How To Stop Sons of the Forest Crashing

The Forest was a major hit for survival horror and even ran amazingly on older hardware. Sons of the Forest a worthy sequel with tons of gameplay and graphical improvements. Even though the game’s optimization is on par with the original, players may face sudden Sons of Forest crashing and black screen issues every now and then.

When players launch the game, it suddenly stops working and either crashes to the desktop or gets stuck at a black screen. Either that or your game will randomly crash mid-gameplay which is the most frustrating thing. Here’s how to resolve this issue. 

Check System Requirements for Sons of Forest

Before we start exploring different fixes to resolve the Sons of Forest crashing issue, we first had to verify whether your system can handle the game or not. We’ve listed both the minimum and recommended system requirements that you need to rock in order to play the game. 

Sons of the Forest Minimum PC Requirements

• Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
• CPU: Intel Core I5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X
• RAM: 12 GB RAM
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
• DirectX Version: 11
• Storage Space Required: 20 GB available space

Sons of the Forest Recommended PC Requirements

• Operating System: 64-bit Windows 10
• CPU: Intel Core I7-8700K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600X
• RAM: 16 GB RAM
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce 1080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
• DirectX Version: Version 11
• Storage Space Required: 20 GB available space

If your PC checks out and is perfectly capable of running the game, then there are probably other problems that might be causing the Sons of Forest to crash and black screen issues. We’ve listed some of the most effective fixes that will get you to start your survival journey in this amazing sequel to the Forest. 

Update Your Windows

Windows release updates every now and then that you need to timely install. They not only help optimize your PC’s performance but also give you a boost in games. Updates also consist of several bug fixes that help patch your PC to prevent issues like Sons of Forest crashing. Here’s how you can get your Windows updated to the latest updates:

1. You can open the Windows Update section of your settings by pressing WIN + I and clicking on Windows Update on the top right.
2. Once the Windows Update section of settings opens up, you’ll either see updates that need to be installed or a check for updates button. If there are any updates available, install them immediately. Alternatively, click “Check for Updates” to see if any are available.
3. If Windows is able to successfully install the update, it will prompt you to restart your PC.

After your PC restarts, you’ll have all the latest updates from Microsoft installed on your PC. After the updates, try launching Sons of Forest now and see if your game crashes. If it’s fixed then outdated Windows was the culprit behind the crashing issue. If it still persists, then keep following this guide till the end.

Run Sons of Forest as Administrator and Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Another reason why you’re facing the Sons of Forest crashing issue is that the game is having trouble with permissions in accessing local files. You’ll need to grant it higher access privileges for Sons of Forest to function normally and run without crashes or black screens. Here’s how you can do it:

1. First, locate the installation folder for Sons of Forest. It’ll be somewhere in the directory mentioned below: 
   C:\Program Files(x86)\Steam\steamapps\common
   In case you have the game installed on another drive, you’ll need to right-click Sons of Forest in your Steam Library -> go to properties -> local files -> click on locate local files.
2. Once you reach the game install location, right-click on the main game’s executable and select properties. 

3. Once you open properties, navigate to the compatibility tab and check the options here. 
4. Here, you have to check two options. First, check the option that says Run the program as an administrator. Next, you should also check the Disable Fullscreen Optimizations option. 

Fullscreen optimization is a gimmicky feature from Windows that puts your game in a weird hybrid Fullscreen/Borderless Windowed mode which causes issues in the game. Best disable it. 

Once you’re done with everything, click on the “OK” button and try launching Sons of Forest now. If you were experiencing Sons of Forest crashing issue due to the game’s inability to access files properly, this will surely fix your issue. In case it doesn’t, then your files are probably missing or damaged. Follow the next fix to resolve that.

Verify Game Files with Steam

Experiencing various errors, from Sons of the Forest crashing to the game not launching, can result from disordered local files. Even a single corrupted or missing file can disrupt gameplay entirely. Fortunately, Steam provides a solution to recover damaged files through the “Verify Files Integrity” feature.

This feature scans your local game install folder, comparing files to its database. If it detects one or two missing files, it redownloads those specific files rather than the entire game. Here’s how to use it:

1. First, you got to open the Steam application. You can either open it up from the taskbar on the bottom right corner of the desktop. Alternatively, you can search for it in Windows Search and open it from there.
2. When your Steam game library is opened After that, locate Sons of Forest in your games library. Once you find it, right-click on it to open its settings. From the contextual menu, you’ll have to click on properties.

3. After the properties have been opened, Go to the Local Files tab to the left.
4. Click here to select from the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” option to begin the process.

Once Steam begins verifying your files, it could take anywhere from a couple of minutes to several hours, depending on the speed of your storage drive. As it checks each installation file individually and detects any problems, it will notify you at the end of the procedure. When everything’s complete and Steam has downloaded an executable for testing purposes only, you won’t be facing the Sons of Forest crashing issue anymore.

Disable your Antivirus Software Temporarily

Your Antivirus is one of the major reasons why your local game files go corrupted or missing. It sends off a false positive to the Antivirus engine, which in turn deletes the file under suspicion. However, Antivirus software also restricts your game from accessing system resources and required files properly, crashing the Sons of Forest before it even starts.

To continue using your Antivirus software while enjoying Sons of Forest without the crashing issue, all you need to do is whitelist its install folder. Go within your Antivirus setting, and you’ll see a whitelist folder or exclude folder option there. Add the Sons of Forest install directory there, and that’s it. Now your Antivirus software won’t be snooping around in here, letting you enjoy Sons of Forest without any crashing or black screen issues.

Disable 3rd-Part Application Overlays

If you’re a gamer, you’ll find several applications installed and running on your PC computer that continues working in the background. Some of these applications have special overlay menus that remain in use during gameplay.

These overlays consume resources and even cause issues with certain games. Therefore, you may be encountering Sons of Forest crashing issue due to one of these overlays. Here’s how to disable overlays in the most popular programs you have installed.

Disable Steam Overlay

Steam overlay is always running in the background whenever you’re playing a game from Steam. You can use it to access steam functionalities while in-game. However, here’s how you can disable it in case you don’t need it:

1. Open up steam from either the Windows Search or from the taskbar in the bottom right corner of the windows. 
2. Once you have steam opened up, locate Sons of Forest in your gaming library and go to its properties. 

3. Here under General Tab, all you need to do is uncheck the option that says Enable Steam Overlay In-Game. 

Now you’ve successfully turned off Steam Overlay for Sons of Forest.

Disable Discord Overlay

Discord Overlay is used to see which of your voice chat members are talking and lets you somewhat control your voice channels in-game. This could be helpful if you’re playing Sons of Forest with your friends. However, if you’re riding solo, then best disable it. Here’s how:

1. Firstly, open up Discord from either the taskbar or look it up in the Windows Search. 
2. Once you open up Discord, go to its setting (gear icon right next to your name and DP).

3. In the Discord settings, you’ll see the game overlay tab on the left; click on it.
4. Once you open up Game Overlay settings, toggle the enable in-game overlay option off to disable discord overlay.

Now you’ve successfully disabled Discord Overlay from your PC.

Disable Xbox Game Bar

Xbox Game Bar is one of the gaming features Microsoft launched in Windows 10 and 11. Xbox Game Bar helps you keep track of your system’s resources as well as record your gameplay highlights as you go. If you’re not actually using it, you should disable it for any crashes with Sons of Forest. Here’s how to accomplish this:

1. Launch Windows Settings by short key WIN Key + I.

2. Once you open Windows Settings, go to the Gaming tab and then to the Captures menu. Here, disable all the options shown above.
3. After this, you should go over to the apps tab and then to the Apps and Features setting.

4. In the search bar here, type Game Bar.
5. The Game Bar App will pop up below. Click on its menu button and select Advanced Option.
6. After opening up the Advanced Options, you’ll see the Let This App Run In Background option under Background App Permissions. Here you should select Never.
7. Once done, scroll down and click Terminate to close down Game Bar for Good.

You have successfully disabled Windows Game Bar for good.

Remove any GPU Overclocking Profile

If you’re using any overclocking profile through different software like Intel XTU, AMD Ryzen Master, Throttlestop, etc, it’s best that you disable it. Overclocks may work wonders in some titles, but they can also cause several problems in a few titles. If you’re constantly facing the Sons of Forest crashing issue, then your overclocking profile might be interfering with the game’s normal operation. 

Simply restore your original clock speeds for the duration of your gameplay and check whether the game runs just fine. If the game’s running great after restoring your original CPU/GPU clocks, then overclocking was the issue. 

Note: If you aren’t using any software to overclock your hardware, chances are an overclocking profile was set within your bios. You have to shut down your PC and enter into your Bios/UEFI to restore your original clock speed for both CPU and GPU.

Did We Help You Resolve Sons of Forest Crashing Issue?

We’ve successfully listed every possible fix that will help you solve the Sons of Forest crashing and black screen issues. The game has been released in really great condition with good performance optimization compared to back when the original came out. These minor issues happen, and hopefully, our fixes will be able to address these with ease. However, if you’re still having issues after trying out all the fixes, you’ll have to wait for an official patch from the devs. 

If you want more tips on improving your gaming performance in Windows, check out our complete Windows Optimization Guide for Gaming.