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Learn how to fix the freezing and crashing error in Stalker 2’s PC port, as well as the possible reasons behind the error.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s PC release has not been without its fair share of issues. Much like the original Stalker game, the sequel boasts impressive visuals coupled with some genuinely engaging gameplay systems. However, the game’s ambitious graphical presentation comes at the cost of its somewhat shoddy performance, even on high-end PCs. The console (Xbox Series X|S) versions of the game also suffer from similar performance-related issues, albeit to a lesser degree. However, it is the PC version of the game that’s riddled with multiple “game-breaking” issues, including stuttering, freezing, and even occasional crashing.
Thankfully, the majority of these issues can be fixed with some tweaks to the game’s graphics settings. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how you can potentially fix the freezing and crashing error in Stalker 2’s PC version.
Possible Fixes for Freezing and Crashing Errors in Stalker 2 PC
There are a few main reasons for the freezing and crashing errors in GSC Game World’s latest open-world survival game. Firstly, the game is built using Unreal Engine 5, which is known to have severe performance issues, especially on low and mid-range PC configurations.
Furthermore, Stalker 2, much like Black Myth Wukong, makes use of UE5’s entire toolset, including Lumen, Nanite, and improved texture mapping. As such, the game can often be quite heavy on GPU resources. Stalker 2 is highly dependent on VRAM, especially at 1440p and 4K. At higher resolutions (1440p and above), the game can easily exceed 8 GB of VRAM usage.
Exceeding the VRAM limits of a GPU can cause it to dip into system memory, resulting in freezing and crashing issues. Fortunately, Stalker 2 ships with a rather robust graphics options menu. You can essentially change a few settings, such as Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, and Shading, to get huge performance boosts, as well as a more stable gameplay experience. Another major reason for Stalker 2’s crashing issues can be a faulty installation (or download). Thankfully, with Steam’s file verification tool, you can easily fix that.
Here are a few things that you should try in order to fix the freezing and crashing issues in Stalker 2:
Update GPU Drivers
Updating your GPU drivers is the easiest and most effective way to fix most performance-related issues in PC games. Both AMD and Nvidia have released their latest drivers with optimizations for all the latest titles, including Stalker 2. Furthermore, updating drivers nowadays is more or less an automated process.
If you have Nvidia’s GeForce Experience or the Nvidia App installed, you can use that application to automatically update your GPU drivers. The same goes for AMD’s Adrenaline software. You can also manually download the latest drivers from Nvidia or AMD’s websites. Make sure you download “Game Ready,” instead of “Studio” drivers.
Lower Graphics Settings
Lowering some of the graphics settings in Stalker 2 not only helps improve the performance of the game but also fixes the game’s crashing errors. The biggest reason for Stalker 2’s crashing error is its incredibly high VRAM usage. Even at 1080p, the game can easily surpass 8 GB of VRAM usage when Textures are set to High.
If you’re on a 6 GB VRAM GPU, the settings that you need to reduce are Texture Quality, Shadow Quality, Global Illumination, Post-processing, and Shading Quality. Although lowering these settings does harm the visuals, they do reduce the game’s VRAM usage significantly.
Verify Game Files
Corrupted game files during download or installation (updates) are another very common reason for crashing errors. With most AAA titles surpassing 100 GB in file size, it’s not uncommon for game downloads or installations to get corrupted. Stalker 2 on PC takes 150 GB in storage, so it’s not surprising for some files to get corrupted during download.
Thankfully, Steam offers a robust file verification tool that helps fix the corrupted files without forcing a reinstallation. The file verification tool essentially goes through the game’s installation directory and replaces any corrupted files with new ones. Here’s how you can verify Stalker 2’s game files on Steam:
- Launch Steam > Click on Library.
- Right-click on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl from the list of games in your Steam library.
- Click on Properties > Local Files.
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- Wait for the files to get checked.
- Once done, launch the game.
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