If Atomic Heart keeps crashing on Windows 10 or 11, start with the troubleshooting page for your store version, then work through the checks below from least disruptive to more involved. Focus Entertainment lists several possible causes, not a universal 12-step cure. The Steam and PC Game Pass instructions differ, so use the guidance that matches your edition.
Before you start: use the right support path
Focus Entertainment maintains separate PC troubleshooting pages for Steam and PC Game Pass. Begin with the page for your storefront: Steam troubleshooting or PC Game Pass troubleshooting. The publisher’s Atomic Heart support index also links to technical support and issue reporting.
These 12 checks combine publisher-documented troubleshooting with clearly identified general Windows steps. They are diagnostic options, not fixes guaranteed to stop every crash. Save your work before changing startup settings or system files.
1. Restart Windows and retry
A restart is a quick general troubleshooting check for a transient problem. After Windows starts again, launch the game once and note whether it crashes at startup, during loading, or after some play. That detail can help distinguish a repeatable issue from a one-off failure.
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2. Check that your PC meets the requirements for your edition
Compare your computer with the current requirements shown on the store page for your copy of the game. The Steam listing specifies Windows 10 (20H1 or newer, 64-bit) and DirectX 12. That is the Steam listing’s requirement, not a statement about every edition. Its Windows 10 wording also does not establish that Windows 11 is unsupported.
3. Update the game through its storefront
Check the game’s Steam or PC Game Pass listing or library for an available update and install it. Keep this step specific to the launcher you use; the available update controls and repair options can differ by storefront.
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4. Use the store’s repair or file-verification option, if available
If your launcher offers a repair or verify-installed-files function for Atomic Heart, run it and let the check finish before launching again. This is general launcher troubleshooting; the publisher’s support pages are the place to confirm instructions for your particular store version. Avoid applying Steam-only instructions to the PC Game Pass edition.
5. Check graphics drivers through an official channel
As a general Windows troubleshooting step, check for graphics-driver updates through your PC manufacturer or graphics-card vendor’s official support or update tool. Use the correct driver for your hardware. If a recently installed driver coincides with the crashes, consult the vendor’s guidance before changing or rolling it back.
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6. Install available Windows updates
Check Windows Update for applicable updates and restart if required. Microsoft says Windows 10 and Windows 11 receive the latest DirectX version available for their Windows release through Windows Update. To see the installed DirectX version, press Win + R, enter dxdiag, open the System tab, and read the DirectX Version entry. See Microsoft Support’s DirectX version instructions.
7. Check Windows Security’s protection history for a block
Focus identifies Windows Security’s Controlled folder access as a possible source of trouble. Check its protection history for an entry showing that Atomic Heart was blocked. If the game appears there, use Windows Security’s targeted option to allow that app, following the publisher’s Windows security instructions. Do not disable security protection broadly just to test the game.
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8. Repair legacy DirectX components only if an error names them
A missing legacy component is different from needing a newer DirectX version. If a crash message specifically names a missing file such as D3DCompiler or X3DAudio, Focus advises using Microsoft’s DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer to restore the missing component. Follow the publisher’s steps in its PC troubleshooting article. Do not install it routinely as a DirectX version upgrade; Windows updates provide the latest DirectX version for Windows 10 and 11.
9. Test for interference from background apps
Focus says third-party background applications may interfere with the game and recommends using selective startup to isolate the cause. Its publisher instructions explain the selective-startup process. If the game stops crashing under selective startup, restore startup applications one at a time, testing the game between changes, until you identify a likely conflict. Selective startup is a diagnostic test, not a reason to leave needed services disabled indefinitely.
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10. Check whether you use a Windows Insider Preview build
Focus flags Windows Insider Preview builds as a possible compatibility issue. If your PC is running a preview build, consult the publisher’s current instructions and Microsoft’s guidance for your Insider channel before changing Windows versions. Do not assume that an Insider build is the cause; treat it as one possibility to investigate.
11. On Steam, try the publisher’s DirectX 11 launch option
Focus’s Steam-specific troubleshooting page includes a “Run the game in DirectX 11 mode” option. Follow the exact current procedure on the Steam support page; do not apply it to PC Game Pass unless that edition’s instructions say to. If the change worsens the behavior, revert it. The Steam store listing still specifies DirectX 12 as a requirement, so treat this mode as a troubleshooting test, not a replacement requirement.
12. Gather diagnostic files and contact Focus Support
If the crashes continue, stop cycling through unrelated settings and send the publisher useful details: your storefront, Windows version, when the crash occurs, any error message, and the steps you have already tried. Focus’s PC troubleshooting page identifies where to find save files, logs, and configuration files. Use the Atomic Heart support index to reach technical support or report the issue. Share only files requested by official support and avoid posting personal information publicly.
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