State of Decay 2 Keeps Crashing on My PC (How to Fix)

Before getting into the methods below, make sure to restart your game and PC to check if that fixes the issue or not. Sometimes a system glitch can also cause such crashing issues. If it’s still bothering you, then go through all the solutions one by one until it gets fixed.

1. Check System Requirements

First of all, make sure to check whether your PC configuration is compatible with the system requirements of State of Decay 2 or not.

Minimum System Requirements:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i5-2500 @2.7Ghz / AMD FX-6300
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB / AMD Radeon HD 7870
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 30 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX compatible

Recommended System Requirements:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel i5 4570 @ 3.2Ghz / AMD FX-8350
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 4GB / AMD Radeon R9 380
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 30 GB available space

2. Run the game as an Administrator

Running the game as an administrator will simply resolve the startup crashing issue on your Windows computer in most scenarios. Therefore, it’s always highly recommended to give the admin privilege to your game executable to run properly on the system. To do so:

Right-click on the State of Decay 2 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.
Then click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

If in case, you’re using the Epic Games Launcher or Steam client to run the game, then make sure to give the admin access to the game launcher too.

3. Install All 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 Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
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.

4. Update GPU Drivers

There is nothing new to say about it because an outdated graphics card driver can basically cause crashing and black screen issues on the Windows computer while launching the game in most cases. It’s always better to check for graphics driver updates and then try running the game again. To do that:

Press the Windows + 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 you’re actively using.

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

5. Update State of Decay 2

Just like the Windows build and graphics driver, you should also update the game patch version (if available) on your PC. It’ll eventually fix multiple bugs and crashes that may present in the previous patch.

Open the Steam client > Go to the Library of games.
Here, you need to click on the State of Decay 2 game to select it from the left sidebar.
Once the game launching interface will appear, check whether an Update button is showing in the blue color or not.
If it’s showing, click on it, wait for the latest patch update to be installed completely.
Once done, click on the Play button to proceed.

6. Uninstall Xbox Apps

We’ll also recommend you try uninstalling the Xbox Console Companion app on your Windows computer to check if that fixes the startup crashing issue or not. To do that:

Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Now, click on Apps and Features > Scroll down the list of installed applications.
Click on Xbox Console Companion to select it > Select Uninstall.
When prompted, click on Uninstall again > Wait for the application to get uninstalled.

7. Reinstall Windows Language Pack

The Windows Language pack not only runs on the computer but also provides support for some of the default language-specific games that use the API. As the State of Decay 2 game has been published by Microsoft Studio, it uses the inbuilt language pack of Windows 10. So, it may cause issues with the compatibility on some PCs if there is a bug in the language pack. By reinstalling the language pack, you can easily fix the issue.

Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
Now, click on Time & language > Select Language & region.
Click on the Add a language button > Search for English (United States).
Click on it select and then select Next > Choose to Install.
Wait for the language pack to get installed on the PC.
Once installed, make sure to click and drag the English (United States) language pack to the first position.
Finally, restart your computer to apply changes.

8. Verify Integrity of Game Files

It’s also important to check if there is an issue occurring in the game files or not. Sometimes corrupted or missing game files can cause several issues with the game running or even startup. So, whenever you try launching the game, it starts crashing or doesn’t launch either. Luckily, you can simply check and repair the game files if there is an issue. To do this:

Open the Steam client on your PC.
Click on Library > Right-click on State of Decay 2 from the installed games list.
Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

Here you’ll have to click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
Wait for some time until the repairing process is done.
Finally, restart your computer to check for the issue again.

9. Disable Steam Overlay and Xbox Game Bar

Plenty of third-party overlay applications including Microsoft’s own Xbox Game Bar overlay can cause serious issues with the system performance. If you’re one of the Steam overlay and Xbox Game Bar overlay users then make sure to follow the steps below to turn them off temporarily to check if that fixes the issue or not.

Disable Steam Overlay:

Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
Now, right-click on State of Decay 2 > Select Properties.
Head over to the General section > Here just uncheck the Enable Steam Overlay checkbox.
Go back to Library > Re-open State of Decay 2 to check for the crashing issue.

Disable Xbox Game Bar:

Xbox Game Bar is an overlay application and one of the useful tools by Microsoft that allows users to easily capture gameplay screenshots or record videos.

Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
Click on Gaming from the left pane > Click on Xbox Game Bar.
Here make sure to turn off the toggle.
Now, go back to the previous page and turn on the Game Mode toggle to optimize gaming.

10. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Program

If you’re using any of the antivirus or firewall programs on your Windows computer then it’s required to temporarily turn them off and check for the crashing issue again. To do this:

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 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. Perform a Clean Boot

Sometimes a couple of background running tasks or startup programs may cause issues with the system performance or resources. If you’re also feeling the same thing or having a slow boot-up time then make sure to follow the steps below:

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.

12. Reset State of Decay 2

If in case, your game doesn’t run on the startup after performing all of the above methods then it may have issues in the cache data. To clear any glitch or cache data of the game, make sure to reset the game.

Press the Windows (Start) + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Select Apps and Features > Click on State of Decay 2 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

13. Move the Game to a Different Drive

If the drive space is low enough where you’ve installed the game then it may trigger startup crashing issues. You can simply move the game to a different drive that has enough free space. To do this:

Press the Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Select Apps and Features > Under Apps & features, click on State of Decay 2.
Select Move > Choose to a new drive from the drop-down menu.
Click on Move again and check for the issue.

14. Reinstall State of Decay 2

If none of the methods worked for you then try reinstalling the State of Decay 2 game to check if that helps you to fix the crashing issue or not. To do so:

Launch the Steam client on your computer.
Now, go to Library > Right-click on the State of Decay 2 game.
Head over to Manage > Select Uninstall.
If prompted, click on Uninstall again and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to apply changes immediately.
Open the Steam client again and install the game again using the existing Steam account.
Enjoy!

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

State of Decay 2 Keeps Crashing on My PC (How to Fix)

Why State of Decay 2 Keeps Crashing?