If Eternal Strands keeps crashing on PC, start by checking that it is installed on an SSD, verifying its files if you play on Steam, and updating your graphics driver before restarting your PC. The right next step depends on when the crash happens and on your hardware or graphics settings; none of the steps below is guaranteed to resolve every crash.
Yellow Brick Games published its troubleshooting checklist on February 11, 2025. Its notes identify several possible causes and a DLSS workaround, but do not establish whether every listed issue is fixed in the current game version.
Start with these eight checks
1. Check the game’s install drive
Yellow Brick Games warns that installing the game on a drive that is not an SSD could cause crashes, and advises reinstalling it on an SSD. Steam also lists SSD storage as a requirement. First check which drive holds the game; if it is on a hard drive, move or reinstall it to an SSD before considering a hardware purchase. This is a requirement and troubleshooting check, not a guaranteed crash cure. Steam’s requirements and the developer’s checklist both specify SSD storage.
2. Verify the Steam installation
For a Steam copy, open Library, right-click Eternal Strands, select Properties, then Installed Files and Verify Integrity of Game Files. Let Steam finish the check, then try launching the game again. This instruction is for Steam installations.
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3. Update your graphics driver and restart
The developer’s February 11, 2025 checklist asks players to use graphics drivers no more than six months old, update if needed, and restart. Treat that as dated advice rather than a promise that an update will stop the crashes: the checklist does not name a specific driver version or manufacturer-specific procedure. Yellow Brick Games’ checklist
4. Compare your PC with Steam’s requirements
Check both your system specifications and available storage against the Steam listing. The following targets are published by Steam; the performance targets describe the listed graphics setting, resolution, and upscaling conditions, not a guarantee of identical performance on every PC.
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| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system and graphics API | Windows 10/11; DirectX 12 | Windows 10/11; DirectX 12 |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-9400 or AMD Ryzen 5 3350 | Intel Core i5-11600 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics card | Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super 6GB, AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT 6GB, or Intel Arc A580 | Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 8GB, AMD Radeon RX 6800 16GB, or Intel Arc A770 |
| Storage | 24 GB available; SSD required | 24 GB available; SSD required |
| Listed performance target | 60 fps at the lowest graphics setting, upscaled from 50% of 1080p; Frame Generation off | 60 fps at Epic, upscaled from 50% of 1440p; Frame Generation off |
These are Steam’s published minimum and recommended specifications, not a diagnosis of a particular crash. A PC below the minimum target may have trouble running the game, but meeting the listed target does not rule out a software issue. Steam: Eternal Strands system requirements
5. Check the CPU warning if you see “Fatal Error”
Yellow Brick Games flags Intel 13th- and 14th-generation Core processors as a possible cause of random crashes showing a “Fatal Error.” The developer’s post does not prescribe a CPU setting or confirm a guaranteed fix. Consult the linked RAD Game Tools information or contact the developer rather than changing firmware or processor settings based on the warning alone. Developer troubleshooting post
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6. If DLSS is enabled, try the unofficial file rename
The developer described a possible, unofficial workaround for some players using DLSS. With the game closed, open EternalStrandsPluginsStreamlineBinariesThirdPartyWin64 inside the game’s installation folder and rename sl.pcl.dll so you can restore its original name if needed. Then launch the game and see whether the crash changes. Yellow Brick Games said it was working with NVIDIA on a solution; the post does not establish this as a permanent fix or say it applies to every player. Yellow Brick Games’ DLSS note
7. If the crash happens during shader compilation, check for updates
The February 11, 2025 developer post said crashes during or immediately after shader compilation were under investigation, with a workaround or fix to be shared when available. That dated note does not establish whether the issue was fixed in a later build. Check current Steam news for the game and the developer’s updates; if the crash continues, include the shader-compilation stage in your report.
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8. Send the developer a useful crash report
If the checks do not help, Yellow Brick Games asks players to report their platform, detailed PC specifications, what they were doing, where the crash occurred, and relevant settings. You can include the text of CrashContext.runtime-xml and an image or video if useful. The developer names the Steam Bugs & Issues forum and [email protected] as contact routes. Its post says the team cannot download player attachments, so put the relevant information in the forum post or email rather than relying on attached files. Yellow Brick Games’ reporting guidance
Choose the next step by crash pattern
| What you notice | Most relevant next check |
|---|---|
| Game is installed on a hard drive | Check the install location and use an SSD. |
| Steam launch or gameplay crash, with no clear trigger | Verify Steam files, then update the graphics driver and restart. |
| “Fatal Error” on an Intel 13th- or 14th-generation Core CPU | Review the developer’s CPU warning and RAD Game Tools guidance. |
| Crash while DLSS is enabled | Consider the reversible, unofficial sl.pcl.dll rename. |
| Crash during or just after shader compilation | Check current developer updates and report the stage where it fails. |
The developer checklist is dated February 11, 2025. A general mention of graphics updates and bug fixes does not by itself show whether any of these particular issues were resolved, so do not assume an older warning is either still active or fixed without an issue-specific update.
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