The “Out of video memory trying to allocate a rendering resource” message does not always mean your graphics card has too little VRAM. If Black Myth: Wukong crashes during first-launch shader compilation, the more important suspects may be BIOS and CPU stability—particularly on some Intel 13th- and 14th-generation unlocked desktop systems. If it crashes after you enter the game or benchmark, investigate genuine VRAM pressure, drivers, overclocks, overlays, and graphics settings.
Use the steps below in order. Start with the stage at which the crash occurs, update BIOS and drivers, restore stable hardware settings, rebuild shader caches, and only then use shader-skipping or -dx12 as temporary workarounds.
First, identify when the crash happens
The wording comes from Unreal Engine, but the message alone does not identify the underlying failure. Epic describes this type of error as a failed rendering-resource allocation; that can result from actual VRAM exhaustion, a driver problem, corrupted shader data, CPU instability, or another system-level failure. See Epic’s explanation of Unreal rendering-resource errors.
| What you see | Start here |
|---|---|
| Crash during “Compiling Shaders” or before the title screen | BIOS and CPU stability, driver installation, shader cache, then the temporary skip-compilation workaround |
| Crash in the benchmark or after loading into the world | Disable ray tracing, lower textures and resolution, close background applications, and test the graphics driver |
| Crash immediately after a driver update | Clean-install the current official driver; if the timing is conclusive, test the previous official release |
| Multiple Unreal Engine or DirectX 12 games crash | Investigate BIOS, CPU, RAM, GPU, temperatures, power, and platform stability |
Check the basics before changing anything
- Confirm that the game is using the dedicated GPU, not integrated graphics. In Windows, check Task Manager → Performance → GPU; the GPU name and dedicated memory should match your graphics card.
- Compare your hardware with the current Steam system requirements. A Steam-published FAQ lists an NVIDIA GTX 1060 or AMD RX 580 among the minimum graphics hardware, but requirements and game builds can change, so check the store page at publication.
- Close browsers with many tabs, recording software, renderers, AI tools, virtual machines, and other GPU-accelerated applications.
- If the system is close to its memory limit, test with one monitor and temporarily disable HDR, especially with high-resolution displays.
- Check your GPU model and dedicated VRAM in Task Manager, GPU-Z, NVIDIA software, AMD Software, or Intel Graphics Software.
The most important fix for Intel 13th- and 14th-generation desktop CPUs
Game Science has linked shader-compilation crashes on some Intel 13th- and 14th-generation desktop systems with possible CPU stability problems. Intel has separately documented instability in some processors from these generations, including application crashes, hangs, and freezes. The corrective path is a motherboard or system-manufacturer BIOS update—not an ordinary Windows driver update. Read Game Science’s FAQ and Intel’s technical statement.
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Check whether your desktop uses a Core i5, i7, or i9 from the 13th or 14th generation, especially an unlocked K, KF, or KS model. Then:
- Identify the exact motherboard model in Windows System Information, the motherboard manual, or the BIOS screen.
- Open the motherboard manufacturer’s support page and download the newest stable BIOS intended for that exact model.
- Follow the manufacturer’s flashing procedure precisely. Do not interrupt power or restart the computer during the update.
- Afterward, load the manufacturer’s Intel-default or recommended baseline settings.
- Disable CPU overclocking, manual voltage changes, enhanced turbo or multicore-enhancement modes, GPU overclocking, and GPU undervolting.
- If crashes continue, temporarily disable XMP or EXPO memory profiles and retest.
Returning to stock settings is both a troubleshooting step and a stability test. If the crash disappears, your previous profile was not stable under that workload. Do not immediately re-enable it without testing.
Game Science’s older FAQ mentions underclocking as a possible workaround, but underclocking should not be treated as the preferred permanent repair. It can reduce the conditions that expose a defective or unstable CPU, motherboard, voltage configuration, or BIOS. If the system remains unstable at BIOS defaults, test other games and contact Intel, the system builder, motherboard manufacturer, or retailer—particularly if the system is under warranty.
Apply the safe general fixes
1. Update the game, Windows, BIOS, and graphics driver
- Exit Black Myth: Wukong and Steam.
- Install any pending game update.
- Install pending Windows updates, including relevant hardware updates where appropriate.
- Update the BIOS if you have a desktop Intel 13th- or 14th-generation system or if your manufacturer lists a stability fix.
- Install the current official graphics driver from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
- Restart Windows and test again.
Do not rely on an old “latest driver” number in a guide. Driver releases are version- and GPU-specific. Check the current release notes before deciding whether to remain on the newest driver or test a rollback.
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In Steam, open Library, right-click Black Myth: Wukong, choose Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. Steam will replace damaged or incomplete files. This cannot repair BIOS-level CPU instability or a broken graphics driver, but it is a low-risk step for a Wukong-only failure.
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3. Clear and rebuild shader caches
Clearing shader data forces compilation again, so the next launch may take longer. Use this sequence:
- Close the game and Steam.
- Use Windows Disk Cleanup or Storage settings to remove DirectX Shader Cache.
- Clear the driver shader cache through the applicable NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel software option, if available.
- Restart Windows.
- Launch the game and let compilation run without switching applications or forcing a shutdown.
On Intel Arc systems, clearing the game’s shader cache has been reported as a remedy for a later Wukong launch regression in an Intel Community troubleshooting thread. That is a targeted community report, not a guaranteed Intel fix; also check Intel’s title-specific release notes, such as the March 2026 Arc driver notes.
If the game crashes at the same compilation percentage after repeated cache rebuilds, stop deleting the cache and move to BIOS, CPU stability, and driver diagnosis.
4. Disable overlays and monitoring tools temporarily
As an isolation test, disable the Steam Overlay, NVIDIA overlay or Instant Replay, AMD overlay, Xbox Game Bar, Discord overlay, MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner overlay, OBS capture hooks, and RGB or motherboard monitoring utilities that inject into games. Re-enable them one at a time after the game is stable. Overlays are not necessarily the main cause, but removing them is a low-risk way to isolate conflicts.
5. Check Windows virtual memory
Keep the Windows paging file enabled, preferably as System managed size, on a drive with sufficient free space. A page file is a fallback for system memory and committed allocations; it is not an upgrade to your graphics card’s VRAM. It may prevent failures caused by insufficient commit capacity in some Unreal Engine workloads, but it will not fix a defective CPU, GPU, or driver.
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Reduce GPU memory use when the crash occurs in-game
If Wukong reaches the menu but crashes in a demanding scene or benchmark, reduce rendering-resource pressure:
- Turn off ray tracing first, especially full ray tracing.
- Lower texture quality.
- Reduce output resolution or render scale.
- Lower global illumination and reflections.
- Enable a frame-rate cap.
- Close overlays and GPU-accelerated background applications.
- Test with one monitor and temporarily disable HDR if the problem appears display-mode-specific.
These changes are useful when monitoring shows that the GPU is close to its real VRAM limit. They will not correct an unstable CPU, bad BIOS configuration, corrupted shader data, or a broken driver.
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Having 24GB or 32GB of VRAM does not rule out a driver allocation failure, shader-compilation failure, CPU instability, overclock problem, corrupt cache, engine bug, or system commit problem. High-end hardware can still display this message; community reports can reveal patterns but do not prove a single cause.
AMD driver rollback guidance
If the problem began immediately after an AMD driver update, first perform a clean installation of the current official driver. If the issue remains, test the previous official release and record which version worked. Download drivers only from AMD’s official driver page.
Radeon driver 24.5.1 was referenced as a historical Game Science-linked workaround during the game’s 2024 launch period. It is not automatically the correct driver in 2026. Consider it only as a controlled rollback test if the official AMD archive still provides it and current release notes do not resolve the problem.
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Use shader-skipping or -dx12 only as a workaround
If the game offers an on-screen option to skip shader compilation, you can use it to reach the menu. Game Science warns that a system crashing during compilation may still crash during gameplay. Skipping the step changes the failure path; it does not prove the underlying problem is fixed.
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-dx12To test it, open Steam → Library → right-click Black Myth: Wukong → Properties → General → Launch Options, enter -dx12, and launch the game. This is a player-reported workaround from a Steam discussion, not a universal developer-supported fix. Remove the argument after a BIOS or driver repair and test a normal launch. Skipped or incomplete shader preparation may cause stutter, longer loading, or later crashes.
Laptop and Intel Arc notes
Laptop systems
- Confirm that Wukong is assigned to the discrete GPU.
- Keep the laptop connected to AC power.
- Enable the manufacturer’s performance mode.
- Install the laptop maker’s BIOS and the appropriate current GPU driver.
- Check temperatures and power limits.
Do not apply desktop CPU overclock or BIOS advice to a laptop indiscriminately.
Intel Arc systems
Intel Arc users should treat Wukong as a title-specific driver-validation case. Consult the release notes for your exact Arc GPU and driver branch, because compatibility work—including DX12 benchmark and shader-distribution changes—can vary by release.
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What not to do
- Do not download “VRAM optimizer,” “memory cleaner,” or paid driver-updater software.
- Do not use unofficial driver mirrors.
- Do not make random registry edits.
- Do not enlarge the page file while claiming that it adds VRAM.
- Do not keep CPU, GPU, or memory overclocking enabled while diagnosing crashes.
- Do not buy a new GPU solely because the error message says “out of video memory.”
When the problem is probably hardware or platform instability
Move beyond game-specific tweaks if:
- Other Unreal Engine 5 or DirectX 12 games also crash.
- The PC reboots, freezes, or blue-screens.
- The game still fails with updated BIOS, Intel-default settings, current drivers, rebuilt caches, and verified files.
- Memory tests or CPU stress tests fail.
- Crashes occur at different stages after every cache rebuild.
At that point, investigate RAM, CPU, motherboard, GPU, power delivery, cooling, and Windows stability. Run diagnostics according to the hardware manufacturer’s instructions and keep notes about BIOS, driver, temperatures, and crash behavior. Contact Game Science or Steam support when only Wukong fails; contact the hardware manufacturer, system builder, Intel, AMD, or NVIDIA when multiple games are unstable.
The correct troubleshooting order
For a shader-compilation crash, prioritize BIOS and CPU stability, then drivers and shader caches, with shader-skipping only as a temporary workaround. For a crash after entering a demanding scene, prioritize actual VRAM usage and rendering settings. If BIOS defaults, a clean driver installation, cache rebuild, and file verification do not help—and other games are also failing—stop repeating low-value tweaks and begin platform-level diagnosis or seek support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this error always mean my GPU needs more VRAM?
No. It can indicate genuine VRAM exhaustion, but shader compilation, CPU or BIOS instability, driver allocation failures, corrupted shader data, overclocks, and system commit limits can produce the same Unreal Engine message.
Should I immediately install AMD driver 24.5.1?
No. It was a historical 2024 workaround. Install and test the current official AMD driver first; use 24.5.1 only as a controlled rollback test if the official archive still provides it and the timing points to a driver regression.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Is underclocking a permanent fix?
Usually not. It may hide instability by reducing CPU or GPU stress. Update the BIOS, restore recommended baseline settings, and pursue hardware support if instability continues.
Does increasing the page file add VRAM?
No. The paging file supports system-memory commitments; it does not increase dedicated graphics memory. Keep it enabled as a possible stability measure, not as a replacement for adequate VRAM.
The Bottom Line
Shader-compilation crash: update the BIOS, use Intel-default settings if applicable, remove overclocks, clean-install the GPU driver, and rebuild shader caches. In-game crash: reduce ray tracing, textures, resolution, and background GPU usage. Treat shader skipping and -dx12 as temporary workarounds, and seek hardware support when multiple games remain unstable.
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