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0xc0000005 Fortnite

Fortnite Mid-Game Kick and Crash (Exit Code 0xc0000005) - Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-06 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-06 👥 Reports: 9 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Perform a clean reinstall of your graphics drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode to resolve the memory access violation causing the crash.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

This error constitutes a mid-game crash in Fortnite, characterized by an unhandled exception leading to an access violation. The primary technical indicator is the exit status code 0xc0000005, which corresponds to a STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION in Windows. This indicates the game process attempted to read or write to an invalid memory address. The secondary error code 3221225477 is the decimal representation of the same hexadecimal code. The issue manifests exclusively on the Windows platform across all game modes. It occurs in recent game client versions following updates to the game engine or Easy Anti-Cheat. This is a common and high-severity error that results in a complete, game-breaking application termination, typically 4-5 minutes into a match. The crash is silent, closing the game without an error dialog and returning the user to the Epic Games Launcher.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The application terminates abruptly during an active match, approximately 240-300 seconds after match commencement. The user is forcibly returned to the Fortnite loading screen before the process exits completely. No crash reporter dialog appears. The Epic Games Launcher window regains focus automatically. In the system or application logs, the error is recorded as exit status 0xc0000005 or process exit code 3221225477. Gameplay is impossible to sustain beyond the consistent time threshold. The anti-cheat initialization and validation routines complete without error prior to the crash event.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Incompatible or corrupted graphics driver files, particularly the GPU kernel-mode driver (nvlddmkm.sys for NVIDIA, amdkmdag.sys for AMD), conflict with Fortnite's direct memory access patterns and Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) hooks. Why this causes the problem: The driver attempts to access a paged-out or protected memory region during a rendering call, triggering a fault that EAC cannot handle, forcing a crash. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Incorrect or corrupted Easy Anti-Cheat service configuration or installation located in C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat. Why this causes the problem: The anti-cheat module fails to validate a memory section after several minutes of operation, instructing the game client to terminate. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated, missing, or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable packages (2015-2022) required by the game engine. Why this causes the problem: The game's compiled binaries call functions from these runtime libraries; a mismatch causes heap corruption that manifests as an access violation after memory allocation cycles during gameplay. Category: Game Bug / Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Corrupted local game files or incorrect launch options forcing an unstable rendering API (e.g., forcing DirectX 12 on an incompatible hardware/driver combination). Why this causes the problem: Damaged game assets cause the engine to reference invalid pointers, while unsupported API modes introduce memory management flaws. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Overlay software from Discord, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, or MSI Afterburner injecting into the game process. Why this causes the problem: These overlays perform DLL injection that can interfere with the memory addresses monitored by Easy Anti-Cheat, resulting in a violation flag. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: System RAM instability or failure, often exposed by the game's high memory throughput. Why this causes the problem: Faulty memory returns corrupted data to the CPU, causing pointer addresses to become invalid and triggering the access violation. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Windows system file corruption or incorrect permissions on the game installation directory (C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite). Why this causes the problem: The game client cannot read or write necessary temporary files during gameplay, leading to a fatal I/O exception.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Clean Graphics Driver Reinstallation

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, internet connection to download drivers. Steps: Technical Explanation: This process removes all remnants of previous driver installations, including registry entries and leftover files that can cause memory address conflicts with Fortnite and Easy Anti-Cheat. Verification: Launch Fortnite and complete a full match without a crash. Verify the driver version in the GPU control panel matches the newly installed version.

Solution 2: Repair Easy Anti-Cheat and Game Files

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Epic Games Launcher installed. Steps: Technical Explanation: This ensures the anti-cheat kernel driver and service are correctly installed and that all game binaries are intact, eliminating crashes caused by failed integrity checks. Verification: The Epic Games Launcher will display "Verified" upon completion. Check the game folder's FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64 directory for recent file modification times.

Solution 3: Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps: Technical Explanation: A clean install of the runtime libraries ensures the game has a consistent and correct set of DLLs for memory management and function calls, preventing heap corruption. Verification: The installers will complete without error. The libraries will reappear in the appwiz.cpl list. Launch the game to test for stability.

Solution 4: Disable Conflicting Overlay Software

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps: Technical Explanation: This prevents third-party code injection that can modify the game's memory space, a primary trigger for anti-cheat violations and subsequent crashes. Verification: Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) should not show overlay processes like DiscordOverlay.exe or GameBarFTServer.exe running while Fortnite is active.

Solution 5: Perform a Clean Boot and Memory Diagnostic

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 20 minutes Success Rate: Low (but diagnostic) Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps: Technical Explanation: A clean boot eliminates software conflicts from non-Microsoft services. The memory diagnostic tool writes and reads patterns across all RAM to detect physical failures. Verification: If Fortnite runs stable in a clean boot, a background service is the cause. The memory diagnostic will display results after reboot, indicating "No memory errors" or listing detected hardware problems.

Solution 6: Adjust Fortnite Launch Options and Graphics Settings

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps: Technical Explanation: DirectX 11 has a more stable memory management model than DX12 on some systems. Fullscreen mode grants the application exclusive control over GPU resources, reducing interference. Verification: The game launches with the specified parameters. Check the in-game settings to confirm DirectX 11 is active. Monitor for a full match without crashing.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain a regular driver update schedule, verifying new versions for known issues before installation. Configure the Epic Games Launcher to verify game files automatically after major updates. Establish a system restore point before any significant driver or Windows update. Disable automatic startup for all non-essential overlay and utility applications. Monitor system temperatures and RAM health using utilities like HWiNFO64 to preempt hardware-related instability. Keep the Windows operating system updated to the latest stable build to ensure system library compatibility.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Epic Games Support if all solutions fail and the crash persists in a clean boot environment. Provide the full crash log located at C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\FortniteGame\Saved\Logs. Include your system's DxDiag report, generated by running dxdiag and saving all information. Also include the specific error lines from the Epic Games Launcher's log file. Official support channels are accessible via the Epic Games Help Center at https://www.epicgames.com/help/en-US/. Escalation is necessary when the error indicates underlying hardware failure confirmed by diagnostic tools.

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