10 Ways to Fix Unreal Engine 4 Crashing Issues

How to fix Unreal Engine 4 crashing

"I've been using different versions of Unreal Engine 4 on my computer for several years, but recently it suddenly crashed on startup. I initially thought it was a project related issue, but then noticed that even from the desktop icon Or the Epic Games Launcher executes Unreal Engine 4, which also crashes directly after flashing for a few seconds. This issue is really giving me a headache as I've never made any changes to the system before this, and from the log files, The reason seems to be that Unreal Engine 4 can't find more than one file. I'm really stumped by this issue, can anyone give some solid advice?"

Unreal Engine is a game engine developed by Epic Games for first-person shooters in 1988. It has now been updated to the fifth generation, but the most popular worldwide is still Unreal Engine 4. As one of the best modern game engines, Unreal Engine 4 has unique tools for designing and creating games, but at the same time the engine has some problems, the most common of which is the crash described in the above case. If you are also suffering from Unreal Engine 4 crashing issue, please read the following in detail to fix this issue. But before that, it is recommended that you understand the cause of the problem.

Why does Unreal Engine 4 crashing?

Typically, crashes only occur when the Unreal Engine 4 process cannot continue to function or an error occurs. So, why does this happen to the Unreal Engine 4 process? The following are common reasons.

• Unreal Engine 4 version is outdated.
• Graphics card driver is outdated.
• Incorrect Epic Games launcher installation file.
• Prolonged CPU or graphics card overclocking.
• Insufficient integrated graphics card performance.
• System files are corrupted.
• Incorrect Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDR) settings.
• Third-party antivirus software interferes.

10 Ways to Fix Unreal Engine 4 Crashes

If you're having trouble with Unreal Engine 4 crashing on startup, here are 10 ways to fix it.

• Update Unreal Engine 4.
• Update graphics card driver.
• Verify Epic Games Launcher Installation Files.
• Stop overclocking the CPU or graphics card.
• Change the integrated graphics card to a discrete graphics card.
• Execute SFC and DISM.
• Modify the TDR value from the login editor.
• Disable or uninstall third-party antivirus software.
• Disable full screen optimization (Fortnite example).
• Reinstall Unreal Engine 4.

Method 1. Update Unreal Engine 4

As a popular game engine in the world, Unreal Engine 4 is still constantly launching new versions. If you have not updated for a long time, the old version of Unreal Engine 4 may have stability problems, which may cause it to crash in severe cases. To do this, you need to check and install the latest version of Unreal Engine 4. Note that the following actions need to be done in the Epic Games launcher, so you'll need to download and install it first.

1. Open the Epic Games launcher, select the Unreal Engine tab in the left panel, and select Game Library in the right panel.
2. Click the + icon next to the engine version, if a new version is available, select the latest version and click the Install button.

After installing the latest version, restart Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 2. Update the graphics card driver

Unreal Engine 4 crashes when the graphics card driver is outdated or corrupted. According to the feedback from many users, updating the graphics card driver is an effective repair method, and it also helps to improve the game performance and experience.

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager from the expanded menu.
2. Find and expand the Display adapters, right-click the graphics card you are currently using, and select Update driver.

3. In the Update Driver window, click the Automatically search for drivers option.
4. Wait for the process to complete and see if any drivers are available. If a driver is available, just install it directly. Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Note: In addition to updating the driver from the Device Manager, you can also go to the official website of the graphics card manufacturer (NVIDIA or AMD) and manually download and install the latest driver.

Method 3. Verify the Epic Games launcher installation files

Unreal Engine 4 may also crash if the Epic Games launcher installation file is incorrect. Therefore, when you encounter this problem, you can try the tools built into the Epic Games launcher to check for corruption of installed files.

1. Open the Epic Games launcher , select the Unreal Engine tab in the left panel, and select Game Library in the right panel.
2. Find the version you are currently using under Engine Version, click the arrow icon next to Start, and select Verify from the expanded menu.

Note: If Unreal Engine 4 crashes during the game, you can select the crashed game in the game library, click the gear icon, and then click Properties > Local Files > Verify, which will automatically repair the corrupted local files.

3. After waiting for the program to automatically scan and verify automatically, the startup option will appear. Click the Start button at this time. See if Unreal Engine 4 still crashes, if the problem persists, move on to the next method.

Method 4. Stop overclocking the CPU or graphics card

Overclocking can effectively increase the frequency of the CPU and graphics card, and improve the overall performance of the computer for a better gaming experience. But in fact, overclocking will cause unstable performance, resulting in poor CPU or graphics card stability, which may cause Unreal Engine 4 to crash. So, when you encounter the above problem during overclocking, you can try to stop overclocking to fix the problem.

Typically, overclocking graphics cards requires specialized overclocking software, such as AMD Wattman, Sapphire TriXX, EVGA Precision X, MSI Afterburner, etc. Therefore, if you want to stop the overclocking of the graphics card, you only need to adjust the frequency back to the normal state in the overclocking software and close the overclocking software. Note that the stopping method for CPU overclocking is also the same. After stopping all overclocking, restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crashing problem still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 5. Change the integrated graphics card to a discrete graphics card

Intel's CPUs and notebook computers are often equipped with integrated graphics cards. Compared with independent graphics cards, integrated graphics cards have the advantages of low power consumption and low heat generation, but the overall performance is lower. If you are using an integrated graphics card to play the game, there may be a lack of performance that can cause Unreal Engine 4 to crash. So you need to check and change the default graphics card. Note that this method requires a discrete graphics card to be installed in your computer to work.

1. Right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel from the expanded menu.
2. Select the Manage 3D Settings tab in the left panel, switch your preferred graphics processor to a high-performance NVIDIA processor in the right panel, and click the Apply button.

Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 6. Perform SFC and DISM

System File Checker (SFC) is a tool integrated in Windows systems that scans all protected system files and verifies their integrity, and replaces any damaged system files if found; Deployment Image Servicing and Management Tool (DISM) is a command-line tool that allows system administrators to prepare, modify, and repair repair Windows system images, including Windows Recovery Environment, Windows Installer, and Windows PE. Together, these two tools can help you fix Unreal Engine 4 crashes.

1. Use Windows+S to open the search bar, enter cmd and select Run as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window , type sfc /scannow and press Enter.
3. Then enter the following commands in sequence, and press Enter respectively to execute the commands:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 7. Modify the TDR value from the login editor

Timeout Detection and Recovery (TDP) is mainly used to check whether the graphics card and computer are in normal working condition, and reset your graphics card if not. The TDR value represents the recovery level, you can try to modify the TDR value from the login editor, which will help to fix the crash of Unreal Engine 4. Please note that there is a certain risk in editing the login file. If there is an editing error, it will cause irreversible damage to the operating system and cause the system to crash. Therefore, it is recommended that you backup file before the operation .

1. Use Windows+R to open the execution window, type regedit and press Enter.
2. In the upper left corner of the login editor window, click the File button and select the Export option.
3. After selecting a destination for the copy, enter a name for the copy, and click the Archive button.
4. Return to the Login Editor window and navigate to the following path:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers

5. Select the GraphicsDrivers key, right-click on the blank area, select Add, and then select DWORD (32-bit) Value.
6. Name the newly created key TdrLevel and double-tap to turn it on.
7. Set the value data to 0 and click the OK button.

Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 8. Disable or uninstall third-party antivirus software

While Windows 10 and Windows 11's built-in Windows Defender Firewall is good enough for virus protection, many users are still obsessed with installing third-party antivirus software to keep their computers safe. These 3rd party antiviruses are usually not a problem, but sometimes they can interfere with other applications and cause problems with Unreal Engine 4 crashing. At this point, you need to disable or uninstall third-party antivirus software to fix the problem.

1. Click the arrow icon in the notification area at the far right of the taskbar to find and close the third-party antivirus software.
2. Use ESC+Shift+Ctrl to open Work Admin, switch to the Startup tab at the top , and disable third -party antivirus software.
3. If you no longer need third-party antivirus software for your computer. Please use Windows+I to open Windows Settings, and click the Applications option.
4. Find the third-party antivirus software in the Apps and Features list, click the Uninstall button, and confirm this action.

Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 9. Disable Full Screen Optimization

In some cases, game compatibility issues may also cause Unreal Engine 4 to crash. According to feedback from some users, disabling the full-screen optimization function can effectively fix this problem. Please note that the following operations use the game Fortnite as an example.

1. Open File Explorer with Windows+E and lead to the following path:

Native Disk (C:)>Program Files (x86)>Epic Games>Fortnite>Fortnite Game>Binaries>Win64.

2. FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe in the Win64 folder, right-click it and select Properties.
3. Switch to the Compatibility tab at the top, check the Disable full-screen optimisations checkbox in the Settings section, and click the OK button.

4. Right-click on FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping_BE.exe and select Properties.
5. Follow the same steps above to disable full screen optimization and click the OK button. Restart your computer and start Unreal Engine 4 and see if the crash still occurs, if the problem persists, go to the next method.

Method 10. Reinstall Unreal Engine 4

Reinstalling the application can effectively fix many problems, and if none of the above methods solve your Unreal Engine 4 crashing issue, then you have one last option and that is to reinstall it.

1. Open the Epic Games launcher, select the Unreal Engine tab in the left panel, and select Game Library in the right panel.
2. Find the currently installed Unreal Engine 4 under the engine version, click the arrow icon next to Start, then select the Remove button, and confirm to uninstall.
3. After the uninstall is complete, click the + icon next to the engine version and install the latest version of Unreal Engine 4.

Backup your system regularly to prevent system crashes

The crash of Unreal Engine 4 will seriously affect your game experience. Please refer to the above 10 methods to fix this problem as soon as possible to ensure that you can play the game smoothly. However, behind the above problems may involve corrupted system files and cause system crashes, etc. Therefore, it is recommended to develop a habit of regularly backing up your system, using AOMEI Backupper Standard for scheduled system backups to prevent any possible system problems.

In Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP and other versions, you can use AOMEI Backupper Standard to free system files, boot file related partitions (EFI system partition and recovery partition, etc.), system disk applications and User settings files are backed up to any location. If you have never used the software before, please follow the steps below. In any case, you need to download and install the software:

Step 1. First open the software, click Backup and then select System Backup.

Step 2. The software will automatically select the system partition and boot-related partitions. So you only need to select a destination.

Step 3. Click Start Backup to backup system before upgrade.

Notes:

• Options: It also provides features such as writing comments, choosing compression levels and setting up email notifications.
• Schedule Backup: This feature allows you to set the frequency of system backups such as Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger and USB plug in. The latter two features are available in the Pro edition.
• Backup Scheme: You can choose different backup methods, and if you upgrade to the pro version, you can also enable automatic backup cleanup feature to save you disk space.
• Explore Image: If you just want to restore individual files or folders instead of the entire backup, you can mount the system image as virtual partitions with the Explore Image feature.

Summary

The crash of Unreal Engine 4 will directly affect the game experience. Please try the 10 methods provided in this article as soon as possible to fix it. However, it should be noted that damaged system files may be the cause of this problem. In order to prevent more serious system crashes, it is recommended that you develop the habit of regularly backing up your system. Quick recovery in the event of a system crash.

You can create system backup images in different Windows versions through AOMEI Backupper Standard, and you can easily complete system backup in just a few simple steps. In addition to this, the software can also provide you with other more functions, such as Partition backup, disk clone , partition clone, etc., to meet your more needs.