How To Fix Dead Island 2 Keeps Crashing On Windows 11 PC

You are not the only one to deal with Dead Island 2 keeps crashing on your PC. Reports are coming in from multiple players on Reddit and Steam forums that when playing the game it crashes without showing any error.

For some players the Dead Island 2 crashes upon starting the game or while loading. There may be several causes for this problem but if developers haven’t told us what actually causing this issue.

If you are also stuck with the Dead Island 2 keeps crashing issues then here we have solid fixes that will work out for you.

How to Fix Dead Island 2 Keeps Crashing on PC?

Try these fixes to solve the issue.

1. Check System Requirements

The first thing you should do is make sure your PC meets the game’s system requirements because any mismatch might result in startup crashes or problems with the game not running.

2. Disable Desktop Composition

It’s an unofficial fix but it can fix Dead Island 2 keeps crashing issues. Just follow these steps:

• Go into “steam\steamapps\common\dead island”
• Right Click on “DeadIslandGame.exe” and click “Properties”
• On the “Compatibility” tab, check “Disable Desktop Composition”

3. Disable Beta Steam Client

Disable the beta version of the Steam client as it causes games to crash. You can follow these steps:

1. Open Steam and log in to your account.
2. Click on “Steam” in the top-left corner of the window, and select “Settings” from the drop-down menu.
3. In the Settings window, click on the “Account” tab.
4. Under “Beta Participation“, click on the “Change…” button.
5. In the pop-up window, select “NONE – Opt out of all beta programs” and click “OK“.
6. Steam will prompt you to restart the client for the changes to take effect. Click “Restart Steam” to do so.

3. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

For some PCs, turning off the Windows system’s fullscreen optimizations for your particular game application file should resolve compatibility problems.

• Go to the location on your computer where the Epic Games Launcher is installed.
• It can be located by default in C:\Program Files (x86)\Epic Games\Launcher\Portal\Binaries\Win64.
• Find the Epic Games Launcher executable file, which is called EpicGamesLauncher.exe, within the Win64 folder.
• Browse Properties Choose ‘Properties‘ from the context menu when you right-click on the EpicGamesLauncher.exe file.
• Select the ‘Compatibility‘ tab in the Properties window.
• Under Settings, select the checkbox next to “Disable fullscreen optimizations.”
• To save your changes, click the “Apply” button, followed by the “OK” button.

4. Close Background Apps

Close all the unnecessary background running tasks, it can also help in resolving the issue.

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager > Processes > click on the process that you want to close > End Task.
• Repeat the steps for each third-party app process to end that is consuming higher resources > restart your PC.

5. Perform a Clean Boot

Follow these steps:

• Press the Windows + R keys > Run dialog box> Type msconfig > Enter to open System Configuration > Services > Enable Hide all Microsoft services by clicking > Disable all > Apply>OK.
• Go to Startup > Open Task Manager > Startup tab > Make sure to select the specific task that has a higher startup impact > Disable > Restart the PC.

6. Update GPU Driver

If your PC is running with an outdated graphics driver then chances are high to encounter Dead Island 2 crashing issues. So first make sure to update GPU drivers, for that follow these steps:

• Press the Win+X keys >Quick Access Menu>Device Manager>Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the active or being used dedicated graphics card.
• Now select Search automatically for drivers from the Update Driver menu.
• Now it will automatically check for updates, download them, and install the most recent version.

Best Alternate To Update Graphics Driver

NVIDIA and AMD do release game-specific updates that you can download and install on your PC but it takes time.

Especially, if you are a newbie or you don’t have time or skills then there are chances that you might end up installing the wrong graphics 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.

We have personally used this tool on our Windows 11 PC. The most favorite part is its outstanding scanning feature. You can instantly know which PC part needs to be updated.

The Driver Easy is an N0.1 software updater tool in its field with a mega database of more than 600000 drivers. Users have been using this tool for the last 12 years to fix their PC errors.

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

7. Download Optional Windows Updates

Sometimes, a few security patch updates or driver updates may show up here, which can assist you in resolving a variety of bugs or other problems.

• Press the Windows + I keys > Settings > Windows Update > Advanced Options.
• Scroll down to locate Additional Options > Optional updates.
• You can choose the update if it is available.
• Click Download & Install, then wait while it is finished.
• Finally, perform a manual system reboot.

8. Force Use the Dedicated GPU

To consistently receive better graphics performance, it is strongly advised to utilize the dedicated (external) graphics card on your desktop when running heavy games and programs.

For Nvidia :

• Right-click on the blank desktop screen > Open Nvidia Control Panel > 3D Settings > Manage 3D Settings.
• Open Program Settings > Dead Island 2 > preferred graphics processor for this program from the list.
• When finished, it will appear as a High-Performance Nvidia Processor.
• Restart the computer after saving your modifications.

For AMD :

• Right-click on the blank desktop screen > Open Radeon Settings > Additional Settings > Preferences > Power > Switchable Graphics Application Settings.
• Select Dead Island 2 [If the game is not visible, select Add Application to include the game]
• Select High Performance from Graphics Settings > reboot the PC to apply changes.

9. Repair Game Files

In certain situations, problems with damaged or missing game files on the PC may result in frequent game-starting crashes without an appropriate error notification. So fix them by following the steps:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Library > three-dots icon next to Dead Island 2 > Verify.
• Restart the launcher when the procedure is finished.

10. Update Dead Island 2

To make sure an outdated game version isn’t interfering with the game’s start, check for the game update at your end using the Epic client. A game patch that is out of date may cause crashes due to a number of possible problems.

• Launch Epic Games Launcher > Library > three dots icon next to Dead Island 2.
• Ensure that the Auto Update option is enabled.
• The Dead Island 2 game’s available update will be installed automatically.

11. Turn Off Third-Party Overlay Apps

Disabling third-party overlay apps can solve the issue. So, try disabling overlay apps.

Disable Discord Overlay:

• Open the Discord app > gear icon (Settings) > Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay > Games > Dead Island 2.
• Make sure the toggle for the in-game overlay is disabled > restart your computer.

Disable Xbox Game Bar:

• Press Windows + I keys >Settings > Gaming > Game Bar.
• Turn Off the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar option > save changes > reboot the PC.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:

• Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Settings > General > Disable the In-Game Overlay option > Restart.

It’s best to turn off any additional mouse, keyboard, or RGB tools you may be using if they aren’t essential for gaming.

12. Turn Off Windows Firewall and Antivirus Software

By default Windows firewall prevents games from running on Windows 11 PC. Try to turn it off temporarily before playing Dead Island 2 to reduce crashing problems.

• Open Start Menu > Type Windows Defender Firewall.
• Then, from the left pane, select Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.
• Choose the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for all domains option (not advised) > OK > Reboot your PC.

Additionally, check to see if Windows Defender antivirus software is active on your computer to make sure it isn’t blocking the game files.

13. Adjust Power Management Options

Before playing games, turn on your computer’s high-performance power option to maximize its performance.

• Start Menu > Type control panel and open it> Hardware and Sound > Power Options > High Performance > Reboot the PC.

14. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

Make sure to manually reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables on your Windows system if it isn’t already installed or even if it is.

• Start Menu > Type apps & features and open it> Click on the Microsoft Visual C++ program(s) from the list one by one > Uninstall > Follow the on-screen instructions.
• Once installation is completed > Reboot the PC.
• Now, visit to the official Microsoft website and download the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.

15. Restore Default to Overclocked CPU or GPU

It’s preferable to momentarily disable or reset the overclocked CPU/GPU to the factory settings in order to investigate the probable root of the crashing problem. There are several applications, such as MSI Afterburner, Riva Tuner, AMD Ryzen Master, EVGA Precision X, etc., that may be used to modify an overclocked CPU or GPU on a PC.