viewer.
- Click Windows Logs >> System >> Find.
- Type memory diagnostic, then click Find Next.
- If you see “no errors”, your RAM is functioning well and is not the culprit to the crashing problem in Overwatch 2.
If you do see an error, you may consider replacing your RAM sticks. You will need to check if your device is still under warranty or consult your machine’s manufacturer for assistance if you’re not tech-savvy enough to do this on your own.
9. Repair corrupted or damaged system files
If you are facing persistent issues and none of the previous solutions have proven effective, it’s possible that your corrupted system files are to blame. To rectify this, repairing the system files becomes crucial. The System File Checker (SFC) tool can assist you in this process. By executing the “sfc /scannow” command, you can initiate a scan that identifies problems and repairs missing or corrupted system files. However, it is important to note that the SFC tool primarily focuses on scanning major files and may overlook minor issues.
In situations where the SFC tool falls short, a more powerful and specialized Windows repair tool is recommended. Fortect is an automated Windows repair tool that excels in identifying problematic files and replacing malfunctioning ones. By scanning your PC comprehensively, Fortect can provide a more comprehensive and effective solution for repairing your Windows system.
- Download and install Fortect.
- Open Fortect. It will run a free scan of your PC and give you a detailed report of your PC status.
- Once finished, you’ll see a report showing all the issues. To fix all the issues automatically, click Start Repair (You’ll need to purchase the full version. It comes with a 60-day Money-Back Guarantee so you can refund anytime if Fortect doesn’t fix your problem).
That’s it for the post on how to fix Overwatch 2 keeps crashing on PC problem. Please feel free to let us know if you have other solutions that can help.