Payday 2 seen a steady stream of loyal players for quite some time and has a huge fan following as well. Despite frequent updates being released to target bugs, there are still cases reported of Payday 2 crashing either upon starting or in mid-game when the player is in the middle of the action. This is a known issue with the game for quite some time and there are also loads of workarounds available. Take a look. Tip: Before you proceed with all the solutions, make sure that you Powercycle your computer completely. This will also in turn restart Steam and this may solve the problem.
Solution 1: Disabling your mods and installing latest patches
If you are using several mods to change the gameplay or add some features, it is advised that you disable these mods and try launching the game again properly. Mods change the core files of the game and tweak the behavior. If there is some mod which is clashing with the settings, it is best to remove that mod and try launching the game again.
If you are not using any mods, you should head over to the official page and download any patches if made available. Developers always release bug fixes and improvements immediately if something bad hits the game enterprise. Install the latest patches and try running the game again.
Solution 2: Disabling ‘Use HQ Weapons’
There is an option available in the game settings with the tagline ‘Use HQ Weapons’. This setting provides you more detailed texture and details on the weapon you are using the game. This will in in-turn put more load on the graphics card and may crash the game if the computer is unable to handle this request.
Solution 3: Reinstalling all required software modules
Steam has a directory of software which is used to ensure that the game has all required components for its proper running and operation. There are some cases where the software involved is not automatically installed on the computer and thus this causes Payday to crash. We can try manually reinstalling the software and check if this proves to be useful. Here the directory where Steam is installed is “D”. This may vary for you if you have it installed somewhere else. Make changes to the file path navigate to the directory.
Solution 4: Disabling Steam Overlay
Steam Overlay is an option which allows access to Steam when you are in-game. This enables you to check out people’s guides and also access your friend’s list and see who is online. There have been several reports which indicate that Steam Overlay was the culprit in Payday 2 crashing. Let’s disable it and see if this works.
Solution 5: Checking integrity of game files
It may be the case that your game files may be corrupted or may have some missing game files. Because of this Payday 2 might be crashing. Your library files can also be in the incorrect configuration which may lead to further complexities. We will check the integrity of your game files and see if anything is amiss.
Solution 6: Removing render_settings
Each game has a file where initial directions and configurations are stored. The game uses this file to load initial configurations and settings. It is possible that this file is corrupt or there are some discrepancies. When we cut-paste the file to another location, the game will automatically see that the file is not present and make a default one. This way all settings will be reset to default and problems will be solved (if any).
Solution 7: Uninstalling the game and running in safe mode
If the game has started showing problems after installing a new patch, it is possible that there are some problems with the files or their configuration isn’t quite what it should be. One workaround which worked for numerous people was uninstalling the game, running the game in safe mode and then reinstalling it. This ensures that there are no other third-party programs running in the background which might be causing the problem.
Note: This workaround also works for PS4. In PS4, boot into safe mode with option 5, and try reinstalling the game.
Solution 8: Updating/rolling back Graphics drivers
Graphics card manufacturers roll our frequent updates to include more features and reduce bugs all the time. You should explore the internet, google your hardware and see if there are any available drivers for you to install. Either this or you can let Windows automatically update them for you. Nevertheless, a little research might make the troubleshooting easier for you. Furthermore, if updating the drivers don’t work for you, you should consider rolling back the drivers to a previous build. It is not a surprise to know that newer drivers are sometimes not stable or conflict with the operating system. Note: Do not ignore Intel Display Drivers. If your computer has Intel HD/UHD drivers even if you are using some other one, you have to make sure they are updated to the latest build.
Solution 9: Checking for conflicting software
There has been a list released by the developer of Payday 2 regarding different software which may conflict with the game. If you have any software present in the list, search for alternatives and uninstall the software.
HamachiDisplayLinkRaptrQualcomm Killer Network ManagerASUS Gamer OSDASUS Smart DoctorEvolve clientAvira AntivirusOverwolfRazer’s Synapse StatisticsAvast Home Network Protection (Add Payday 2 and it’s installation folder to the exceptions)EVGA PrecisionX (this program can auto start even if you think it’s disabled)RivaTunerKaspersky Antivirus (has been reported in cause FPS dropsGeForce Experience (has been reported in some cases to increase loading times)
In addition to these solutions, you can also try the following:
Running Payday 2 in compatibility modeEditing the render_settings file and set the correct resolution.Running the game in windowed mode.Limiting Framerate from within the game.Changing the multithreaded value to FalseFlushing DNSChanging to Default controls in SettingsIf you have dual graphics hardware (inbuilt Intel and NVIDIA or AMD), you should navigate to your main graphics hardware settings and set Payday to only use the main hardware.
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