FIXED: Battlefield 2042 Crashing [2023]

Battlefield 2042 was released at the start of an era where all the triple-A titles being released were in a terrible state on PC. So it was safe to expect that Battlefield 2042 would be no exception to this curse, and it was also released in a poor state on PC. Fast forward to 2023, and several patches later, several game-breaking bugs have been fixed. However, the Battlefield 2042 crashing issue still remains, and it’s bothering several players. We’re here to fix these crashes so you can get back into the game and get some Ws. 

Why Is Battlefield 2042 Crashing on PC?

There are various reasons behind Battlefield 2042 crashing on PC:

• Antivirus software messing with the game’s operation
• Missing game files/corruption
• PC not being powerful enough to run the game/incompatible hardware
• The game lacks proper permissions to access system hardware
• Problematic Game Cache 
• Outdated GPU Drivers
• In-Game Overlays interfering with the game 
• Bad overclocking profile

These remain one of the top reasons why Battlefield 2042 is crashing on your PC. Let’s figure out different fixes that can resolve it for you so you can play without interruptions. 

Check System Requirements for Battlefield 2042 First

Before we head towards applying different fixes to address the crashing issue, first, you need to make sure your PC is capable enough to run Battlefield 2042 in the first place. We’ve listed the official system requirements from EA below. Compare them against your hardware specs and see if lack of power is what’s crashing Battlefield 2042 on your system in the first place. 

Minimum PC Requirements For Battlefield 2042

• Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
• CPU (AMD): AMD Ryzen 5 1600
• CPU (Intel): Core i5 6600K
• System Memory: 8GB
• Video Card Memory: 4GB
• Graphics Card (NVIDIA): Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti
• Graphics Card (AMD): AMD Radeon RX 560
• DirectX Version: 12
• Requirement For Playing Online: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 100GB HDD

Recommended PC Requirements For Battlefield 2042

• Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
• CPU (AMD): AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
• CPU (Intel): Intel Core i7 4790
• System Memory: 16GB
• Video Card Memory: 8GB
• Graphics Card (NVIDIA): Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060
• Graphics Card (AMD): AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT
• DirectX Version: 12
• Requirement For Playing Online: 512 KBPS or faster Internet connection
• Storage Space Requirement: 100GB SSD

Did you successfully compare the Battlefield 2042 system requirements with your own PC? If you’re lacking in one or more categories, then you’ve found the reason behind your game crashing. The only solution here is to upgrade your PC in that category and try running the game again to avoid issues. If you can’t upgrade yet, you can always play previous battlefield titles like BF4, which has similar mechanics to 2042. 

Run the Game as Admin and Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Battlefield 2042 often crashes when it’s being restricted by your Windows from using your system’s resources. Whether it’s the local files or your hardware components, not having higher privileged access can cause the game to malfunction and crash on the desktop. Running your game as an administrator will surely fix the permission problem. Here’s how to do it: 

1. First, you’ll have to locate your game files. Simply open the Steam or EA game client on which you’ve got the game. Locate the game in your game library, right-click on the game’s icon and click on locate local files. 
2. You’ll be taken to the local install directory. Here, you have to locate the battlefield 2042 main executable file. Once found, right-click on it and select properties. 
3. In the properties, click on the compatibility tab.

   

4. In the compatibility tab, you must checkmark both Run this program as Administrator and Disable Fullscreen Optimization. 
5. After you’re done, click on ok to save changes. 

Now Battlefield 2042 will run with heightened administrative privileges. So if your game crashed due to missing permissions, it wouldn’t have that problem anymore. 

Verify Battlefield 2042 Game Files

If your game was working fine and had been crashing recently, whether it’s during matches or when you launch it, there’s a good chance your game files are the problem. Game files can go corrupted or missing due to interference with third-party applications like antiviruses or system junk cleaners. But you don’t have to redownload the whole game, as Steam and EA Origin provide you with a utility to scan and replace your missing/corrupted game files. Here’s how you can verify your game files for Battlefield 2042:

Steam

Steam offers a verify game file feature for all its games that you can use to resolve the problem of missing or corrupted files/ Here’s how you can use it: 

1. Open up Steam and locate Battlefield 2042 in your game library.
2. As you find Battlefield 2042, right-click on it and select properties. 
3. Inside properties, head over to the local files tab, and you’ll see the option to Verify the Integrity of Game Files option here. Simply click on it to begin the process. 

Once you begin the verification process, Steam will start scanning Battlefield 2042’s local install directory and figure out which files have gone corrupted or missing. As the scan finishes, it’ll tell you a summary of files that are verified and files that need to be re-downloaded. Next, click Ok to begin downloading said missing files and replace them within the installation directory automatically. 

Origin

EA Origin also has a file verification feature that lets you replace any missing or corrupted files with new ones to resolve any errors. All you have to do is follow the steps below: 

1. First, you need to open up the Origin client and access your games library. 
2. In the games library, locate Battlefield 2042, right-click on it, and select the repair feature.

As you start the file repair process, the client will scan your local installation directory for Battlefield 2042 and detect any missing or corrupted files that need to be replaced. Once the scan finishes, Origin will download that particular file and replace them back in your local directly. This is sure to fix the Battlefield crashing issue that you’ve been encountering a lot. 

Clear DirectX Shader Cache

Your system’s DirectX shader cache might’ve been corrupted, so Battlefield 2042 is crashing a lot on your PC. This cache system in Microsoft Windows stores all the precompiled shader files, which aid performance and stability in your applications and games.

Over time, the cache gets filled up on your PC, and it can get corrupted due to third-party programs or malware. This can lead to game crashes, FPS drops, and even stuttering in games if you don’t clear it timely. Here’s how to clear DirectX Shader Cache on your PC. 

1. Open up Windows Settings by using the shortcut key WIN + I.
2. Here, you’ll need to select the Storage Settings.

   

3. After entering the Storage Settings, you need to select the Temporary Files section.

   

4. Inside the Temporary Files section, you need to checkmark the DirectX Shader Cache option and select Remove on top to start the removal process. 

   

Once the process of clearing the DirectX Shader Cache completes, try rebooting your PC to finalize the removal process. This will remove all the built-up DirectX Shader Cache in your system, allowing your GPU to generate a fresh shader cache. You’re bound to see visible improvement in your gaming performance. 

After you’re done, all the built-up DirectX Shader Cache will be removed from your system, letting your GPU build a fresh cache. You’ll see an improvement in application and gaming performance if there are a lot of caches built up, slowing down your PC. This has a good chance of resolving the Star Wars Jedi Survivor crashing issue. 

Clear Game Client Cache

Battlefield 2042 is available on both Steam and EA Origin. Now depending on which game client you own the game on, they have a built-up cache that can become corrupted. After corruption, you can have trouble starting or even updating the game. Hence, it’s important that you clear the cache to resolve issues like Battlefield 2042 crashing.

Origin

If you’ve purchased Battlefield 2042 in EA’s own game client, Origin, you need to clear the EA application cache. You should be doing this every once in a while. However, if you didn’t know how important clearing the Origin cache was or how to do it, let us teach you how:

If you’ve purchased the game on EA’s Origin game client, the built-up EA Application could be the culprit behind your problems in Jedi Survivor. It’s good to clear this cache every once in a while; here’s how you can do it: 

1. First, you need to launch the Origin game client from either the taskbar or Windows Search.
2. Once it opens up, go to the hamburger menu button on the top-left corner of the screen, hover over the help section then click on App Recovery.

   

3. You’ll come across the following screen as you click on the App Recovery Option. Here you simply need to click on Clear Cachje in order to remove the built-up application cache for Origin.

   

Doing this will remove all stored-up cache that might have gone bad due to abrupt game shutdowns or malware. After you’re done removing it, simply close the Origin launcher and try launching Battlefield 2042 again. If you’re not facing crashes anymore, then it has worked. 

Steam

If you’ve got the game on Steam, you’ll need to clear up the Steam Download Cache to fix the crashing issue in Battlefield 2042. Here’s how you can do it. 

1. Launch Steam from either the Windows Search or through the taskbar in the bottom-right corner of the desktop. 
2. Once Steam opens up, go to the settings menu by clicking on Steam in the top-left corner of the application and selecting the Settings option from the context menu. 

   

3. Inside settings, you’ll need to head over to the Downloads tab and then select the Clear Download Cache option to start the clearing process. 

   

After you’ve successfully cleared the Steam Download Cache, try launching Battlefield 2042 and see if the game’s crashing anymore or not. It’s sure to stop crashing if a corrupted cache is the reason behind this problem. 

Exclude Battlefield 2042 Game Directory in Antivirus

Another common reason behind the crashing issue of Battlefield 2042 is your system’s Antivirus software. Besides protecting your PC from threats, it can also sometimes restrict your game’s access to the internet or system hardware. This is due to your Antivirus generating a false-positive on game files and suspecting them of being potentially harmful files. So it either removes them from the system or blocks the game’s access to system resources. 

This is what you need to do to resolve this problem:

1. Open up Windows Search and look for Windows Security. Once the results pop up, click the first one. 
2. After you’re inside the Windows Security settings, you need to go to the Virus and Threat Protection tab on the left. Here, click on the Manage Settings option.

   

3. After you access the Virus and Threat settings, turn off the Real-Time Protection feature here. 

   

Turning off Real-Time Protection will disable the Windows Defender scanning capabilities. After disabling Windows Defender, try launching Battlefield 2042 now and see if you’re encountering any crashing. If the cashing has subsided, then you’ve found the problem. Now if you want to continue using Windows Defender and avoid crashing, do the following:

1. Since you’re already inside the Windows Defender Settings, scroll down until you see Add or Remove Exclusions under the Exclusions settings.

   

2. After clicking on it, you need to select the +Add an Exclusion option and choose to add a folder.
3. Now all you need to do is located your Battlefield 2042 installation folder and add it to this exclusion list. 

   

Adding your Battlefield 2042 installation directory to the exclusion list will prevent the Windows Defender from interfering with it. This way, you’ll be able to protect your PC from threats and play Battlefield 2042 without crashing issues. 

Update Your GPU Drivers

GPU manufacturers release crucial updates before a major game release containing helpful optimizations and tweaks. These are geared toward improving performance and fixing any issues that old drivers might not address. So, I recommend that you install the latest driver updates, which are sure to help you fix the Battlefield crashing issue. 

Nvidia

There are multiple ways you can download and install the latest driver for Nvidia GPUs. One is that you download the driver file from the GeForce Drivers website and install it manually. The other method is updating your Nvidia GPU drivers through the GeForce Experience application, which is way easier. We’ll be showing you the latter method below: 

1. If you’ve already got the application installed, simply launch GeForce Experience through Windows Search or through the taskbar, as shown in the image above. 
2. As the application opens up, you need to head over to the Driver tab and click on Check for updates. 

3. Now either you’ll have updates that need to be downloaded, or you’ll be on the latest drivers already. 
4. If you have drivers to download, click the download button to download the update. Once the update download is complete, click the express installation button to start installing the update. 
5. Remember to restart your PC after installing the update to finalize the installation. 

Now you’ve successfully updated your Nvidia GPU to the latest game-ready driver. It will contain helpful fixes that are sure to fix your crashing issues. Even if the driver didn’t particularly contain a fix for Battlefield 2042, updating your drivers will refresh your driver files and clear out any corrupted files that might be causing this issue. You can further optimize the Nvidia control panel for Battlefield 2042 with our best Nvidia settings guide.

AMD

If you got an AMD GPU, we recommend the same, that you should update your drivers to the latest ones. All you need to do is download the AMD Radeon Panel application and update the driver from these. So let’s start the update now:

1. First, you have to open Radeon Software from either the desktop or through the taskbar in the bottom right. 
2. Here, you need to head over to the Drivers and Softwares panel and observe the driver updating the section on the right. 
3. If there are updates available, it’ll notify you. All you need to do is start downloading it. Once it’s downloaded, click on the install button to open up the installation screen. 
4. Make sure to reboot your PC after the update is installed. 

And that’s all you needed to do. Now you’re running the latest version of the AMD drivers on your PC. Installing the latest driver is a sure way to resolve Battlefield 2042 crashing error. You can further enhance the performance of the game by tweaking your Radeon settings with our AMD best settings guide. 

Disable Third-Party Application Overlays

If you’re a frequent gamer, you’ll have several gaming-related applications installed on your system. Most of them have in-game overlays that remain active while playing Battlefield 2042. While some take up valuable resources reducing your FPS, some cause clashes with the game. These clashes result in the game crashing to the desktop. 

These third-party overlays can be the reason behind the Battlefield 2042 crashing issue. So, it’s best that you disable these third-party overlays if you don’t use them to also get a small uplift in performance as well. Here are examples of a few popular applications and how you can disable their overlays. 

Steam

If you have the Battlefield 2042 on Steam, that Steam’s overlay will be running while you’re playing it. It has a handful of essential features, but try disabling it and see if the crashing subsides. Here’s how to do it: 

1. First, you have to open up Steam and then locate Battlefield 2042 in your game library. 
2. Once you find the game, right-click on it and open up its properties. 

3. After accessing the properties, you’ll see Enable Steam Overlay option. Simply uncheck this and close Steam.

This is all you need to do to disable Steam Overlay from ever showing up in-game or running in the background. 

Discord

The Discord overlay helps you monitor the voice chat and lets you identify the speaker. If you’re playing Battlefield 2042 with your pals and don’t need this overlay, I recommend turning this off. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open up Discord from the taskbar in the bottom-right corner. 
2. As it opens up, click on the settings (gear) icon next to your name and display picture.  

3. In settings, locate the Game Overlay tab on the left by scrolling down and clicking on it.
4. In that tab, you’ll see a setting named Enable In-Game Overlay on the top. Simple toggle it off to disable the Discord overlay for good.

With this, you will disable Discord’s overlay for all games, not just Battlefield 2042. 

Xbox Game Bar

Xbox Game Bar is also a popular overlay application that keeps running in your background. It’s similar to Nvidia’s shadowplay, as it also lets you record and share moments in games. If you have no use for it, best disable it to avoid any clash with Battlefield 2042. Here’s how to do it: 

1. Firstly, open up Windows Settings by using the shortcut key Win + I.

2. Inside the Windows Settings, head over to the Gaming Tab section and then go into the Captures menu. 
3. You’ll see several options here, all related to either screenshots or recordings. Simply disable them all. 
4. After you’re done, you’ll need to head over to the Apps tab and then to the Apps and Features section of the settings.

4. Here, you’ll spot a search bar in the App List section. Type Game Bar in the search, and the Xbox Game Bar application will pop up.
5. Click on the 3 dot menu next to it and access the Advanced Options.
6. In the Advanced Options,  you’ll spot a setting named Let this App Run In the Background. It’ll be located right under Background App Permissions. You need to toggle this setting to Never to disable Xbox Game Bar from your PC completely.  
7. Once you’re done, also go ahead and terminate the application to stop Xbox Game Bar from running in the background. 

This is all you need to do to disable Xbox Game Bar from your PC. Several other applications have their own overlay, like MSI Afterburner, that clash with Battlefield 2042. Make sure you disable all of them before checking to see if the Battlefield 2042 cashing has stopped or not.  

Remove Any Overclocks

If you’re a PC enthusiast, then you’ve got to have an overclocking profile active to squeeze every ounce of juice from your system. The problem is some overclocking profiles can cause issues with Battlefield 2042 and cause it to crash on the desktop. I suggest you temporarily restore the default clock speeds of your PC and try running the game again to see if the crashing has stopped. If the game isn’t crashing anymore after you’ve restored clocks, then I suggest you play Battlefield 2042 like this. Or, you can always try re-tuning your overclock profile to set a profile that suits Battlefield 2042. 

Did Your Crashing Finally Stop? 

So here are all the tried and tested methods that effectively resolve the Battlefield 2042 crashing issue on PC. Even today, the game isn’t 100% working well for all system configurations, so you’ll have to apply these fixes in order to fix the crashing for yourself. The game has indeed come a long way from its buggy launch state, however, it may have a few miles more to go before it’s running without issues on all supported hardware. However, I doubt this game will be relevant by then as EA will probably have another Battlefield upon us by then. 

If you’ve solved the crashing issue, time to optimize the game for maximum performance with our Battlefield 2042 best settings guide!