Computer freezes when playing games on Windows 11

Windows PCs make for the perfect gaming devices when coupled with the right specs. The experience could be smoother all the time – however, sometimes, you may encounter crashes when playing games, especially on Windows 11. In this article, we will tell you how to fix Computer freezes while playing games on Windows 11/10.

What causes a computer to freeze while playing games on Windows 11/10?

As a gamer, the worst of the feelings is losing all your progress in a game because your PC crashed before saving it. Many users have frequently reported this problem in their Windows 11 PCs. Here are some causes that can be behind this issue:

Incompatible or Faulty Windows Update: Sometimes, a new Windows update can introduce bugs or conflicts that affect the stability of your PC. Windows updates can also render the game to be incompatible.
Faulty GPU drivers: The GPU is one of the most critical PC gaming components. Faulty GPU drivers can end up crashing your PC while gaming.
Overheating: Gaming stresses your PC’s components, leading them to generate heat. The heat is vented out through fans, but if the outflow is blocked, it may cause the system to overheat and crash.
Disabled Resizeable Bar/Above 4G encoding: The resizeable bar allows your CPU to access the entire memory of your GPU, and above 4G encoding allows your motherboard to support more than 4GB of memory of your GPU. If these are disabled, your PC might crash on resource-intensive games.

Computer freezes when playing games on Windows 11/10

Now that you understand the causes behind your PC freezing while gaming on Windows let’s learn how to fix the issue where your Windows computer is freezing while playing games on Windows 11.

Ensure proper ventilation
Change screen resolution
Reinstall Game Services
Enable Resizeable BAR support and Above 4G Encoding
Downgrade GPU drivers
Uninstall the latest Windows Update

Before you begin, you have to make sure that your computer hardware specs meet the specifications required by the game.

1] Ensure proper ventilation

Gaming causes the system components to heat up while heating is standard. The head has to be dissipated through the vents. If the vents are blocked due to an uneven surface or dust collection in the vents or fans, your PC will crash due to overheating. To prevent such a thing, use your PC in relatively dust-free environments. Also, check your GPU fans for dust deposits regularly.

If you are using a laptop, make sure you use it on a flat surface or a laptop stand where the vents are not blocked and there is ample ventilation for the heat to dissipate.

2] Change screen resolution

Every display supports varying ranges of resolution. Sometimes, your set resolution may not match a particular game’s minimum or maximum supported resolution, which can cause the PC to crash. You can find out the minimum and maximum resolution for a game and adjust your display accordingly:

Head to the game developer’s official website and find the minimum and maximum display specs for the game you wish to play.
Now, go to the desktop, right-click, and then open Display Settings from the context menu.
Scroll down to find the Display Resolution option and expand the display resolution.

You will now see all the resolutions available for your display; adjust them according to the minimum and maximum resolution available for the game.
Restart your PC for the changes to take effect properly. Check if the issue is resolved for you.

If the screen resolution setting is greyed out, read the troubleshooting guide to fix it.

3] Reinstall Game Services

Game services are typically services that help games to function properly in Windows. Suppose the gaming service application is corrupted or not installed on your PC. In that case, you might encounter frequent compatibility issues, freezing or crashing of your PC while playing games on your Windows 11:

Open the Windows Start Menu, search for Windows Powershell, right-click the first result, and click Run as administrator.
This will open the elevated Windows Powershell. Now paste the following command and press enter:

get-appxpackage Microsoft.GamingServices | remove-AppxPackage -allusers

In the same window, paste the following command and press enter:

start ms-windows-store://pdp/?productid=9MWPM2CQNLHN

This will reinstall the Windows game services for you. Restart your PC to check if the issue is fixed.

4] Enable Resizeable BAR support and Above 4G Encoding

Your CPU and Motherboard are not set to access the full capabilities of your GPU by default, and some games require more than just default. The Resizeable Bar allows your CPU to access the total processing capacity of your GPU, and the above 4G encoding allows your motherboard to access more than 4GB of your GPU’s memory.

This means your CPU and GPU can communicate faster as more data can be transferred simultaneously. This allows you to access the complete capabilities of your GPU for a better and smoother gaming experience.

You will need first to update the UEFI and then enable ReBAR in BIOS/UEFI.

5] Downgrade GPU drivers

Faulty GPU drivers end up conflicting and causing issues with your games. If there has been a recent update in your GPU drivers, or they are the latest version, you can downgrade them to the previous version to fix the issue:

Right-click the Windows Start icon in the Taskbar, and from the Poweruser menu, open Device Manager.
Expand the Display Adapters option in the Device Manager, find your GPU, and right-click it.
From the context menu, select Uninstall device and proceed.

Once the device is uninstalled, go to the OEM website for your GPU.
Search for your GPU name on the website and access the drivers page.
From the drivers page, download a version older than the current one.

Run the installer to downgrade your GPU drivers.
Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Read: How to remove Old and Useless Drivers in Windows

6] Uninstall the latest Windows Update

Latest Windows updates can sometimes introduce bugs and conflicts or render your games incompatible. You can uninstall the latest Windows update to fix your PC crashing when playing games:

Open Windows settings by pressing the Windows+I keys on your keyboard.
Head over to the Windows update section from the left pane in the Windows settings.
Now, in Windows update, open Update History. Please scroll down to find the Uninstall Updates option and click to open it.

You will now see all the updates that can be uninstalled. Uninstall the most recent one that you suspect to be causing problems for your PC.
Restart the PC and check if the issue has been resolved.

Related read: Computer crashes while playing games on Windows 11

PC freezes on Boot when changing game settings

Many users have also reported the issue of PC freezing on boot or when changing game settings on Windows. This usually happens due to misconfigured BIOS settings and issues with game settings. Here’s what you can try to fix a similar issue for yourself:

Reset BIOS or UEFI
Reset game graphics settings

Let’s proceed with learning about these fixes in detail.

1] Reset BIOS or UEFI

If you have changed anything in the BIOS or UEFI that can help to make the game smoother, aka PC Overclocking, then you might want to bring it to normal and check if the issue gets resolved.

If that does help, you must read through documents and ask in forums about the right overclocking setting.

2] Reset game graphics settings

If the Game Graphic Settings are misconfigured or causing issues, it is widely recommended to try and reset the Game graphic settings to fix issues with PC freezing while changing game settings:

Open the Game settings for the respective game.
In the Game Settings, open the Graphics section.
Now, find the Reset Defaults options in the Graphics Settings, click on it, and proceed.
Close the Game once the settings are reset to defaults, and Restart your PC to check if the issue is fixed.

The option to reset graphics settings to default can be hidden in different places for different games, but in most cases, you will find the option only around the graphics section of the settings.

Can RAM cause the game to crash?

Yes, RAM can cause games to crash if faulty, incompatible, or installed incorrectly. RAM is the memory that stores and retrieves data for the CPU and other programs. If the RAM is corrupted, mismatched, or not seated properly, it can cause errors and instability in the system.

Read: How to optimize Windows for Online Gaming

Can a bad CPU cause freezing?

Yes, a bad or failing CPU can also cause freezing, crashes, and other performance issues with your computer. The CPU is the brain of your computer that handles all the calculations and logic. If the CPU is damaged, overheated, or has electrical problems, it can become unstable and malfunction.

These posts might interest you: