How To Fix Ghost Of Tsushima Crash On PC – Crash At Startup Fix

Ghost Of Tsushima launched as a PlayStation exclusive in 2020. In 2024, Director’s Cut of the game launched on PC as part of Sony’s push in the PC market. There is no doubt about the quality of the PC port as developer Nixxes continues its streak of releasing optimized PC versions of Sony’s exclusive titles. Despite the optimizations, PC users report Ghost Of Tsushima crashes, Unable to Create Save Directory error, the Shader Model 6.6 support not detected error, or DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG error. I have compiled a list of fixes that help resolve the Ghost Of Tsushima crash on PC.

Try These Ghost Of Tsushima Crash Fixes

PC users report Ghost Of Tsushima is crashing randomly while playing. There are multiple reasons for it to crash in-game like using frame generation, overclocked GPU, unlocked FPS, and more. The following fixes help PC users resolve Ghost Of Tsushima’s in-game crashes.

Run the Game in Fullscreen

Playing games in Exclusive Fullscreen display mode often gives a boost in performance. However, Ghost Of Tsushima crashes when you use alt+tab while playing due to Exclusive Fullscreen mode. Play Ghost Of Tsushima in Fullscreen mode instead of Exclusive Fullscreen to fix the crash.

Disable Frame Generation

DLSS, FSR, and XESS are incredible technologies that boost FPS in-game by upscaling or generating frames. While useful, using DLSS or FSR frame generation is crashing Ghost Of Tsushima. Disable the frame generation and keep using DLSS or FSR upscaling to fix the in-game crashes until Nixxes rolls out an update to fix it.

AMD GPU Fix: For those experiencing crashes on AMD GPUs, turn off frame generation and downgrade the GPU driver if you have installed the Ghost Of Tsushima’s optimized driver. This will fix in-game crashes on your AMD GPU.

Update GPU Driver

The current GPU driver version on your Windows PC is incompatible or outdated with Ghost Of Tsushima, which is crashing the game. To fix the in-game crashes, update or install a different driver version for AMD or Nvidia GPU. Ensure you do a clean installation.

Note: AMD GPU driver version 24.5.1 is crashing Ghost Of Tsushima. Roll back to 24.4.1 or update the driver to the latest version, if available, to fix the in-game crash.

Disable Overclock

One advantage of PC gaming is the ability to overclock your hardware to get more performance. However, overclocking makes gaming an unstable experience as games crash to desktops. If you have overclocked your GPU, it’s crashing Ghost Of Tsushima to the desktop. Rever the graphics card to its default GPU and Memory clocks to fix the in-game crashes.

Enable Debug Mode

While you haven’t overclocked the graphics, it’s probably factory overclocked. Most graphics cards from Nvidia AIB partners are factory overclocked or use higher GPU and memory clocks compared to reference models. These higher clocks are crashing Ghost Of Tsushima while playing. Force the Graphics card to use Nvidia’s recommended GPU and Memory clocks by enabling the Debiug mode to fix Ghost Of Tsushima’s in-game crash. Open the Nvidia Control Panel > Help > Debug mode.

Limit Max Frame Rate

Playing games at an unlocked frame rate is an experience that can’t be matched on consoles. Not only do you get smooth animation and gameplay, but input latency is also reduced, which makes the experience more responsive. However, unlocked FPS puts a lot of load on the GPU and the CPU and crashes the game. If you are playing Ghost Of Tsushima at an unlocked FPS, limit it’s max frame rate to fix the error. I recommend you use the Nvidia Control Panel as in-game FPS limiters often cause bad frame pacing.

• Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
• Click “Manage 3D Settings” and open the Program Settings tab.
• Select Ghost Of Tsushima from the drop-down menu.
• Scroll down, enable Max Frame Rate, and set a value.

Note: Unless you use a Freesync or G.sync display, your Max Frame Limit should be 1/2, 1/3rd, or 1/4th of your monitor’s refresh rate. Otherwise, the game will feel jittery.

Disable In-game Overlays

In-game overlays are useful features that allow PC gamers to use or access certain features like chat, checking achievements, and more without minimizing or closing the game. However, they can interfere with games and crash them to the desktop. If you are using in-game overlays like Steam overlay, Discord overlay, or GeForce Experience overlay, it’s crashing Ghost Of Tsushima. Disable all in-game overlays to fix the in-game crashes.

To disable Steam overlay, open Steam > settings > In-game > uncheck “Enable the Steam overlay while in-game.”

To disable GeForce Experience > click on the Great icon next to your username > General > turn off the “IN-GAME Overlay” options.

To disable Discord overlay, open User settings > go to the Game Overlay tab > turn off the “Enable In-game overlay” options.

Disable Third-Party Tools or Software

PC gamers use third-party tools and software like MSI Afterburner, RGB software, driver or software for peripherals like HOTAS or controllers, and more. These third-party tools are crashing Ghost Of Tsushima to the desktop. Disable all third-party tools or software you are using to fix the in-game crashes.

Ghost Of Tsushima Crash At Startup Fixes That’ll Help

PC users can’t play Ghost Of Tsushima as it crashes at startup or doesn’t launch. For some users, the game crashes at startup with the Unable to Create Save Directory error. There are multiple reasons for Ghost Of Tsushima’s crash at startup issues like modified settings for Intel 13 or 14 gen CPU, third-party anti-virus software, corrupt or missing Visual C++ components, and more. The following fixes help PC users resolve Ghost Of Tsushima’s crashes at startup.

Run the Game as an Administrator

The lack of administrative rights is crashing Ghost Of Tsushima at launch. Run the game as an administrator to fix the crash at startup issue.

• Right-click Ghost Of Tsushima in your Steam library > Manage > Browse local files.
• A new Explorer window will open with game files.
• right-click Ghost Of Tsushima’s executable > properties > Compatibility tab.
• Check “Run this program as an administrator” and apply changes.
• Play Ghost Of Tsushima and it won’t crash at startup.

Use Default Power Profiles for Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPUs

PC users with high-end K variants of Intel 13th and 14th gen CPUs are experiencing game crashes or crashes at startup due to modified power settings in BIOS. Intel has acknowledged that modified BIOS or power settings in the BIOS for 13th and 14th-generation CPUs are crashing games. Revert the power settings for your 13th and 14th gen intel CPUs to fix Ghost Of Tsushima’s crashes at startup.

Update or Install Visual C++ Components

Visual C++ is a necessary component to run games on Windows PCs. Ghost Of Tsushima is crashing at startup due to corrupt or damaged Visual C++ components. Install or repair Visual C++ Redistrobutablees to fix Ghost Of Tsushima’s crash at startup issue.

• Open the Steam library and type ‘Steamworks’ in the search bar.
• Right-click “Steamworks Common Redistributables” > Manage > Browse local files.
• A new Explorer window will open.
• Go to _CommonRedist\vcredist
• There are folders with names in years starting from 2010.
• Open each folder and run the VC_redis, both x64 and x86 versions.
• Install or repair Visual C++ Redistributables and restart your PC.

Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Fullscreen optimizations are enabled by default for every program or game installed on Windows. It’s crashing Ghost Of Tsushima at startup. Disable fullscreen optimizations to fix the crash at startup issue.

• Right-click Ghost Of Tsushima in Steam library > Manage > browse local files.
• A new Explorer window will open with game files.
• Right-click the executable > properties > Compatibility tab.
• Check “Disable Fullscreen Optimizations” and apply.
• Launch Ghost Of Tsushima and it won’t crash at launch.

Delete DirectX Shader Cache

Microsoft rolls out Windows updates frequently and they often break something. Sometimes a Windwos update will corrupt or damage the DirectX shader cache and crash games at startup. Ghost Of Tsushima is crashing at startup because the DirectX shader cache is incompatible or corrupt. Delete the cache and a new one will be created the next time you launch the game. This fixes Ghost Of Tsushima’s crash at startup issue.

• Open Windows Settings
• Go to System > Storage > Temporary Files
• Select DirectX Shader Cache and click “Remove Files”
• Launch Ghost Of Tsushima and it’ll work without crashing at startup.

That is all for our Ghost Of Tsushima fixes for in-game crashes and crashes at startup issues. If you are facing errors and issues with other PC games or your PC, also see our hub for commonly occurring PC errors and their fixes.