Crash/Freeze Fortnite

Fortnite PC Freezing and Crashing During Gameplay - Complete Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 6 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Perform a clean installation of your NVIDIA graphics driver using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode, then reinstall Fortnite on a primary SSD drive.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The Fortnite PC freezing error is a complete system-level hang that occurs during gameplay, where the application and video output become unresponsive. This error primarily affects the Windows platform. The issue manifests across multiple game versions, with increased frequency reported following specific seasonal updates, such as those post-Simpsons event. This is a common error with a high severity impact, classified as game-breaking, as it forces a mandatory application termination via the Windows Task Manager. No specific error codes are generated; the failure state is a full software freeze with no subsequent error reporting from the game client. The system remains otherwise operational, allowing for process termination.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The Fortnite application and video output freeze completely during a match. The system audio may loop or cut out. The freeze occurs at random intervals during standard gameplay, not during startup or matchmaking. The Windows operating system remains responsive in the background, allowing for navigation to the Task Manager using Ctrl+Shift+Esc. The Fortnite process status in Task Manager is reported as "Not Responding." The application does not recover from this state, requiring a manual end task via "End Task" in the Processes tab. No crash reporter or error dialog appears after termination.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: NVIDIA Display Driver (version 531.x and later) conflicts with Fortnite's anti-cheat (Easy Anti-Cheat or BattlEye) or DirectX 12 runtime, causing a memory handling deadlock. Why this causes the problem: The driver enters an unrecoverable state when processing specific shader or texture streaming commands, freezing the GPU command queue. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Incorrect or unstable XMP/DOCP memory profile for DDR4-3600 RAM on the Intel platform, coupled with Fortnite's high memory bandwidth demand. Why this causes the problem: Memory controller instability induces correctable errors that accumulate during gameplay, leading to a fatal timeout in data fetching. Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: Corrupted or conflicting local game configuration files, specifically the GameUserSettings.ini and client-side replay/rendering settings. Why this causes the problem: Invalid graphical settings persist between launches, forcing the engine to attempt unsupported rendering paths. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: Fortnite installed on a secondary or tertiary Solid State Drive with a different controller or interface (e.g., SATA vs. NVMe), causing asset streaming latency. Why this causes the problem: The game engine's streaming system fails to receive asset data within the required frame budget, causing a perpetual wait state. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables and DirectX End-User Runtime libraries required by the game's DX12 backend. Why this causes the problem: The game calls functions from DLLs that are missing or have mismatched versions, resulting in an access violation that freezes the thread. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Power management settings in Windows or NVIDIA Control Panel set to "Optimal Power" or similar, causing the GPU or CPU to downclock aggressively during gameplay. Why this causes the problem: Sudden power state transitions during high load create a timing mismatch between the game logic and rendering threads.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Clean Graphics Driver Reinstallation

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 20 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, internet connection for driver download. Steps:

Download Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) from guru3d.com and the latest NVIDIA Game Ready Driver from nvidia.com.
Disconnect your PC from the internet to prevent Windows Update from automatically installing a driver.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode. Access this by pressing Windows Key + R, typing msconfig, going to the Boot tab, checking "Safe boot" with "Minimal" selected, and restarting.
Run DDU. Select "GPU" and "NVIDIA" from the dropdown menus. Click "Clean and restart."
After the restart, install the previously downloaded NVIDIA driver. Select "Custom (Advanced)" installation and check "Perform a clean installation."
Reconnect to the internet. Open NVIDIA Control Panel, navigate to "Manage 3D settings," and set "Power management mode" to "Prefer maximum performance."

Technical Explanation: This process removes all remnants of previous driver installations, including registry entries and leftover files that cause conflicts with Fortnite's rendering pipeline and anti-cheat system. Verification: Launch Fortnite and monitor stability for several matches. Use a tool like GPU-Z to confirm the correct driver version is loaded and that the GPU clock speeds remain stable under load.

Solution 2: Fortnite Configuration Reset and Reinstall

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Press Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%, and press Enter. Navigate to the FortniteGame folder and delete the Saved folder.
Uninstall Fortnite via the Epic Games Launcher. Click the three dots under the game tile and select "Uninstall."
Navigate to the primary SSD drive (typically C:\). Ensure the installation path is on the fastest NVMe SSD, not a secondary drive. Reinstall Fortnite to this location via the Epic Games Launcher.
Before launching, open the Epic Games Launcher Settings, scroll to Fortnite, and enable the "Additional Command Line Arguments" option. Enter -notexturestreaming.
Launch the game. Immediately go to Settings > Video. Set Rendering Mode to DirectX 12 (or 11 if problem persists). Disable all "Advanced Graphics" settings (Ray Tracing, etc.). Apply changes and restart the game as prompted.

Technical Explanation: Deleting the Saved folder resets corrupted configuration files. The -notexturestreaming argument reduces strain on the storage subsystem and memory controller. A fresh install on the primary drive eliminates file corruption and ensures optimal disk I/O priority. Verification: The game generates a new GameUserSettings.ini file. Navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\FortniteGame\Saved\Config\WindowsClient and verify the file's creation date is current.

Solution 3: System Stability and BIOS Configuration

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Basic BIOS navigation knowledge. Steps:

Restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup (typically by pressing Del or F2 during boot).
Locate the memory/XMP settings. Disable the XMP profile for your DDR4-3600 RAM. Manually set the DRAM frequency to 3200MHz. Increase the DRAM voltage (VDD) to 1.35v if it is lower.
Find the CPU settings. Ensure Intel Turbo Boost is enabled. Locate the CPU Load-Line Calibration (LLC) setting and set it to Level 2 or Medium to reduce voltage droop.
Find the PCIe settings. Set the PCIe speed for the slot containing the RTX 3070 to "Gen 3" instead of "Auto" or "Gen 4." Save changes and exit.
In Windows, open the Start Menu, type "Choose a power plan," and select it. Set the plan to "High performance."

Technical Explanation: Manually setting a slightly lower memory frequency ensures stability on the Intel memory controller. Forcing PCIe Gen 3 eliminates potential link training instability between the CPU and GPU, a known issue on some 12th-gen Intel platforms. Verification: Run a memory stability test like HCI MemTest for 15 minutes to confirm no errors. Use a benchmark like 3DMark Time Spy to ensure system performance is consistent without crashes.

Solution 4: Runtime and Operating System Repair

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator access. Steps:

Open the Start Menu, type "Apps & features," and press Enter. Search for "Microsoft Visual C++" and note all installed versions.
Download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable packages from the official Microsoft website. Install both the x86 and x64 versions of the 2015-2022 redistributable.
Press Windows Key + X and select "Windows Terminal (Admin)" or "Command Prompt (Admin)." Execute the following commands in order:

sfc /scannow DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

Press Windows Key + R, type dxdiag, and press Enter. In the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, go to the "Display" tab and verify no problems are reported. Note the Driver Model listed (should be WDDM 3.x for Windows 11).
Download and run the official DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.

Technical Explanation: The System File Checker (sfc) and DISM tools repair corrupted Windows system files. Reinstalling the Visual C++ and DirectX runtimes ensures all required game libraries are present and correctly registered. Verification: The sfc /scannow command will output "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations." The dxdiag tool should report "No problems found" on the System and Display tabs.

Solution 5: Game Process and Service Optimization

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: None. Steps:

Launch the Epic Games Launcher but do not start Fortnite.
Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Details tab, and locate "EpicGamesLauncher.exe." Right-click it, select "Set priority," and choose "Below normal."
Launch Fortnite. Once in the lobby, alt-tab back to Task Manager.
In the Details tab, find "FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe." Right-click it, select "Set affinity," and uncheck CPU 0. This reserves CPU 0 for system tasks.
Right-click the same process again, select "Set priority," and set it to "High." Do not set to "Realtime."

Technical Explanation: This allocates more CPU time slices to Fortnite's primary process and moves launcher and system interrupts to a dedicated core, reducing the chance of a scheduling deadlock between game threads and background services. Verification: In Task Manager, the priority column for the Fortnite process should show "High." Monitor CPU usage per core in the Performance tab to see load distributed across cores 1-7.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain a regular driver update schedule, performing a clean installation every 2-3 driver releases. Monitor GPU and CPU temperatures using HWInfo64 to ensure they remain within standard operating limits (below 83°C for GPU, below 95°C for CPU). After every major Fortnite update, verify the integrity of game files through the Epic Games Launcher. Create a system restore point before updating GPU drivers or Windows. Keep the primary game drive with at least 20% free space to prevent storage controller slowdowns. Periodically clear the Fortnite Saved folder's Cached and Replays subdirectories.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Epic Games Support if all solutions fail and the issue persists across a complete Windows operating system reinstall. Provide the full diagnostic report from the Epic Games Launcher (Help > Diagnostics) and the latest crash logs located in %localappdata%\FortniteGame\Saved\Logs. Include a detailed DxDiag report. Official support channels are accessible via the Epic Games website under the Help section. Escalate only after confirming the issue is isolated to Fortnite with other demanding DX12 titles (e.g., Cyberpunk 2077) running without error for extended periods.