It has been a long time since PayDay 2 came out and even though many updates have come out, players are still experiencing PayDay 2 crash, other errors, launch issues, and more. Some of the PayDay 2 issues are connected to Windows 10 Operating System while others can be resolved by messing around with Steam. One of the issues with PayDay 2 is the blurry overlay, it’s something that’s relatively new so either its a new issue or a classic, we will try out best to help you out with it.
PayDay 2 Crash, Game Not Launching, Black Screen, Windows 10 Problems
One of the very first issues we will discuss is the PayDay 2 crashes. There can be multiple reasons why PayDay 2 can crash and show errors on your system. The game released back in 2013 and to this day doesn’t work well with certain apps, and operating systems. Hopefully, this won’t be an issue with PayDay 3 but for now, here’s what you can do about PayDay 2 crashes and errors.
Game Crashing On Launch, Not Launching Fix
If your game is crashing at launch there are some things you can try. We will list multiple fixes here for each possible reason. Some of them are tried and tested while others are community suggested and aren’t tested by us.
PayDay 2 Crashing on Windows 10 Fix – Some of the users have reported random crashes when playing on Windows 10 PCs. There are still some compatibility issues that are beyond our control but one of the known culprits is the Steam Overlay. Turn off the Steam Overlay from the Steam Settings Menu for a possible fix for your problem. Go to Steam > Settings > In-Game and uncheck the “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game” option.
Run PayDay 2 in Compatibility Mode – Another fix for PayDay 2 crashes and errors is to run the game in compatibility mode. You can run PayDay 2 in compatibility mode by finding the PayDay 2 shortcut and go to its properties. Go to the Compatibility tab and check “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and select one of the shown versions of windows. Hit Apply and then Ok.
Move render_settings file – Another major cause of crashing and errors is data corruption. Your PayDay 2 can crash if your files are corrupted and often a file called render_settings.xml causes errors and crash to PayDay 2 on Windows 10 as well as other operating systems. So what’s the solution? Move this file to a different location. Press Windows Key + R and type %appdata%. Click OK or press Enter. Locate the “Local” folder and navigate to PayDay 2. Here you will find the render_settings file, move this file to your desktop.
Verify Game Integrity – Sometimes the solutions are very simple. Just verify the integrity of the game files and see if that works. Often this very basic solution can resolve most of your problems.
Update your drivers – You can update your AMD and Nvidia graphics drivers to possibly fix the crashing issue in PayDay 2.
Disable All Mods – Some mods may cause compatibility issues for PayDay 2. Turn off all mods and see if that fixes the crash issue.
Delete IPHLPAPI.dll – Delete the Delete IPHLPAPI.dll file from the PayDay 2 installation folder. It might fix the PayDay 2 crashing and error issue.
Black Screen Fix
If you are getting the black screen then we have some bad news for you. There aren’t many things you can do to fix this and the things you can do might not work. Still, there are two main black screen fixes known to often work.
Run in Windowed Mode – Remember the render_settings file we discussed earlier? (C:\Users\\AppData\Local\PAYDAY 2) Locate the file and open it in notepad. Locate the line Windowed=”false” and change it to Windowed=”true” to run PayDay 2 in Windowed mode.
Reinstall the Game – If nothing works the last resort is to reinstall the game. Uninstall the game from Steam and delete its Appdata as well. Go to the Appdata folder and remove everything, do the same with Registry Editor where you type PayDay 2 and delete registry keys. Restart your PC and reinstall PayDay 2.
Game Missing from Steam Library Fix
One known issue with PayDay 2 is its disappearance from your Steam library. The fix for the problem is to go to c:\program files\steam and delete the file named clientregistry.blob. Restart Steam and you should be able to see PayDay 2 in your library now.
Steam Overlay Not Working Fix
While the Steam Overlay can often cause issues with PayDay 2, sometimes you may notice that it isn’t working properly with the game. The fix is to run the game in compatibility mode. Refer to the solution above to know how to run the game in Compatibility mode.
Blurry Overlay Fix
An issue with PayDay 2 causes blurry overlay with dots on it that looks like water droplets. There an official fix for this problem.
AMD:
- Right-click on your desktop
- Choose “AMD Catalyst Control Center”
- Click on “Gaming”
- Click on “3D Application Settings”
- Find “Anti-Aliasing Mode” and set it to “Use application settings”
NVIDIA:
- Right-click on your desktop
- Choose “Nvidia Control Panel”
- Expand “Manage 3D Settings”
- Select the profile for Payday 2
- Reset all settings to default
- Find all setting that mention “Anti Aliasing” and set it to “Application-controlled”
Game not Working on Laptops
This is another known issue and often PayDay 2 doesn’t work on internal graphics cards. Developers have provided a fix for this problem.
AMD:
- Right-click on the desktop
- Select Configure switchable graphics cards
- Expand All applications
- Choose Add application
- Locate your PAYDAY 2 folder
- Click on payday2_win32_release.exe and click OK
- Under Graphics Settings choose High Performance
- Click Apply
NVIDIA:
- Right-click on the desktop
- Select NVIDIA Control Panel
- Expand 3D Settings
- Click on Manage 3D Settings
- Click on the Programs Settings tab
- Find “Payday 2 (payday2_win32_release.exe)” in the Select a program to customize roll-down
- Click add
- Locate your PAYDAY 2 folder
- Click on payday2_win32_release.exe and click OK
- Choose High Performance NIVDIA processor
- Click Apply
Game Crashing When Using a Controller Fix
Many players have reported PayDay 2 crashes when starting a heist using a controller on PC. If this is a problem you have then you need to select the default controls from the menu screen. To set your controls to default go to Options > Options > Default Control Options.
Crashes on Startup Fix
If your game is crashing on startup then check to see if your anti-virus software is interfering for security reasons. Tell your anti-virus software to overlook PayDay 2 which should solve your issues. Other suggested fixes are running the game in admin mode, compatibility mode, removing mods, deleting IPHLPAPI.dll from installation file.
Can’t Connect to Server/Multiplayer/Online Fix
Among a range of other issues, PayDay 2 often fails to connect with the server for online multiplayer play. If your game is facing these issue the very first thing you need to do is check your internet connection. Also, make sure you are running the most recent version of PayDay 2.
Often updates can arrive during gameplay which means you must exit the game and try to update the game, otherwise, it fails to connect to online services for multiplayer games.
Game Lagging Fix
Lagging is pretty normal in online games but if your other games are running fine except PayDay 2, you have an issue at your hands. One of the main culprits of lagging is mods so remove any if you have some. If you are experiencing lag in other games as well there might be an issue with your service provider. Check and restart your router and if the issue still persists, call your service provider to see if there any backend issues with their service at the moment.
We’ll keep updating this article with more PayDay 2 crashes and error fixes.
