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War Thunder crashes on PC for different reasons, so start by noting exactly what happens: does the game close, freeze, show a black screen or error, or restart the whole computer? Restart Windows, update the game, verify its files, and temporarily disable overlays first. Then follow the branch that fits the symptom; a blue screen or full reboot needs hardware and Windows troubleshooting, not just a game reinstall.
Check that your PC meets the current War Thunder system requirements. If several games are also crashing, focus on drivers, temperatures, storage, and system stability before treating this as a War Thunder-only problem.
Start with the crash pattern
| What happens | Investigate first |
|---|---|
| Nothing happens after clicking Play | Launcher or Steam, game files, permissions, security software, or anti-cheat initialization. |
| The game closes before login | Game files, graphics driver, DirectX, overlays, or anti-cheat. |
| It exits while loading a battle | Shader cache, graphics API or driver, memory pressure, or damaged game assets. |
| It crashes after several minutes | Temperature, unstable CPU/GPU settings, driver timeout, or power and hardware stability. |
| Black screen or “failed to recover the 3D device” | GPU driver, graphics settings, overheating, or an unstable GPU. |
| Only the Steam installation crashes | Steam file verification, Steam Overlay, launch path, or anti-cheat installation. |
| Only the Gaijin launcher installation crashes | Launcher or game files, launcher permissions, or security software. |
| The PC restarts or blue-screens | Check the Windows stop code and implicated driver, then investigate hardware, power, or kernel-level software. This is not an ordinary game crash. |
| The issue began after a game or driver update | Verify game files, clear shader caches, and test driver compatibility. Timing alone does not prove the update caused it. |
Before troubleshooting, note whether the PC is overclocked or undervolted, uses a custom GPU profile, or has modified DLL files. Laptop users should also check that War Thunder is assigned to the dedicated GPU. Exact graphics options and launcher labels can change between game builds.
Try the low-risk fixes first
- Close War Thunder, Steam or the Gaijin launcher, and any stuck game or anti-cheat processes in Task Manager. Restart Windows.
- Install pending Windows updates and update War Thunder through the platform you use to launch it. Restart again after installing a Windows or GPU-driver update.
- Disable overlays and monitoring tools for a test, then verify the game files as described below.
- Install the current graphics driver from your GPU manufacturer. If the crashing began immediately after a driver update, test a previous stable driver instead.
These steps align with Steam’s general launch troubleshooting and Gaijin’s critical-error guidance, which also includes checking drivers, system requirements, clean booting, and reinstalling only if needed.
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Verify the installation that you actually launch
File verification checks for missing or damaged game files and can redownload them; it does not delete and reinstall the whole game. Use the platform that owns the installation. The official War Thunder technical-integrity instructions describe both routes.
Gaijin launcher
- Open the War Thunder launcher.
- Select the wrench/tool icon in the upper-right area.
- Choose Check files and let the scan finish.
- Allow damaged or missing files to download, restart the launcher, and test the game.
Steam
- Open Steam and go to Library.
- Right-click War Thunder and choose Properties.
- Open Installed Files, then select Verify integrity of game files.
- Wait for the check to finish, restart Steam, and launch the game.
If verification repeatedly reports damaged files, do not keep running it indefinitely. Gaijin’s file-read troubleshooting identifies corrupted files, storage problems, filesystem corruption, and third-party interference as possible causes. Check free space, security-software quarantine, permissions, and drive health.
Clear the game cache and relevant shader caches
War Thunder cache
With the game closed, find its installation folder and delete or, more cautiously, rename the cache folder if it exists. Steam installations are often under a Steam library’s steamappscommonWar Thunder directory, but the library may be elsewhere. Run file verification after clearing the cache, then launch again. Gaijin recommends this step in its file-read guidance. Do not delete configuration, screenshots, replays, or other folders as a substitute; configuration files can contain settings you may want to keep.
NVIDIA and DirectX shader cache
This NVIDIA-specific procedure is most relevant if a crash began after a game or graphics-driver update, or happens during loading. Follow Gaijin’s shader-cache instructions:
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- Close War Thunder. In NVIDIA Control Panel, open Manage 3D Settings and, under Global Settings, set Shader Cache Size to Disabled. Select Apply.
- Open Windows Disk Cleanup, select the system drive, check only DirectX Shader Cache, and delete those files.
- Open
%localappdata%. Delete the contents—not the parent folders—ofNVIDIAGLCacheandD3DSCache, if present. - Open
%localappdata%lowand delete the contents of NVIDIA’sDXCacheorPerDriverCacheDXCachefolder if present. Then open%appdata%and delete the contents of NVIDIA’sComputeCachefolder if present. - Return to NVIDIA Control Panel and restore Shader Cache Size to Driver Default. Restart Windows and test the game.
Skip locked files or restart Windows and try again. The first launch may stutter while shaders rebuild. These NVIDIA folder paths are not generic AMD or Intel cleanup instructions; do not delete similarly named folders based on guesswork.
Address GPU, display-mode, and graphics-related crashes
Update or roll back the driver
Use the driver provided by the GPU maker: NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel. Choose a clean-install option if the installer offers one, then restart. Gaijin recommends current, WHQL-approved drivers for its “failed to recover the 3D device” error. If a new driver coincides with the failure, test a previous stable release rather than assuming the newest driver is best. Return CPU and GPU clocks and voltage settings to stock while diagnosing.
Use conservative settings to isolate display problems
If you can reach the menu, lower the graphics preset, disable unusually demanding effects such as ray tracing if enabled, and try a conservative resolution. Test windowed, borderless, and fullscreen modes one at a time. Remove custom launch options. If the launcher or game exposes a graphics API choice, test another available option; do not edit configuration files based on unverified instructions. Change one variable per test and note the result. Gaijin’s video-mode initialization guidance and its 3D-device article focus on graphics compatibility and drivers, rather than network troubleshooting.
Disable overlays and test background software
Temporarily turn off one overlay or utility category at a time, then launch the game. Gaijin’s crash-without-error guidance specifically calls out third-party software and overlays as things to test.
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- Steam Overlay, NVIDIA App/GeForce overlay, Discord overlay, Xbox Game Bar, or AMD overlay.
- MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server, recording or streaming overlays, and hardware-monitoring tools.
- RGB, fan-control, peripheral, VPN, or other startup utilities that may interact with games.
Re-enable each program after testing if it made no difference. If the game works only when a security product is paused, turn protection back on after the controlled test. Use an exclusion only when the security vendor and Gaijin guidance support the specific game or anti-cheat path. Never leave antivirus protection disabled or download replacement DLLs from unofficial sites.
When a clean boot is useful
If individual tests do not identify a conflict, a clean boot can help isolate non-Microsoft startup programs and services. Follow Microsoft’s current clean-boot instructions, then test War Thunder. Restore normal startup afterward and re-enable services in groups until the conflict returns. Do not leave essential security protection off.
Check anti-cheat launch failures without disabling protection permanently
Identify the service name or exact error shown by the launcher first. War Thunder-related support material refers to both Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye, so do not assume every installation uses the same component. For a service or initialization error:
- Verify game files and restart Windows.
- Launch through the normal Steam or Gaijin route, not an unofficial launcher.
- If the anti-cheat installer in the game directory offers a repair or reinstall option, use it for the component named in the error.
- Remove unofficial DLL injectors, modified system files, and unsupported tweaks; test again with overlays and monitoring tools disabled.
- If the message identifies BattlEye, use Gaijin’s BattlEye troubleshooting guide for blocked files, permissions, runtimes, modified system settings, and security software.
Running without anti-cheat appears in Gaijin’s crash diagnosis as a way to test whether third-party software is involved; it is not a permanent fix and may not permit normal online play. Use that test only when Gaijin’s diagnostic procedure calls for it.
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Check temperatures, overclocks, memory, and storage
Temperature and stability
A crash after a few minutes, worsening frame rate beforehand, visual artifacts, or a black screen can justify checking heat and stability, but none proves overheating by itself. Restore stock CPU and GPU settings, make sure vents are unobstructed, and log temperatures while reproducing the crash rather than checking only at idle. Gaijin explains GPU-Z and Core Temp logging in its GPU and CPU overheating diagnostics. Compare with another demanding game; do not treat one universal temperature number as proof because limits differ by component and system.
Drive and Windows integrity
Repeated verification failures, file-read errors, or corrupted updates warrant a storage check. Ensure the installation drive has free space for updates, temporary files, shader compilation, and Windows virtual memory. Test another large file operation or game on the drive, and use the drive maker’s diagnostic utility to check its health. If the drive appears unhealthy, move the installation to a known-good drive as a diagnostic test. Use Windows filesystem or system-file repair only with verified instructions; avoid destructive disk commands.
If multiple games fail, or Windows itself becomes unstable, prioritize the driver, hardware, power, storage, and stop-code evidence rather than repeatedly repairing War Thunder.
Use the error message to choose the next step
| Message or symptom | Next step |
|---|---|
81110012, critical error |
Verify files, check drivers and requirements, test for third-party software conflicts, and consider reinstalling only after targeted checks. See Gaijin’s critical-error guidance. |
8111000D, failed to recover the 3D device |
Focus on the GPU driver, stock clocks, temperatures, and conservative graphics settings. See Gaijin’s 3D-device article. |
8111000B, video mode initialization |
Test resolution and display mode, then update or roll back the driver. See Gaijin’s video-mode article. |
| File-read or file-corruption error | Verify the correct installation, check security-software interference, free space, and investigate drive or filesystem health. See Gaijin’s file-read guidance. |
| Anti-cheat service or initialization error | Identify the component named by the error, verify files, use its available repair option, and consult the relevant BattlEye guidance if applicable. |
| Black screen, reboot, or blue screen | For a black screen, investigate graphics driver, display settings, and temperature. For reboot or blue screen, record the Windows stop code and implicated driver; investigate system stability rather than treating it as a game-only failure. |
Reinstall only after targeted fixes
A reinstall is reasonable after file verification, cache cleanup, driver testing, overlay and security checks, anti-cheat repair, and drive-health checks have not helped. It cannot fix a conflicting utility, unstable hardware, or a bad driver.
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- Uninstall through Steam or Windows, using the same platform that manages the installation.
- Restart Windows and install again through that platform.
- Verify files once installation completes.
- Test the game before restoring unofficial tweaks, modified DLLs, overlays, or monitoring tools.
Collect useful evidence for Gaijin Support
If the crash persists, a precise reproduction and system details are more useful than a report that only says the game crashes. Gaijin’s crash guidance and technical problem-report file guide explain the logs and diagnostic options.
- Record the trigger: launch, login, hangar, loading screen, a particular map or mode, or a specific number of minutes into play.
- Include game version and launch platform, Windows version, CPU, GPU, RAM, graphics-driver version, and security software.
- Capture the exact error or a screenshot, and state whether verification, cache clearing, driver changes, or overlay tests changed the result.
- Attach DxDiag and the requested launcher/game logs. The technical wiki identifies
.launcher_log,.start_app_logs, and.game_logsfor problem reports. - Submit through Gaijin Support or the official bug-report channel. If only one map, vehicle, or mode reproduces the crash, include that detail.
Advanced crash dump collection
Use this only if you are comfortable with debugging and Gaijin’s procedure calls for it. The documented workflow uses Microsoft’s Windows debugger, attaches to aces.exe, enters sxe *, reproduces the crash, and saves a dump with the command below. Gaijin may require a diagnostic run with anti-cheat disabled; follow its instructions, and submit the dump only through an official support or bug-report channel.
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