Witcher 3 crashing constantly, have been attempting to fix for months with no avail

[xanas1489]

Witcher 3 crashing constantly, have been attempting to fix for months with no avail

I posted a couple threads here trying to get help (http://forums.cdprojektred.com/thre...-Desperately-need-help!?p=2001380#post2001380). I have been attempting for weeks to get this game properly and so far the best I can get it to do is about 30 minutes of gameplay followed by a alt tabbing crash. The previous threads have all my information, I have also tried all the things suggested to me in previous threads and nothing has worked. I even uninstalled GeForce Experience since many posts pointed to that being the issue, but again no improvement.

 

[SigilFey]

Geforce Experience is largely garbage, leave it uninstalled.

It sounds as if you are encountering an interrupt that is most likely:

1.) Steam / GOG overlay features. Disable all overlay features and play in offline mode.

2.) Windows Security / Anti-Virus issues, resulting in the game being seized and halted by something. Disable your Anti-Virus while playing and/or create an ELEVATED Admin Account. Also, be sure your Steam / GOG installation is NOT in either Program Files or Program Files(x86). These are protected directories, and they can cause issues.

3.) You have something running in the background that is interrupting your gameplay. This could require some significant fiddling to discover and remove. Read up on the TweakGuide for Windows 7. This is a ~600 page read, but once you've set up your system according to the suggestions, you should have relatively smooth sailing for gaming on Windows 7. (Just download the FREE version. Paid versions are only if you want a hard copy mailed out to you.) Don't be lazy with this, if it comes to it. This is a magnificent document that will teach you the intricacies of how Windows operates in general. Once you read it, you'll be able to recognize and tackle Windows issues forever more.

 

[xanas1489]

I'm reading through the book now (boy what a read) and It lead me to check in my system information and to pull up recent windows error messages. Oddly enough I dont see an error for when I was p[laying a few days ago but I see some errors from a while back that say withcer 3.exe has stopped interacting with windows and has closed. Could this help point to my problem? As interesting as the book is I doubt I'll have the time to read a 600 page book just to play one game.

 

[Dubya75]

I don't know if a 600 page tweak guide is really the answer (LOL). The problem is not with Windows. Most likely, you have a hardware problem.

My suspicion is either you have overheating components or your power supply is not providing enough power.

 

[dragonbird]

I'd tend to agree. If it tends to crash around the same length of time into the game, rather than when the game is doing something specific, the most likely cause is overheating. If it tends to crash when something specific is happening in the game, especially fast travel, just after loading from a save, then I'd be looking first at the graphics drivers. If it tends to crash when the scene is busy, I'd be looking at both.

@xanas1489 - can you post your full system specs please, including graphics driver version?

 

[SigilFey]

I know that thumbing through 600 pages is not exactly an exciting prospect, but it's actually quite an interesting and enlightening read. The author has wonderful ability for explaining things in layman's terms, so you don't need a degree in Computer Sciences to understand it. Plus, once you've read -- that's it! You can now apply that knowledge to everything. And he gears it toward gaming performance.

Yes, it is a ton of reading, I suppose, but it's "teaching yourself to fish" instead of "buying a single fish". If you have any interest, grab it. It's free awesomeness.

That being said, any developments on the crashing issue? If it were a heating issue, I don't thing the game would be "minimizing". It would likely stutter, start artifacting, and/or crash the whole system. I guess it could be a failsafe feature if you're OCing with RivaTuner or the like.

 

[TGxSynaptix]

I know that thumbing through 600 pages is not exactly an exciting prospect, but it's actually quite an interesting and enlightening read. The author has wonderful ability for explaining things in layman's terms, so you don't need a degree in Computer Sciences to understand it. Plus, once you've read -- that's it! You can now apply that knowledge to everything. And he gears it toward gaming performance.

Yes, it is a ton of reading, I suppose, but it's "teaching yourself to fish" instead of "buying a single fish". If you have any interest, grab it. It's free awesomeness.

That being said, any developments on the crashing issue? If it were a heating issue, I don't thing the game would be "minimizing". It would likely stutter, start artifacting, and/or crash the whole system. I guess it could be a failsafe feature if you're OCing with RivaTuner or the like.

Actually it could very well be the overheating part. I had the same issue as you in that the game would run great for a certain amount of time and then it would "crash" ie: screen went black all sound cut out. I was able to get to the task manager and re-enter the game but it would again stop working after about 15-30 minutes of gameplay. I won't go into great detail but to fix my issues I had to do several key things.

My setup:
Corsair Carbide 500R Case
I7 5820K @ 4Ghz
Asus Sabertooth X99 MB
32GB HyperX
980ti x 2 SLI
SSD HD

1 - My GPUs were getting pretty hot so I took out my old crappy fans and made sure my case was cooling at the best level possible. Cost me about 80 bucks in fans but it was worth over 12 degrees C at max load on my setup.

2- This game sucks up the power big time and your settings can throttle the amount your GPU is getting. Go into the Nvidia Control Panel ->Manage 3D Settings select the Witcher 3 or add it if it isn't there and make sure to set Power management mode to Prefer maximum performance

3 - Make sure your system power settings are set to performance as well. If you want to make sure there is no throttling on your PCIe ports set Link State Power Management to Off in the advanced power options.

After I did those three things the game now runs flawlessly for hours. I've put in over 100 hours lately and it's been like 1 maybe 2 crashes, and they were both completely different from the previous issue.

 

[ShadowofJAD]

So, I'm having the same issue--constant crashing at random times; sometimes when game starts; right after the initial Dandelion loading sequence; during combat; during cut-scenes; during dialog; inside; outside; walking, running; during gwent; in the pause menu; in inventory; etc--the game has become basically unplayable for me.

I've been trying to troubleshoot for about 2 months and I'm at my wit's end. Though, I've put 80- hours in with some periods of relief. It's gotten very bad for some reason lately (I've been in Skellige?)

It's not crashing to Desktop, it's always a random memory/ index/kernel related BSOD error message. The most commmon by far being "Memory_Exception" (I really doubt the game is burning through 16gb of RAM, right?)

Comp specs:

i5-6500 CPU @ 3.20GHz
16 GB RAM
Nividia GTX 980 -- latest drivers
SSD HD
ASRock H170 mobo
Windows 10

Background:
- No mods
- No background programs
- Latest Graphics drivers (and everything else as far as I can tell)
- Latest Patch
- Steam Copy (have re-installed twice, verified files several times)
- Most settings are on Ultra: small bouts of screen tearing but no lag or graphical errors that bother me
- Using MSI Afterburner and my GPU isn't getting hotter than 40C-ish
- Minimizing guarantees a crash

Things I've tried:

- Fullscreen
- Unlimited FPS
- Vsync On/Off
- Lowering Settings generally
- HairWorks High/Low/Off (I think this may have helped space the crashes, but didn't eradicate)
- Increasing virtual paging file/ allowing system to manage
- Setting TW3 to "Prefer Max Performance" in Nividia Control Pannel
- Uninstalling GeForce Experience
- Re-installing graphics drivers (x2+)
- Disabling Nividia Streaming Service
- Uninstalling AVG
- Disabling RealTek Audio
- Testing each stick of RAM individually (same result)
- Editing TW3.exe "bin" file (i forget exactly which area, but I followed some guy's guide on this forum)
- Running TW3.exe out of different place than the Program(x86) folder
- Deactivating Steam Overlay
- Setting TW3.exe to "High" priority
- Putting comp power management settings into "performance mode"


The only thing I've read that I haven't tried is downclocking my GPU (it's not overclocked either) --I've never done that before so I'm hesitant.

HALP. But really, I'd just like to play the damn game without crashes every 15-20 minutes (or less). I appreciate your help!

 

[dragonbird]

So, I'm having the same issue--constant crashing at random times

The same answers apply.
First thing to check is the drivers, so please give your specs, including the drivers being used and whether or not you're overclocking.
Second thing to check is for overheating.
If it's crashing at random times, especially after first starting, drivers are the most likely cause.

 

[ShadowofJAD]

Yeah, sorry I accidentally hit quick post, I'm updating with my specs and whatnot.

---------- Updated at 03:56 AM ----------

updated ^.^

 

[dragonbird]

Nividia GTX 980 -- latest drivers

Go back to older ones. Ones around the 353-358 range seem to be the most stable.

- Editing TW3.exe "bin" file (i forget exactly which area, but I followed some guy's guide on this forum)

That one seems a little iffy. Can you verify the files on Steam again to make sure nothing's been damaged?

And if you're getting BSOD rather than just a driver failure, it's starting to suggest hardware, not just drivers. So two more things:
- Can you advise on what your power supply is? (Make and model number), and
- Have you monitored temperatures?

 

[ShadowofJAD]

Power supply: eVGA 650 GQ (650 watt)

- I've verified the files again; no issue
- rolled GPU drivers back to 358.50.
- checked all connections to/ from power-supply
- I've been monitoring temp--I can't do it while in-game because interacting with anything else crashes the game right away, but check RIGHT AWAY after re-boot and it's never been higher than 42 deg C (as I understand it, modern GPU's are built to run normally around 80C)

Still crashed on me twice today. womp womp

 

[aml18]

I've been having a similar problem. I've been working through a series of possible solutions similar to yourself. Here's a link about drivers that work well with The Witcher 3 (I'm currently attempting a clean install of 350.12) . Basically it seems like the drivers in the 347.88 to 352.06 range work best, although there do seem to be mixed results. I'll be posting in the future with my results

(EDIT: Choosing 350.12 was a hasty decision, not supported for Windows 10. Crashing was the same if not worse. Attempting again with 352.84. I'm also going to try to only use the core driver components and see if that gets me anywhere)

https://www.reddit.com/r/nvidia/comments/3azgik/anyone_having_the_witcher_3_crash_using_drivers/

I should also add I have a GTX 770 with Windows 10

When I first started playing W3 I had the 358.91 driver which had mixed success, it frequently crashed within half an hour but also occasionally worked up to 2 hours. I tried a variety of solutions I'm willing to expand on, one of which was a clean install of my GPU driver so I could install without Geforce Experience. However when I did this I installed the current recommended driver (361.76) and since then I've no longer had any luck with playing (crashing within 10-30 minutes consistently, no exceptions).

It should also be noted that during the time I was able to achieve mixed results (with 358.91) the frequency of crashes did not correlate with the length of time my computer had been on/active so I'm hesitant to believe it's due to high temperatures, but then again I'm no tech expert so I'm willing to pursue any possible solutions

 

[ShadowofJAD]

Update: I was able to completely fix my crashing issues! 2 Days and not a single crash, whereas I had them occurring every 10 minutes beforehand.

My issue was apparently a hardware one and may be super specific to my situation...but I went into the BIOS and turned up the voltage going to my processor by +.05.

I'm not sure if I would wantonly suggest people start messing with their CPU voltage if they don't know what they're doing, though...Just wanted to share that my problem has been fixed and that I appreciate the help regardless!

 

[GuyNwah]

Since the game does not natively crash, suspects properly start with hardware and drivers. Unfortunately, this game will wring out any instability your hardware might have. Steam overlay, GOG's counterpart to it, and Geforce Experience are all potential bad actors. Screwing with the binary or your CPU voltage is a good way to end up with a brick, so that is a last resort. Lesser hardware, like nVidia 750's and AMD Tahitis are actually more stable, possibly because fewer features are being exercised than with high-end nVidia cards.

 

[SigilFey]

Update: I was able to completely fix my crashing issues! 2 Days and not a single crash, whereas I had them occurring every 10 minutes beforehand.

My issue was apparently a hardware one and may be super specific to my situation...but I went into the BIOS and turned up the voltage going to my processor by +.05.

I'm not sure if I would wantonly suggest people start messing with their CPU voltage if they don't know what they're doing, though...Just wanted to share that my problem has been fixed and that I appreciate the help regardless!

Hm. Did you install this card, or did it come with your system? Seems like an odd oversight for a factory or professional to make. Although, it certainly sounds like you've made the right choice. 42°C is very low for a game as intense as TW3. (She does na have the power, cap'n!) Good news that all's clear on your end!

What about @xanas1489 ? Any news?