Game freezing at same point each time

[helenbezzo]

I tried to start a new game after completing it but I'm finding that the game freezes at the same loading screen each time I load it. It keeps happening during the Kaer Morhen scene just after Geralt has the vision of the Wild Hunt. My drivers are all up to date and the laptop I have has the required specs, so could there be a bug in the game? This is the first time I've started a new game since the update. I was able to play the game to the end previously without any problems.

operating system - Windows 11
graphics card - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 6GB
processor - AMD Ryzen 7 6800h
RAM - 16GB

Can anyone help please?

Thanks

Helen

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Hi,
Important question : did you use mods previously ?
Did you try to verify the game files ?

Verify integrity of game files — The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | Technical Support — CD PROJEKT RED

Welcome to CD PROJEKT RED Technical Support! Here you will find help regarding our games and services, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.

support.cdprojektred.com

Maybe also perform a clean-install of your drivers :

NVIDIA
I. Download the latest drivers using the following link: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
II. Download Display Driver Uninstaller and run it to remove previous versions of drivers.
III. Clean install drivers that you've downloaded in step 1.

 

[TheKarma_King]

Similar problem here.

WIndows 10
Nvidia RTX 3080 FE
Ryzen 7 5700
16 GB RAM

Before the 4.03 update, I FINALLY had Witcher 3 running 4k, performance RT, balanced DLSS, with the updated Cyberpunk DLSS files for DX12 with NO CRASHES except maybe after an hour or so.

Since 4.03, my save only goes for 1 minute before crashing. I turned down the settings to High. Downsized the image scaling to 85%. Deleted all mods. Nothing is fixing this bug. Drivers were cleanly uninstalled and reinstalled. I can't find a single fix for this. Help.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Since 4.03, my save only goes for 1 minute before crashing. I turned down the settings to High. Downsized the image scaling to 85%. Deleted all mods. Nothing is fixing this bug. Drivers were cleanly uninstalled and reinstalled. I can't find a single fix for this. Help.

The game also crash if you start a new game? (i.e a new save in which no mod has ever been active)
Just a guess, but maybe try deleting all the files in /Documents/The Witcher 3/ (except your save files), then verify the game files.

 

[TheKarma_King]

The game also crash if you start a new game? (i.e a new save in which no mod has ever been active)
Just a guess, but maybe try deleting all the files in /Documents/The Witcher 3/ (except your save files), then verify the game files.

Crossing my fingers. This sounds like it could work. Will post back.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Crossing my fingers. This sounds like it could work. Will post back.

I hope
If it doesn't, try a new game if it also crash or not (just to exclude an issue in the save files themself).

 

[TheKarma_King]

I hope
If it doesn't, try a new game if it also crash or not (just to exclude an issue in the save files themself).

Old save crashed after a minute, per usual. Tested new game for 10 min. Worked flawless. What does that mean? I have to start a new game with all mods I want and know work together?

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Old save crashed after a minute, per usual. Tested new game for 10 min. Worked flawless. What does that mean? I have to start a new game with all mods I want and know work together?

Ok. So it probably mean something wrong in the save file itself. What? Difficult to know
But first, check all the mods you used and verify if they are compatible with the 4.03. Maybe check the mod page comments, other players could have encountered issues/crashes too (loading a "modded" save without any mod installed could cause even more issue).
If a mod is compatible install it.

 

[TheKarma_King]

I reloaded an older manual save. Plays fine enough, though the image scaling is hurting my eyes. Gonna reset that, but yeah, guess the save I was trying got corrupted somehow. Thanks.

 

[TheKarma_King]

Now Novigrad is freezing during the brawler street fights. I turned the settings down to High. On this video card? Wtf. I'll test it on 1440p but I wouldnt be surprised if it failed again.

Post automatically merged: Jun 29, 2023

Perhaps CommunityExtended is the culprit.

 

[LeKill3rFou]

Perhaps CommunityExtended is the culprit.

You have a link?
I can't find it

 

[TheKarma_King]

CommunityRestored - reimplementation of many unused civilian appearances in Novigrad and Oxenfurt

Reimplementation of many unused civilian appearances in Novigrad and Oxenfurt

www.nexusmods.com

Post automatically merged: Jun 30, 2023

 

[SigilFey]

With the sheer number of changes under the hood, I wouldn't recommend trying to troubleshoot with even a single mod loaded. That could really exacerbate the situation.

Backup your saves, unintsall all mods, ensure the game installation successfully verifies / repairs, then begin a brand new game and see.

I'm not sure based on your description if you're trying to play an new game, or an NG+. If trying to play NG+ off of a modded save file made at the end of the original playthrough...with the next-gen patches happening around that...I would expect some kind of issue.

If you can confirm it's happening in a 100% vanilla playthrough, that will rule out the mods / wonky reference data in the save file.

 

[TheKarma_King]

I switched to 1440p and was able to play gwent for a while, but then it'd freeze during cutscenes. I have a similar setup to this guy's experience playing in 4K. I never knew about BAR, so I had that enabled. Updated the DLSS to June drivers, which were new. And it crashes 2 min in still. At 1440p, and RT at performance! I played the first 50 hours with it at quality. Yeah, it would crash, but it was playable for an hour or so at 4k. Now it can't even at 1440? I'm at a loss.

Post automatically merged: Jun 30, 2023

Post automatically merged: Jun 30, 2023

With the sheer number of changes under the hood, I wouldn't recommend trying to troubleshoot with even a single mod loaded. That could really exacerbate the situation.

Backup your saves, unintsall all mods, ensure the game installation successfully verifies / repairs, then begin a brand new game and see.

I'm not sure based on your description if you're trying to play an new game, or an NG+. If trying to play NG+ off of a modded save file made at the end of the original playthrough...with the next-gen patches happening around that...I would expect some kind of issue.

If you can confirm it's happening in a 100% vanilla playthrough, that will rule out the mods / wonky reference data in the save file.

I'll look for a speed run tutorial I guess. I just want to play, and I bought this card for RTX and Witcher next-gen.

 

[SigilFey]

I'll look for a speed run tutorial I guess. I just want to play, and I bought this card for RTX and Witcher next-gen.

The scene you're referring to is during the tutorial, correct? You don't need to complete a full run through -- the issue will either appear during the cutscene or not. If it plays correctly with a new character, then it will play correctly with your existing saved game.

If it doesn't play correctly during the new game tutorial, then you know that the issue is a system thing, not the save file.

If it does play correctly for the new game, but not the saved game, you know that the issue is with the save file, not a system thing.

 

[John_Russell]

I had a similar problem with the 4.02 upgrade. Nothing I tried would make my 4.01 save work so my choices were start all over again or revert back to 4.01 and reapply all the mods I was using. I completely nuked everything 3 times although after the 3rd time I fresh installed 4.01 which worked with my save and then added all my mods again one by one testing after each one and got it back to where I started .... I didn't even try 4.03 after seeing it didn't fix the main issue I was having and that was improper CPU threading causing a CPU bottleneck and stutters especially with Ray Tracing. However I was able to get 4.01 to work at 60 FPS locked with Ray Tracing turn off and Extreme (or higher with a mod) settings

I was thinking about Nuking everything and upgrading to 4.03, apply some mods and start all over again but I'm afraid that as soon as I do they'll drop another update and break everything again so I guess I'll just wait until they officially announce they are finished with updates and the game is stable again like it was with 1.32 for the last few years.

I pretty much decided over a year ago that I will no longer buy games until the are fully updated which is 6 -12 months after initial release (24 months for Ubisoft AC games). I'm tired of being an unpaid beta tester

 

[TheKarma_King]

For testing sake, I switched off Ray Tracing. I've been able to play flawlessly. After a while, I saved, and turned on Ray tracing ONLY, none of the enhanced shadows or ambient occlusion. The game looks so much better with Raytracing at its minimal effort. And it crashes.

Is it my Ryzen 7000s series? My RTX(<----in the name) 3080 handled raytracing in this game for 50 hours in 4.01 and 4.02. But 4.03 they supposedly fixed ray tracing.

There are no mods installed. It runs flawlessly without ray tracing. Why?

DX12

 

[LeKill3rFou]

For testing sake, I switched off Ray Tracing. I've been able to play flawlessly. After a while, I saved, and turned on Ray tracing ONLY, none of the enhanced shadows or ambient occlusion. The game looks so much better with Raytracing at its minimal effort. And it crashes.

Is it my Ryzen 7000s series? My RTX(<----in the name) 3080 handled raytracing in this game for 50 hours in 4.01 and 4.02. But 4.03 they supposedly fixed ray tracing.

There are no mods installed. It runs flawlessly without ray tracing. Why?

DX12

Drivers are up to date?
And did you try to clean install your drivers in case?
-----
NVIDIA
I. Download the latest drivers using the following link: https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
II. Download Display Driver Uninstaller and run it to remove previous versions of drivers.
III. Clean install drivers that you've downloaded in step 1.
-----

There are no mods installed. It runs flawlessly without ray tracing. Why?

It's only on this save?
If you start a new game, RTX enabled, the game still crash?
If it's the game itself or something on your side, the game will likely crash no matter if you load a save or start a new game.

 

[TheKarma_King]

Yes the drivers are up to date and they were clean installed, HOWEVER

I turned the FPS down to 30 and turned on Ray Tracing alone, and everything functioned well for 15 minutes, no crashes. Even in dialogue, where it usually crashes. Went to the dx12user.ini and upped it the FPS limit to 40 and still no crashes 15 min in and during conversation, With performance Ray tracing, shadows and ambient occlusion.

This is at 1440p, but it's promising at these settings so far that I can play with RTX and it still look reasonably good, even though, yes, my first playthrough was at 4K and quality RT at earlier versions (4.01 and 4.02.)

Post automatically merged: Jul 9, 2023

So I upped FPS to 45 and it did great in the caves with a lantern. No crashes for 30 min. Go out into Novigrad, crash. Lowering FPS to 42 for test.

Post automatically merged: Jul 10, 2023

I think 40 FPS is the magic number for a 3080 w/ RTX. But funny enough, I'll play for a good while, but after I manual save, it'll crash 1 min afterward. If that's the price I have to pay for it to be playable at a high standard, f##k it. Just letting it be known to whomever is reading that's an issue.

 

[TheKarma_King]

I SOLVED IT. The main culprit was my RAM speed. Even though the RAM has been stable for everything else at 3200, I disabled the XMP profile for it to go back to default speeds (I also turned off my OC in Afterburner to be safe) and I haven't had a crash in 10 hours of gameplay.

Other minor alterations include: Removing the FPS limit. Turned on Antistropic filtering to 16x and Fast Vsync in the NVIDIA control panel.

It seems to me the memory was leaking because of an instability with the RAM speed and possibly the GPU OC settings with the game itself. It gets out of sync somehow and starts leaking resources until crash.

I'm averaging about 30 fps in Novigrad with quality RT and balanced DLSS. It's playable. I love this game when it works.

Post automatically merged: Jul 27, 2023

Hopefully I can find some higher settings to bump the FPS up a little while remaining stable.