Armored Core 6 Crashing: 7 Ways To Fix It

Armored Core 6 is FromSoftware’s return to form with their legacy IP that filled our childhood with epic mech battles. Now, as I was playing the game, it continued to crash at certain points. Whether I was exploring the garage, in the menus, or playing the WallClimber mission, the game froze up and crashed. Upon researching, I found that several other players (source 1, source 2) were also facing this Armored Core 6 crashing issue on PC. So, I’ve come up with a guide to help y’all understand this crashing issue and fix it so you can get back to enjoying mech battles. 

Armored Core 6 PC System Requirements

Before we start applying different methods to help you fix the Armored Core 6 crashing issue, we first need to make sure that your PC can handle the game or not. The AC6 system requirements are interesting as they’ve separated and listed both minimum and recommended requirements if you plan on playing the game with RayTracing on or off. So, let’s discuss the requirements now:

Minimum System Requirements (RayTracing Off)

• Operating System: Windows 10
• CPU: Intel i7-4790K, i5-8400 – AMD Ryzen 7 1800X, or Ryzen 5 2600
• System RAM: 12 GB
• GPU: Geforce 1650 4GB, or RX 480 4GB
• DirectX Version: Feature level 12
• Network Type: Broadband Internet Connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 60 GB

Recommended System Requirements (RayTracing Off)

• Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11
• CPU: Intel i7-7700, i5-10400 – AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, or Ryzen 5 3600
• System RAM: 12 GB
• GPU: Geforce 1060 6GB, Rx 590 8GB, or Arc A750 8GB
• DirectX Version: Feature level 12
• Network Type: Broadband Internet Connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 60 GB

Minimum System Requirements (RayTracing On)

• Operating System: Windows 10
• CPU: Intel i7-4790K, i5-8400 – AMD Ryzen 7 1800X, or Ryzen 5 2600
• System RAM: 12 GB RAM
• GPU: Geforce 2060 6GB, or RX 6600 8GB
• DirectX Version: Feature level 12
• Network Type: Broadband Internet Connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 60 GB

Recommended System Requirements (RayTracing On)

• Operating System: Windows 10 or Windows 11
• CPU: Intel i7-7700, i5-10400 – AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, or Ryzen 5 3600
• System RAM: 12 GB RAM
• GPU: Geforce 2070 8GB, RX 6650XT 8GB, or Arc A770 16GB
• DirectX Version: Version 12 (Feature level 12.0)
• Network: Broadband Internet Connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 60 GB

Now that you’ve seen the official system requirements for Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, you’ll have a clear understanding of the performance you’ll get on your PC. If your PC falls short of even the minimum system requirements, then that’s the reason why Armored Core 6 is crashing on your PC. If your PC checks out with the requirements, then keep reading ahead for fixes. 

Run Armored Core 6 As An Admin

The first fix is to simply run Armored Core 6 on your PC with administrative privileges. Running the game as an administrator will bypass any restrictions that your PC is putting on Armored Core 6. Without restrictions, the game will be able to use your system resources according to its requirements, preventing any crashes or freezes. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Launch Steam from the taskbar or by searching for it in the Windows Search. 
2. When you open up Steam, access your games library and locate Armored Core 6 in here. 
3. After you locate the game, right-click on the game’s name, hover over manage, and then click on the Browse Local Files.  

   

4. This will open up the Windows Explorer. Access the folder called “Game,” and you’ll see 2 main executables. One is “start_protected_game,” and the other one is “armoredcore6.” You need to perform the following steps on both of these executable files:
   1. Right-click on the executable file and access its properties. 
   2. Inside the properties, you must head into the compatibility section and checkmark both Disable Fullscreen Optimizations and Run This Program As Admin. 

      

   3. After you’re done, simply click on the OK button to save changes.

Now, Armored Core 6 will now run with administrative privileges. So, if your game was crashing due to a lack of permissions to access your PC resources, now it won’t be doing it anymore. 

Verify Game Files For Armored Core 6

One of the major reasons behind Armored Core 6 crashing or not launching is probably missing or corrupted game files. Your game files can get deleted or become corrupted due to either your antivirus software or any third-party cleanup utility you might have installed.

To solve this issue, you can simply verify the game files through Steam, and it’ll re-download those particular files and return your game to working order. Here’s how you can do it: 

1. First, you have to launch Steam and access your Game Library. 
2. In the Game Library, you need to locate Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon. 
3. Once you find it, right-click on the game and then access its properties.

   

4. Inside the properties, you need to check out the installed files section on the left and then click on the Verify Integrity of Game Files button on the right.

   

After you initiate this process, Steam will start looking at your install directory and check which files have gone corrupted or are missing. Once the analysis is completed, it’ll redownload those particular files and replace them in Armored Core 6’s install directory. Now, you can start up the game and play it without worrying about it crashing.  

Replace Protected Executable File With Normal One

Armored Core 6 has 2 executable files in the installation directory. By default, when you launch through the shortcut on your desktop, start_protected_game.exe will boot up. It’s the Easy Anti Cheat executable that first checks your system for any tampering software. Once its scan completes, it boots up Armoredcore6.exe. 

Players have reported that this default method results in the Armored Core 6 crashing randomly, whether you’re in a mission or even in a menu. So, here’s a way to skip over this EAC scan and directly launch the game:

1. First, you have to gain access to the Armored Core 6 game directory. To easily do that, boot up Steam. 
2. Once Steam opens up, you must locate Armored Core 6 in your Game Library.
3. After locating it, all you need to do is right-click on it, hover over the Manage option, and click on the Browse Local Files.  
   
4. Inside the install directory, there’s a folder called “GAME,” open it up. 
5. Here, you’ll find 2 executables, as discussed before. You can delete or backup the “start_protected_game.exe” here and make a copy of the Armoredcore6.exe. Rename the copy to “start_protected_game.exe.”
6. And that’s it: exit out of the game folder and boot up the game. 

As I said before, this will help you bypass the initial Easy Anti Cheat scan and let you straight into the game. The EAC is often known to cause crashes and other variety of issues. This method intends to leave EAC out of the equation and help you enjoy the game’s campaign with ease. 

Turn On V-Sync And Set FPS Cap To 60

Another popular fix that’s been circulating in the community is that turning on V-Sync and setting the FPS limit to 60 will stop the crashes for good. There’s apparently a problem with the game that when there’s no limit on the FPS, and they extend a certain threshold, the game becomes increasingly unstable to the point it crashes on the desktop. 

So to simply turn on V-Sync and limit the FPS to 60, here’s what you need to do:

1. First, you need to launch Armored Core 6 and wait until you see the title screen. 
2. From the title screen menu, enter the System Settings and head over to the Graphics Settings tab. 
3. In the Graphics Settings, all you need to do is set the Limit Frame Rate option to 60 and Toggle VSync On.  

   

4. After you’re done, simply exit out of the menu and start the game. 

Now you’ll see the crashing has subsided, and the game’s actually more stable than it was before. You’ll also notice a significant reduction in stutters by limiting FPS. 

Set Compatibility Mode For Both Executables

Another fix that can solve the Armored Core 6 crashing issue is configuring the two executable files in the installation folder to run in compatibility mode. The game, in its current state, might have compatibility issues with Windows 11, which is why you might be experiencing an increased number of crashes. It’s quite a simple fix; just follow the steps below: 

1. You’ll need to gain access to the Armored Core 6 locally installed files. I won’t be repeating the same steps, as I’ve already discussed them in the fixes before this. 
2. After you’re in the installation folder, you need to go inside the “Game” folder and do the following for both “Armoredcore6.exe” and “start_protected_game.exe:”
   1. Right-click on the executable file and access its properties. 
   2. Once inside the properties, you need to head over to the compatibility tab. 
   3. Here, you need to checkmark the option that says “Run This Program In Compatibility Mode For:” and select Windows 8 under it.  

      

   4. Now simply click on OK to save changes. 

Now you can try launching the game from Steam, and hopefully, you won’t be encountering the Armored Core 6 crashing issue anymore. 

Reduce The Processor’s Maximum Clock Speed

When your CPU frequency becomes 100%, it starts using the boost turbo clock speed, which gives you a significant boost in performance. Although it’s great, for some games, including Armored Core 6, this turbo is causing the game to be unstable and eventually crash. Hence, you’ll need to disable your CPU’s turbo boost feature. Here’s how: 

1. You need to open up Windows Search and type “Edit Power Plan” in the search. Once the result pops up, you need to click on it. 

   

2. After you open up the Windows Power Plan, click on the advanced settings to see another setting window. 
3. In that window, you need to scroll down until you see Processor Power Management. Click + Icon to expand this.

   

4. Inside Processor Power Management, go into the Maximum Processor State and turn all options to 95%. 

When we limit the processor’s clock speed to 95% of its original speed, it won’t hit its 100% speed; hence, the turbo boost won’t initiate. So, you can rest easy knowing you’ll have a stable experience in Armored Core 6. 

Terminate Background Processes

There are several processes running simultaneously on your Windows PC. Some of these processes are crucial to your Windows’s operation, while some are simply extras that are just there to hogg your system resources. Many of these programs that run in the background also cause interference with Armored Core 6 and cause it to freeze up and crash. So here’s how you can terminate unnecessary applications on your system to make it easier for Armored Core 6 to run: 

Active Applications

1. First, you must launch Task Manager by hitting the shortcut key CTRL + SHIFT + ESC. 

2. After opening up Task Manager, you’ll see several processes that are active and running. You can check the tabs above to see what system resource a process is using the most. 
3. Now, from here on out, all you need to do is identify the program that you don’t need and simply end that task. 
4. Keep repeating this step until you get rid of all unnecessary third-party applications that you don’t need. 

Auto Starting Application

1. Now, you need to switch over to the auto-starting applications tab. Here, you need to identify the applications that you don’t want starting up every time you boot up your PC. 
2. Once you identify an application as unnecessary, simply right-click on it and select disable. 
3. Repeat this process until all the necessary applications are disabled from auto-starting. 

Services

1. To enter the services manager, you need to open up Windows Search and search for “System Config,” then click on the first result. 
2. After you open the System Configuration, head over to the Services tab. 
3. Here, first, check the box that says “Hide All Microsoft Services.” to avoid disabling any service that’s crucial to the functioning of Windows. 
4. Now go through the list of applications and disable those which you don’t require running in the background.
5. After you’re done, simply click OK.

By doing all three steps mentioned above, you’ll release a lot of valuable resources that were taken up by unnecessary applications. This will give Armored Core 6 enough resources to run optimally and without any hitches. 

Did You Resolve The Crashing Issue? 

And there you have it, I’ve listed every possible fix to help you solve the Armored Core 6 crashing issue on your PC. You should know that developers will be releasing updates to address these issues, but until that happens, hopefully, these fixes will be able to improve your gameplay. If your problem isn’t being fixed by the solutions mentioned above, I highly recommend you contact Armored Core 6 support and relay them the exact nature of your issue. They’ll surely come up with the best solution for you. 

Check out more Armored Core 6 guides from eXputer:

• Armored Core 6: Best Armor
• Armored Core 6: All Stats
• Armored Core 6 Difficulty Settings 
• Armored Core 6 Tips And Tricks 
• Armored Core 6: The BEST Early Parts