How To Fix the Returnal Crash at Launch Issue on PC

Housemarque’s Returnal is finally out on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store. This excellent PS5 exclusive is now on PC with tons of PC-specific features. Some users have reported a few technical issues though, which isn’t uncommon with newer PC releases. If you’re running into the Returnal crash at launch issue, here are a few things you can try.

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Fixing the Returnal Crash at Launch Issue

If you’ve followed my technical guides in the past, you’ll know that most crashing issues are usually related to something either missing on the user’s end or broken files. Here are a few things you can go through to address crashes at launch or during gameplay.

Verify Game Files

As always, you first want to check if your game files are in order. Things can go wrong during the download or installation process, and both Steam and Epic Games Launcher let you verify files easily.

Steam

Open Steam and navigate to your library
Right-click on Returnal in your library

Click Properties

Select the LOCAL FILES tab
Click on Verify Integrity of local files…

Properties > Local Files > Verify integrity of game files — Verify integrity of game files

After clicking this, a scan will start, and Steam will go through your files to check for anything out of order.

Epic Games Launcher

Open your Library in the Epic Games Launcher

Now, click on the three dots next to Returnal
Here, select Manage

Click on the Verify button next to Verify Files

Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables

Ensure that both DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables are on the latest version.

Manually update your GPU Drivers

Make sure that you have the latest drivers for your GPU installed. You can get the latest ones from the links below.

Turn Down Settings on Lower End PCs

Returnal is a bit on the demanding side, and if your PC is below the minimum requirements, I highly recommend turning down a few settings or selecting a lower preset. Keep in mind, to play the game at even 720p with low settings, you’ll need something like a GTX 1060, which has 6 GB of VRAM.

Add an exception to your anti-virus

It’s possible that the game is being flagged as a threat by your anti-virus software. Make sure to add it to the list of exclusions or exceptions.

We have listed some popular ones and their respective FAQ pages.

Switch to dedicated GPU (Laptop Users)

Ensure that your dedicated GPU is being utilized instead of the integrated one.

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 Returnal 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 Returnal from the list of applications
If Returnal 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.