Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is finally out on PC and consoles, and we had a great time playing as Kazuma Kiryu again. The latest entry, developed on the Dragon Engine performs similarly to the Judgment titles and Yakuza 6. However, if you’re running into any sort of crash at launch with Like a Dragon Gaiden, here are a few recommendations to address those.
Verify Game Files
First, you need to make sure your game files are in order. This is the most common reason for stability issues in PC releases. Thankfully, Steam allows you to scan through game files, and download anything broken or missing.
Steam
- Open Steam and navigate to your library
- Right-click on Like a Dragon Gaiden in your library
- Click Properties
- Select the Installed Files tab
- Click on Verify Integrity of game files
Steam will initiate a scan, and if anything is missing, Steam will redownload and install those files.
Xbox App for PC
- Launch the Xbox App
- On the left, under INSTALLED, click on Like a Dragon Gaiden
- Click on the button with three dots
- Select Manage
- Select the FILES tab, and then click on VERIFY AND REPAIR under Options
Like Steam, this will also initiate a scan that will go through your game files to check for any issues.
Update GPU Drivers
For most Dragon Engine titles, it’s recommended that you have the latest GPU drivers, especially if you haven’t updated those in a while. After verifying game files, this is the second most important step for RGG titles.
You can get the latest ones from the links below.
Cleanup DirectX Shader Cache
The developers recommend that you clear your DirectX shader cache, which can lead to improved stability, and potentially fix crashes.
- In Windows Search type “Disc Cleanup”, and open it
- Select C drive and press OK
- Check “DirectX Shader Cache” and press OK
Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables
Ensure that both DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables are on the latest version.
Update Windows
Like a Dragon Gaiden requires Windows 10 1903 (OS Build 18362), so make sure you at least have that version.
- In Windows Search type “Update”, and click on Check for Updates
- This will take you to the Windows Update section, and you can make sure you are on the latest version
Launch Like a Gaiden with Admin Privileges
For some users, giving the title Windows admin privileges can potentially fix the crashing issues at launch. This was the case for previous Dragon Engine releases as well, and it can’t hurt to try here.
- Open Steam and then your library
- Here, right-click on Like a Dragon Gaiden
- Click Manage
- Then select Browse local files
- Right-click on the Like a Dragon Gaiden executable and select Properties
- Click the Compatibility tab
- Check “Run this program as an administrator“
Switch to dedicated GPU (Laptop Users)
If you’re playing Like a Dragon Gaiden on a laptop, make sure to check if your dedicated GPU is being utilized correctly.
Switching to the dedicated Nvidia GPU
- First, open the Nvidia Control Panel
- Then navigate to 3D Settings and then Manage 3D Settings
- Open the tab Program Settings and choose Like a Dragon Gaiden from the dropdown menu
- Next, select the preferred graphics processor for this program from the second dropdown.
- Your Nvidia GPU should show as High-performance Nvidia processor
- Save the changes
Switching to the dedicated AMD GPU
- First, open Radeon Settings
- Then navigate to Preferences, followed by Additional Settings
- Here, select Power and then Switchable Graphics Application Settings
- Select Like a Dragon Gaiden from the list of applications
- If Like a Dragon Gaiden isn’t in the list, click the Add Application button and select the executable from the installation directory. This adds the game to the list, and you’ll be able to select it afterward.
- In Graphics Settings, assign the High-Performance profile to the game.
We hope this guide helped fix the Like a Dragon Gaiden crash at launch issue. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
