Dead By Daylight Keeps Crashing On Startup or Mid-Game | 2024 Tips

If you’re an avid Dead by Daylight player, you might have encountered the frustrating experience of the DBD crashing, be it during startup or in the midst of an intense gaming session.

The issue of Dead by Daylight crashing has become a prevalent concern for many players, affecting both PC and mobile platforms. Whether you’re wondering why Dead by Daylight keeps crashing on startup, or mid-game, or if you’re facing problems with the loading screen, this article aims to explore possible solutions and shed light on the various aspects of the game’s stability.

From understanding the root causes to providing practical tips, we’ll delve into the world of Dead by Daylight crashes to help you get back into action smoothly.

Why Does DBD Keep Crashing on Your PC?

The PC games crashed for a lot of reasons but after thorough research, we have come up with the following reasons that are causing DBD crashes on PCs.

  • PC does not meet the minimum system requirements to play the game.
  • Hard drive space running out.
  • Running Dead By Daylight without administrative access
  • Outdated graphics card driver.
  • Corrupted EasyAntiCheat service.
  • The game file missing.
  • Computer power issue.
  • Overlay issues.
  • FPS lock.

How Do I Fix Dead By Daylight Crashes on PC

If the dead by daylight is crashing on launch then you can follow these steps:

  • Run the game from the .exe by accessing the main game files on your PC.
  • Do not skip the intro cutscene.
  • Instead use Alt+ Enter to remove fullscreen, get in the game, uncheck Fullscreen from options, and then again press Alt+Enter to enable fullscreen without the box ticked
  • Now open your Steam folder.
  • Scroll down and delete all items that were created today (crash/crashhelper).
  • After that Restart Steam and clear the game cache.

How To Fix Dead By Daylight Keeps Crashing on PC

From the following list apply the fixes that best resolve your problem. Of course, you don’t need to apply all of them at once, just work your way down the list until you find the right solution.

Meet the Minimum System Requirements

Did you check your system requirements before downloading Dead By Daylight?

If the game keeps crashing on startup or in the middle of the game it might be because your PC can meet its minimum system requirements.

You should either invest in buying your next best gaming PC or simply improve CPU, GPU, and RAM.

System RequirementsMinimumMaximum
OSWindows 10 64-bitWindows 10 64-bit
ProcessorIntel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8120Intel Core i3-4170 or AMD FX-8300 or higher
Memory8 GB8 GB
Storage50 GB50 GB
DirectXv11v11
GraphicsDX11 Compatible GeForce GTX 460 1GB or AMD HD 6850 1GBDX11 Compatible GeForce 760 or AMD HD 8800 or higher with 4GB of RAM

Disable Leatherface in DBD

Those users who have purchased Leatherface and started playing games. They can start the game and skip its intro as always but the game will crash at the “press space to start” starting screen.

All they need is to disable Leatherface in the DBD screen in the Steam library and then play the game. This fix can solve DBD crashes when joining the lobby.

Change DNS Server

  • Click on the Start menu, then click on Control Panel.
  • Click on Network and Internet.
  • Click on Change Adapter Settings.
  • Right-click on the Wi-Fi network you are connected to, then click Properties.
  • Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (or Version 6 if desired).
  • Click Properties.
  • Write down any existing DNS server entries for future reference.
  • Click Use The Following DNS Server Addresses.
  • Replace those addresses with the 8.8.8.8 DNS addresses:
    • For IPv4: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4
    • For IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888 and/or 2001:4860:4860::8844
  • Click OK, then Close.
  • Try running Dead by Daylight again

Flush Your IP

You can use these steps to do that:

  • Press Windows Key + R to bring up “Run
  • Type “cmd” (without quotes) and hit enter to bring up “Command Prompt”
  • First, type “ipconfig /release” (without quotes) and hit enter
  • Second, type “ipconfig /renew” (without quotes) and hit enter
  • Lastly, type “ipconfig /flushdns” (without quotes) and hit enter
  • Restart your computer

Run Your Game as an Administrator

If you are not running Dead By Daylight or Steam with administrator access it’s time to do it now. When you run a game under normal user mode Windows prevents certain files from running hence you see crashing issues.

To run the game as an administrator follow these tips:

  • Right-click on the DBD icon on your desktop and then choose Open file location.
  • Locate the game’s executable file, right-click on it, and choose Properties.
  • Click the Compatibility tab and check the box next to Run this program as an administrator.
  • Click OK to save changes.

Repeat the same steps with Steam Launcher and then launch Dead by Daylight to see if it still crashes on the PC.

Add DBD in Firewall Exclusion

Add Dead by Daylight as an extension on your Firewall:

  • Select the Start button > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Security and then Firewall & Network Protection.
  • Select Allow an app through the firewall
  • Locate Dead by Daylight and check all the boxes next to it.
  • Click OK to save the settings

Revert Shader Changes

If you have made changes to shaders or are using third-party graphics enhancements like Reshade, consider reverting to the default settings or uninstalling them to see if it resolves the issue.

Update Or Rollback your Graphics Driver

Updated graphics drivers are crucial to playing any PC game. If you have outdated or incompatible drivers on your PC the Dead By Daylight will keep crashing mid-game.

You need to make sure that you have an updated graphics card. There are two methods to update them Manually and Automatically.

We suggest the Automatic method as it takes less time and computer skills but at the same time, it’s reliable and secure.

You need to download the Driver EasyFree Version on your PC which is a No.1 driver updater tool. Install and run it and it will automatically scan and update the driver for you.

If you Download Driver Easy’s Pro Version it can update all drivers at once. You can also create a restore point to roll back drivers in case they don’t solve the crashing problem. (Pro Version comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee)

Repair the EasyAntiCheat

It may be the EasyAntiCheat service that has gotten corrupted causing the Dead by Daylight to keep crashing on PC. The EasyAntiCheat service is installed automatically with this game.

Try to repair it for that follow these steps:

  • Press the Win + E to open File Explorer.
  • In Search type easyanticheat and hit Enter.
  • 3) Right-click EasyAntiCheat_Setup.exe, and then select Run as administrator.
  • 4) Click the box, and then select Dead by Daylight from the drop-down list.
  • 5) Click Repair Service.

Once the process finishes relaunch the game.

Verify the Integrity of Your Game Files

Maybe the necessary DBD file is corrupted or missing from your computer and that’s why the game keeps crashing either on launch or during cutscenes.

You need to check the integrity of the game file using Steam. Steam will scan the game file and if any file is found corrupted or missing it will download and replace it.

Follow these steps:

  • Open Steam launcher.
  • Go to the Steam Library.
  • Right-click Dead by Daylight and select Properties.
  • Click the LOCAL FILES tab, and then click VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES.
  • Wait for the scanning process to complete and then play the game.

Change the Power Settings

Most of the time changing the Windows power mode enhances the PC’s performance giving more resources to running apps and games.

Follow these steps:

  • Press Win + R and type powercfg.cpl to open Power Options.
  • Click on High Performance.
  • If you can’t see High Performance then from the left side click on Create a Power Plan.
  • From the next Window click on High Performance.
  • Select the power settings on Battery and Plugged-in.
  • Now click on Create.

Run your Game in Compatibility Mode

It’s possible that the current Windows 10 update is not compatible with Dead By Daylight and that’s why it keeps crashing mid-game.

Try running the game in compatibility mode. Here is how to do it:

  • Right-click the Dead by Daylight icon, then select Properties.
  • Click the Compatibility tab. Then check the box next to Run this program in compatibility mode.
  • Click the list box below to select Windows 8, then click OK.

Now check if you are still stuck in Dead By Daylight keeps crashing issue.

Reinstall Steam

Important steam files may be missing or corrupted preventing Dead By Daylight from launching. Try to reinstall Steam for that by following these steps:

  • Right-click your Steam icon and select Open file location.
  • Right-click the Steamapps folder and select Copy. Then, place the copy in another location to back it up.
  • Now press Win + R and type Controls to open Control Panel.
  • Click on Programs > Programs and Features.
  • Right-click on Steam to Uninstall it.
  • Visit their official site to download and install Steam.
  • Open its File Location and paste that steam apps folder backup you created before.

Restart Dead by Daylight to see if this fixes the crashing issue.

Disable Overlay

The Steam and NVIDIA overlay tends to interfere with the smooth running of the game causing crashing and freezing errors.

If you are using two or more different overlays at the same time it’s going to cause interruption. Disable NVIDIA and Steam Overlay. Follow these steps:

To Disable Steam Overlay:

  • Launch Steam.
  • Switch to the LIBRARY tab.
  • Right-click on the Dead by Daylight to choose Properties.
  • Under the General tab, untick the box associated with Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.

Stop Overclocking

If you are overclocking the PC without providing insufficient air, it’s going to cause CPU overheating. If you are using the tools like MSI Afterburner you should uninstall it and make sure that the ideal CPU temp range and GPU temp range are not crossed.

You can also install the best aftermarket CPU cooler to provide more fresh air in case you don’t want to underclock your CPU or GPU.

Disable the FPS Lock

Follow these steps to disable FPS unlock. (Fix Roblox FPS Unlocker Not Working issue)

  • Press Win + R to type in %appdata% and hit Enter to open the AppData folder. (If the Roaming folder opens, go back to the AppData folder).
  • Open the AppData > Local > DeadByDaylight > Saved > Config > WindowsNoEditor.
  • Find a file named GameUserSettings.ini. Right-click the file and use Notepad to open it.
  • Once the file opens, press Ctrl + F to search bUseVSync and change the value next to it to False. Save the file and then exit Notepad.
  • Check your monitor rate.
  • Locate the file called Engine.ini and again open it with Notepad.
  • Scroll to the bottom of the file and paste the following text:
[/script/engine.engine]
MinSmoothedFrameRate=5
MaxSmoothedFrameRate= [your maximum display refresh rate]
bUseVSync=false

Now save the added content exit Notepad and try to play The Dead by Daylight to see if it’s still crashing on PC.