Dune Awakening Crashing? Fixes That Work

Dune Awakening crashing on PC is a common issue, but most crashes are fixable by updating your GPU drivers, disabling overlays, and adjusting a few in-game settings. This guide covers the most frequent causes of crashes in the current Early Access build and the steps that resolve them.

Why Dune Awakening Crashes

The game is in Early Access, so crashes are often tied to specific hardware configurations, outdated drivers, or conflicts with background software. The most reported crash triggers are:

• Outdated or corrupted GPU drivers
• Overlays from Discord, Steam, or NVIDIA GeForce Experience
• DirectX 12 instability on certain GPUs
• Insufficient VRAM or RAM for the game’s open-world loading
• Corrupted game files after a patch

Many crashes happen during loading screens or when entering new zones, which points to asset streaming issues rather than a single faulty setting.

Quick Fixes to Try First

Before changing any settings, run through these three steps. They resolve the majority of crashes in our experience with similar Unreal Engine titles.

1. Update your GPU drivers. Go to NVIDIA or AMD’s website, download the latest driver for your card, and do a clean install. For NVIDIA, use the “Custom” option and check “Perform a clean installation.”
2. Disable overlays. Turn off the Steam overlay (Steam > Settings > In Game), Discord overlay (Discord > User Settings > Overlay), and any other screen-capture tool like MSI Afterburner or RivaTuner.
3. Verify game files. In Steam, right-click Dune Awakening, select Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. This re-downloads any corrupted or missing files.

If the game still crashes, move on to the more specific fixes below.

Adjust In-Game Settings for Stability

Dune Awakening is a demanding open-world game, and maxing out every setting can cause crashes on mid-range hardware. The following settings have the biggest impact on stability:

• DirectX 12 vs. DirectX 11: If you crash within the first 10 minutes, switch to DirectX 11 in the graphics settings. DX12 is the default but is less stable on some older GPUs.
• Texture Quality: Lower this to High or Medium if your GPU has less than 8 GB of VRAM. Ultra textures can exceed VRAM and cause an instant crash.
• Ray Tracing: Turn this off entirely. It is the single most common cause of crashes on NVIDIA RTX 20-series and AMD RX 6000-series cards.
• DLSS / FSR: Set to Balanced or Performance. Ultra Performance can cause rendering artifacts and occasional crashes.
• Frame Generation: Disable this if you have an older CPU, as it can cause stutter and crashes on systems with fewer than 8 cores.

After changing these, restart the game and play for 30 minutes to see if the crash recurs.

Fix Crashes on Specific Hardware

Some crashes are tied to particular GPU or CPU combinations. Here are the known patterns and their fixes:

• NVIDIA 30-series cards: If you get a “DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED” error, your GPU is likely hitting a power limit. Use MSI Afterburner to reduce the power limit to 90% and lower the core clock by 50 MHz.
• AMD 6000-series cards: A common crash happens when the game loads shaders. Disable “Shader Cache” in the AMD Adrenalin software, then re-enable it after the first successful launch.
• Intel 12th/13th-gen CPUs: These CPUs can crash due to power management. In BIOS, disable “C-States” or set “Performance Mode” to enabled.
• 16 GB RAM systems: If you crash when fast-traveling, increase your Windows page file to 16 GB. Right-click This PC > Properties > Advanced system settings > Performance Settings > Advanced > Virtual memory.

These are general fixes that apply to Unreal Engine 5 games and have been widely reported for Dune Awakening specifically.

Common Crash Errors and What They Mean

Dune Awakening shows a few specific error messages. Understanding them helps you pick the right fix.

• “DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED”: The GPU driver stopped responding. This is usually a driver crash or overheating. Check your GPU temperature with a tool like HWMonitor; if it exceeds 85°C, clean your fans and improve case airflow.
• “Out of Video Memory”: Your GPU ran out of VRAM. Lower texture quality and disable ray tracing.
• “The UE5 is running out of memory”: This is a system RAM issue. Close background browsers and apps, and increase your page file as described above.
• “Access Violation”: This is often caused by a corrupted save file or anti-cheat conflict. Try starting a new character to test, and disable any anti-virus that scans the game folder.

If you see a crash without any message, check the Windows Event Viewer (Applications log) for the faulting module. If it says “nvwgf2umx.dll” or “amdvlk64.dll”, it’s a GPU driver issue.

When to Use the Game’s Repair Tool

Dune Awakening includes a built-in repair tool that goes beyond Steam’s file verification. It recompiles shaders and repairs the game’s internal cache.

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click Dune Awakening > Properties > Installed Files.
3. Click “Browse” to open the game folder.
4. Run the executable named RepairGame.exe (or similar, depending on the build).
5. Wait for it to finish, then launch the game.

This tool is especially useful after a major patch that introduced new shaders. If the repair tool is not present, verify files through Steam instead.

Preventing Future Crashes

Once the game runs, take a few steps to keep it stable:

• Keep your GPU drivers updated, but wait a few days after a new driver release, as some drivers have bugs that crash games.
• Disable Windows Game Mode and Game Bar, which can interfere with the game’s rendering.
• Set the game’s priority to High in Task Manager (Details tab) to prevent background processes from stealing resources.
• Avoid alt-tabbing during loading screens, which is a common crash trigger in Unreal Engine games.

Also, check the official Dune Awakening Discord or forums for known issues. The developers regularly post workarounds for newly discovered crashes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Dune Awakening crash on startup?

Startup crashes are usually caused by outdated GPU drivers or a corrupted shader cache. Update your drivers, then delete the ShaderCache folder in the game’s installation directory (usually under DuneAwakening\Saved\Shaders). The game will rebuild it on next launch.

Does Dune Awakening crash on both DX11 and DX12?

Yes, but DX12 crashes are more common. If you crash on DX12, switch to DX11. If you crash on both, the issue is likely your GPU drivers or an overlay.

How do I fix the “Out of Video Memory” error?

Lower your Texture Quality to High or Medium, disable Ray Tracing, and set DLSS/FSR to Balanced. If you have an NVIDIA card, also go to NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings and set “Shader Cache Size” to Unlimited.

Can a VPN cause Dune Awakening to crash?

Yes, a VPN can cause network-related crashes during login or when the game tries to sync cloud saves. Disable your VPN and try again. If you need a VPN for regional access, use a dedicated gaming VPN with a stable connection.

Is there a fix for crashes during the benchmark?

The benchmark is more demanding than the actual game. If it crashes, lower your settings to Medium and disable Ray Tracing. If it still crashes, your GPU may be overheating or overclocked too high. Reset your GPU to stock clocks.

Will uninstalling and reinstalling help?

Only if your game files are corrupted beyond repair. Before reinstalling, try verifying files and running the repair tool. Reinstalling takes time and may not fix a driver issue.

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