Fix: Need for Speed Unbound Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC

Need for Speed Unbound (shortly called NFS Unbound) is a new racing video game developed by Criterion Games and published by Electronic Arts for PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X/S. It is the twenty-fifth instalment in the Need for Speed series, the first for Criterion since 2013’s Rivals with Ghost Games and the first as the main developer since 2012’s Most Wanted. After the release, many players reported crashing on startup trouble after launching the game on their PC.

Why is NFS Unbound Crashing?

Whereas most of the NFS Unbound PC version players encounter the game not launching or the startup crashing issue quite often. Affected players cannot understand why such an issue appears, even if the PC is capable enough to run this game. It’s also worth mentioning that there may be several other possible reasons applicable to you that you should know before getting into the troubleshooting guide or any conclusion whatsoever.

The chances are also high that your NFS Unbound game may not start on the PC due to the outdated game patch version, outdated graphics drivers, outdated Windows, missing or corrupted game files, issues with the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, unnecessary background running tasks, etc. Sometimes issues with the PC compatibility, background running tasks, overlay applications, and more can trigger the startup crashing with PC games.

Fix: NFS Unbound Keeps Crashing on the PC

As you’re now aware of the possible reasons behind the crashing issue with PC games, it’s time to get into the workarounds below. Here we’ve shared some troubleshooting methods for you that should come in handy. So, make sure to follow all methods until the problem gets fixed.

1. Check System Requirements

First of all, you should check for the PC configuration to see whether it meets the system requirements of the game or not. Sometimes the compatibility issue between the PC and the video game can cause many crashes. If your PC build is low on specifications or becomes outdated, then make sure to upgrade the specific hardware/software to make it compatible. We’ve mentioned the system requirements of the game below.

Minimum Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Ryzen 5 2600, Core i5-8600
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: RX 570, GTX 1050 Ti
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 50 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Ryzen 5 3600, Core i7-8700
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Radeon RX5700 (8GB), GeForce RTX 2070 (8GB)
• DirectX: Version 12
• Network: Broadband Internet connection
• Storage: 50 GB available space

2. Run the game as an Administrator

If you’re not running your video game using an administrator privilege, it may cause issues with the game launching or startup crashing or even the game not loading, etc. So, it’s better to simply run the game exe file as an administrator on your Windows computer to check whether that fixes the problem. To do so:

• Right-click on the NFS Unbound exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

3. Verify Integrity of Game Files

If in case, your game files become corrupted or missing for some unexpected reasons then verifying and repairing the game files using the game launcher can help you a lot. To do this:

For Steam Client:

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on NFS Unbound from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer.

For Origin Client:

• Launch the Origin client on your PC.
• Head over to the My Game Library and locate NFS Unbound.
• Now, click on the Settings (Gear icon) and select Repair.
• Wait for the process to be completed.
• Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Epic Games Launcher:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Click on Library.
• Click on the three-dots icon next to NFS Unbound.
• Click on Verify > Wait for the process to complete and restart the launcher.
• It should resolve the NFS Unbound Crashing issue on the PC.

4. Update NFS Unbound

We should also recommend you manually check for the game update at your end via the respective game client to ensure there is no outdated game version conflicting with the game launching. An outdated game patch version can trigger several potential issues that might trigger crashes whatsoever. To do this:

For Steam:

• Open Steam and go to Library.
• Click on NFS Unbound from the left pane.
• Steam will automatically search for the available update.
• If there is an update available, click on Update.
• Make sure to wait for some time until the update completes.
• Once done, ensure to reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Epic Games Launcher:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Head over to Library.
• Now, click on the three dots icon next to NFS Unbound.
• Make sure the Auto Update option is turned on.
• It should automatically install the available update of the game.

For Origin:

• Launch the Origin client on your computer.
• Go to Library > Right-click on NFS Unbound.
• Select Check for Update > If available, proceed with the same.
• It may take some time to complete the update.
• Once done, you can reboot the PC to apply changes.

5. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

It’s highly recommended to update the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables on the PC by following the steps below.

Note: If you’re using the Origin or Epic Games Launcher then you can head over to the official Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables page to download the latest version.

• Head over to the following path on your PC:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\vcredist

• You should see the following folders:
  • 2012\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2013\vc_redist.x64.exe
  • 2019\vc_redist.x64.exe
• Just make sure to run all of these executable files that are present. (If you’ve different folders, then run the vc_redist.x64.exe file in those folders)
• Finally, restart your PC to fix the issue.

6. Update DirectX

Sometimes outdated DirectX versions can also trouble you a lot with the PC games. It’s better to update the DirectX version manually to avoid crashing issues.

• Go to the C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Steamworks Shared\_CommonRedist\DirectX folder path.
• Next, run the DXSETUP.exe file to reinstall/update DirectX.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

7. Update GPU Drivers

It seems that multiple affected players have reported the outdated graphics driver. If you’re also using the outdated graphics driver for a while then make sure to check for updates by following the steps below:

• Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that’s active.

• Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download & install it.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes.

This method should fix the NFS Unbound crashing issue on PC. If not, you can head over to the next method.

8. Disable Overlay Apps

According to some of the affected players, disabling the Steam overlay and Origin overlay on the Windows computer has helped them to easily fix the game not launching issue. As the in-game overlay app is always running in the background whenever you launch the game client, it’s quite possible to have issues with the processes or system resources.

For Origin Overlay:

• Open the Origin client > Go to My Game Library.
• Locate NFS Unbound > Click on the Settings (Gear icon).
• Choose Game Properties > Uncheck the box Enable Origin In-Game for NFS Unbound.
• Click on Save and launch the game again.

For Steam Overlay:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Now, right-click on NFS Unbound > Select Properties.
• Head over to the General section > Here just uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay checkbox.
• Go back to Library > Re-open Squad to check for the not launching issue.

9. Install Pending Windows Updates

It may possible that somehow any of the Windows bugs or system files conflict with the game to run it properly. Sometimes an incompatibility issue can also take place when you didn’t update the software for a while. So, make sure to install all the pending Windows updates one by one and keep it to the latest OS build whatsoever. To do that:

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.

• If there is a feature update available, select Download and install.
• Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.

10. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Program

• Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and click on it.
• Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
• From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
• Make sure to select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private, Domain, and Public Network Settings.
• Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes, and try checking the issue.

Now, you’ll have to disable the anti-virus protection (Windows Defender) as well by following the steps below:

• Head over to the Windows Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Now, go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
• Click on Manage settings >Then turn off the Real-time Protection option.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

If in case, you’re using any third-party antivirus program then make sure to turn it off manually.

11. Launch the Game in Windowed Mode (Steam)

Try launching the game in Windowed display mode to check if that helps you or not. Sometimes a computer with an average hardware specification can cause several issues with the fullscreen display mode while running the game.

• Open the Steam client and go to Library.
• Right-click on NFS Unbound > Select Properties.
• In the General section, click on Set Launch Options.
• Next, copy & paste the following command-line argument:

 -windowed -noborder

• Make sure to save changes and try running the game again to check if NFS Unbound launching properly or not.

12. Perform a Clean Boot

• Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open the System Configuration window.
• Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Click on Disable all.
• Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, click on the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
• Under the Startup tab from the Task Manager interface, click on the particular tasks which are enabled for startup boot > Click on Disable.
• Make sure to select the high-impact startup programs and disable them one by one.
• Once all is done, restart your PC to apply changes.
• Finally, check whether the NFS Unbound crashing on the PC has been fixed or not.

13. Close Background Processes

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the task that you want to close.

• Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
• Once done, just restart your computer to change effects immediately.

14. Reset NFS Unbound

• Press the Windows (Start) + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Select Apps and Features > Click on NFS Unbound from the list of installed programs to select it.
• Now, click on Advanced options > Select Reset.
• Once done, reboot your computer and try to launch the game.

15. Reinstall NFS Unbound

If none of the methods worked for you, try reinstalling the NFS Unbound game to check if that helps you fix the game not launching issue. To do so:

• Click on the Start menu and search for Control Panel.
• Open Control Panel > Click on Uninstall a Program.
• Locate and right-click on NFS Unbound > Select Uninstall.
• If prompted, click on Uninstall again to confirm.
• Wait for the uninstallation process to complete. You can follow the on-screen instructions to do so.
• Once done, make sure to reboot the PC to apply changes.
• Finally, head over to the specific game launcher that you use (Steam or Origin or Epic Games Launcher) and reinstall NFS Unbound.

That’s it, guys. We hope this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.