How To Fix Atomic Heart Crashing on Startup or Launch on PC

Solutions for fatal crashes on startup.

Atomic Heart has become a hugely popular PC game due to its storyline set in an alternate world where the Soviet Union has achieved mastery in AI and robotics to create a utopian society. It provides an exciting gaming experience that players enjoy thoroughly. However, many PC gamers are complaining about Atomic Heart crashing on startup on their PC.

To help you fix the problem here we have explained the solutions to resolve Atomic Heart crashing issues on startup.

How To Fix Atomic Heart Startup Crashing on PC?

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Those who are using the Steam client to play Atomic Heart and are dealing with crashes can apply the below-mentioned tips.

1. Check System Requirements

Before proceeding further make sure that your PC meets the system requirements to run the Atomic Heart on Windows 11 & 10. game to make sure your PC is meeting the compatibility to run this game smoothly. Now, if you’re using outdated hardware or software then make sure to upgrade the particular item to make it compatible.

Minimum Requirements

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 (20H1 version or newer, 64-bit versions)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-2500
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 4 GB VRAM, AMD Radeon R9 380 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 DirectX: Version 12
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 90 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: 30 FPS, 1920×1080 in low

Recommended Requirements

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 (20H1 version or newer, 64-bit versions)
  • Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-7700K
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: 8 GB VRAM, AMD RX 6700 XT or NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Storage: 90 GB available space
  • Additional Notes: SSD recommended, 60 FPS, 1920×1080 in ultra

2. Update Your Graphics Driver

Another major cause of Atomic Heart crashes is liked with outdated GPU drivers. Even if you have the latest hardware available you will face startup or on-launch crashes. It’s important to check for and download any recent driver updates from the official Nvidia or AMD website.

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UPDATE YOUR DRIVERS
in Windows 11, 10 and 7

Use Driver Easy to update all the missing & outdated device drivers on PC for free.

For new users who don’t have skills or time the updating process is a time-consuming task. You might end up installing the wrong drivers.

So we recommend downloading Driver Easy software on your PC. This program is a professional system driver updater that automatically scans a PC’s old driver and updates them instantly.

The Driver Easy is an N0.1 software updater tool in its field and for 12 years users are using it to fix their PC errors.

So download Driver Easy and let it deal with all the system drivers.

3. Check the Integrity of Game Files

While downloading and installing Atomic Hearts, it’s possible to lose important game files & folders. You can verify the local files on Steam using these steps:

  1. Open Steam Library and find Atomic Heart.
  2. Right-click on the game and select Properties.
  3. Choose the Local Files tab.
  4. Click on the “Verify Integrity of game files” option.

This process will verify the game files and replace any missing or corrupted files.

4. Switch to a Dedicated GPU

If you have installed multiple GPUs on your PC, it’s possible that Wild Heart may encounter confusion on which GPU to utilize, leading to a startup crashing issue. To resolve this issue, you’ll need to disable the integrated GPU that you don’t want the game to use. You can accomplish this by following these steps:

  1. Access the Device Manager on your computer.
  2. Double-click on the Display Adapters option to reveal the list.
  3. Right-click on the GPU that you want to disable and select the “Disable driver” option.
  4. Launch Atomic Heart again and the game should utilize the dedicated GPU without any issues.

5. Run the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool

Your PC may be low on memory to utilize for Atomic Hearts. You may want to try running the Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool. Follow these steps to do so:

  1. Press the Win + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  2. Type “mdsched” into the dialog box and click on OK.
  3. Choose the option to “Restart now and check for problems.”
  4. The Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool will launch and run a series of tests to check for any issues with your system’s memory.

If you’re still experiencing crashing issues with Atomic Heart after attempting the above fixes, there are additional steps you can try to resolve the problem.

6. Disable In-Game Overlay

  1. Open Steam.
  2. Click on Steam on the menu and go to Settings.
  3. Go to the In-game tab.
  4. Uncheck Enable the Steam overlay while in-game and click on OK.

7. Add Atomic Heart as Exclude in Windows Defender

Windows Defender can sometimes mistake game files for viruses, causing them to be blocked. To fix this issue, you can add the game folder as an exclusion in Windows Defender by following these steps:

  1. Open the search bar and type in “Virus and Threat Protection”.
  2. Click on the “Manage settings” option located below Virus and Threat Protection.
  3. Scroll down to the Exclusions section and click on “Add or Remove”.
  4. Choose the “Folder” option and select the folder where Atomic Heart is installed.

By adding the game folder as an exclusion, Windows Defender will no longer flag the game files as potential viruses, and you should be able to launch Atomic Heart without any issues.

8. Perform a Clean Boot on Windows

Running your Windows PC in a clean boot can help to fix Atomic Heart startup crashing problems. A clean boot starts Windows with a minimal set of drivers and startup programs, which can help to identify and resolve software conflicts that may be causing the crashing issues with the game.

Follow these steps:

  • Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialog box.
  • Type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
  • Go to Services > Select the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
  • Now, click on Disable all to turn off other services from booting automatically while startup.
  • Click on Apply and OK to save changes.

9. Prevent the PC From Overheating

Most users who are complaining about the Atomic Heart crashes on startup have high-end gaming PC. So it’s possible that their system is overheating due to high-demand gameplay.

Make sure to regularly check your PC temperature. There are CPU temperature monitoring tools that you can use to see the current temps.

In case the temps are high use our guide to prevent PC overheating.

10. Force DirectX and Use Windowed Fullscreen

To fix the Atomic Heart launch crash, some players have had success by manually setting the game to use DirectX 11 and enabling Windows Borderless. Follow these steps:

  • Right-click the game in your Steam library.
  • Go to Properties and select the General tab.
  • Type “-dx11” in the launch options field before closing the window.

After launching the game, go to the video settings and change the display mode to Borderless Windowed. This should resolve the Fatal error crash issue.