Soulmask is a survival game launched as a Steam Early Access title. The game runs on the Unreal Engine and makes good use of it. Even in its unfinished form, Soumask isn’t a demanding game as the system requirements are quite reasonable. However, given that it’s an Early Access game, at the time of writing, there are bound to be errors and crashes that’ll bother PC users, like An Unreal Process Crashed error. PC users report that Soulmask is crashing in-game or at startup. Here I have compiled a list of fixes that’ll help PC users resolve Soulmask crash.
Soulmask Crash Fixes That’ll Help
PC users report that Soulmaks is crashing randomly while playing. Multiple reasons can crash the game like third-party tools and software, default shader cache size isn’t enough, overclocked GPU, and more. The following are the fixes that help PC users resolve Soulmask’s in-game crashes.
Fix #1 – Disable Third-Party Tools and Software
Third-party software are very useful tools. They help PC users perform tasks or gather hardware performance metrics easily. PC users often use third-party tools like MSI AFterbuner, Discord, RGB software, software/driver for peripherals like HHOTAS or controllers, and more. These software can interfere with games and crash them. If you are using third-party software, it’s crashing Soulmask to the desktop. Disable all third-party tools and software and the game will stop crashing.
Fix #2 – Disable In-game Overlays
In-game overlays are useful as they allow PC users to access other applications and their features without minimizing or closing the game. While useful, in-game overlays can interfere with games and crash them to the desktop. Disable all in-game overlays like Steam or Discord overlay to fix Soulmask’s in-game crashes.
Discord:
- Open User settings
- Go to Game Overlay tab
- Turn off the “Enable In-game overlay” options.
Steam:
- Open Setting settings
- Go to the In-Game tab
- Uncheck “Enable the Steam overlay while in-game” and press OK.
GeForce Experience:
- Open GeForce Experience
- Click on the Gear icon next to your username
- Go to the General tab
- Turn off the “IN-GAME Overlay” option
Fix #3 – Increase Shader Cache
Soulmask runs on the Unreal Engine, which relies heavily on shaders for its visuals and performance. Soulmask is crashing because the default shader cache size set by the GPU driver isn’t enough. Increase the shader cache size to fix Soulmask’s in-game crash.
- Open the Nvidia Control Panel
- Go to Manage 3D Settings > Global Settings
- Scroll down to Shader Cache
- Select 10 GB and apply the changes
Fix #4 – Disable GPU overclock
The ability to overclock the hardware and squeeze more performance out of it is one of the advantages of PC gaming. However, overclocking can make gaming an unstable experience with the game constantly crashing to the desktop. If you have overclocked your GPU, it’s crashing Soulmask to the desktop. Revert the graphics card to its default GPU and Memory clocks to fix the crashes.
Fix #5 – Enable Debug Mode
If you haven’t overclocked your GPU, it’s likely factory overclocked, which is crashing Soulmask to the desktop. Graphics cards from AIB partners like Zotac are often factory overclocked or use higher GPU and Memory clocks than Nvidia’s reference models. To fix Soulmask’s in-game crash, enable the Debud Mode through the Nvidia Control Panel to force the graphics card to use Nvidia’s recommended GPU and Memory clocks.
- Open the Nvidia Control Panel
- Go to Help
- Click on Debug Mode
Fix #6 – Limit Max Frame Rate
The ability to play games at a higher or unlocked frame rate is one of the advantages PC has over consoles. However, playing at an unlocked FPS puts the GPU and the CPU under a lot of load, which crashes games to the desktop. If you are playing Soulmask at an unlocked FPS, it’s crashing it. Limit the game’s max FPS to fix the in-game crashes.
- Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
- Click “Manage 3D Settings” and open the Program Settings tab.
- Select Soulmask 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.
Fix #7 – Update or Reinstall GPU Driver
The current GPU driver version installed on your PC is either corrupt or incompatible with Soulmask, which is crashing the game to the desktop. Reinstall or install a different GPU driver version to fix Soulmask’s in-game crashes. Ensure you do a clean installation.
Try These Soulmask Crash At Startup Fixes
PC users report that Soulmask is crashing at startup or doesn’t launch when they click play. Some users report they get the “Win64-Shipping.exe has crashed” error message after the crash. Multiple factors are responsible for Soulmask’s crashes at startup like anti-virus blocking the executable, corrupt game files, Soulmask not having administrative rights, and more. The following fixes will help PC users resolve Soulmask’s crashes at startup.
Fix #1 – Disable Anti-Virus
PC users often install third-party anti-virus software to protect their systems from malware. However, sometimes the anti-virus falsely detects the game executable as malware and quarantines it, which crashes the game at startup.
If you are using a third-party anti-virus, it’s crashing Soulmask at launch. PC users report that third-party antivirus like Comodo or DeepGuard are crashing Soulmask at startup. Either disable real-time protection or exclude the game folder from it, I recommend the latter. After that, verify the game files, launch Soulmask, and the crash at startup is fixed.
Fix #2 – Delete Engine Folder
Corrupt game files are crashing Soulmask at startup. To fix it, go to the install folder > delete the Engine folder > verify game files. Here is how to do it:
- Right-click Soulmask in your Steam library > Manage > browse local file.
- A new explorer window will open containing game files.
- Delete the “Engine” folder.
- Right-click Soulmask in your Steam library > properties > Installed files tab.
- Click the “verify the integrity of game files” button.
- Let Steam download files.
- Play Soulmask and the crash at startup issue is fixed.
Fix #3 – Run The Game As An Administrator
A lack of administrative rights is crashing Soulmask at startup. To fix Soulmask’s crashes at startup, run it as an administrator.
- Right-click Soulmask in your Steam library > Manage > Browse local files.
- A new explorer window will open containing the game files.
- Right-click the game’s executable > Properties > Compatibility tab
- Check “Run this program as an administrator” and hit apply.
- Launch Soulmask and it won’t crash at startup.
Fix #4 – Update or Install Visual C++ Components
Visual C++ is necessary to run games on Windows, and Soulmask is crashing at launch because of corrupt or missing Visual C++ components. Install or repair Visual C++ Redistributables to fix Soulmask’s crashes at launch. Here is how to install or repair Visual C++ Redistributables:
- 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.
Fix #5 – Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Fullscreen Optimizations are enabled by default for every application, video game, or program installed on a Windows PC. It is crashing Soulmask at startup. To fix the crash at launch issue, disable fullscreen optimization.
- Right-click Soulmask 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 Soulmask and it won’t crash at launch.
Fix #6 – Update Windows
Microsoft frequently rolls out Windows updates, and understandably PC users often don’t install them as long as possible. However, games require a certain Windows build or they crash at startup or don’t launch when PC users click Play. If you haven’t updated your Windows in a while, it’s crashing Soulmask at startup and it can be fixed by updating Windows. Open Windwos settings > Windwos Udpate > click “Check for updates” > install all available updates.
Fix #7 – Delete DirectX Shader Cache
As I mentioned, PC users often hold off installing Windows updates. This is because these updates sometimes break certain Windows features instead of improving them. A recent Windows update has corrupted the DirectX shader cache which is crashing Soulmask at startup. To fix it, delete the DirectX shader cache and a new one will be created the next time you launch the game.
- Open Windows Settings
- Go to System > Storage > Temporary Files
- Select DirectX Shader Cache and click “Remove Files”
- Launch Soulmask and it’ll work without crashing at startup.
That is all for our Soulmask fixes for in-game crashes and crash 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.
