Crash/Freeze Fortnite

Fortnite Performance Mode Rendering Bug & Crashes - Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-06 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-06 👥 Reports: 5 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

To resolve Performance Mode pixelation and crashes, switch to DirectX 11 or 12 rendering in the game's graphics settings and perform a clean installation of your GPU drivers.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The Fortnite Performance Mode bug encompasses two distinct technical failures affecting both DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 rendering backends on the Windows PC platform. The first is a rendering artifact characterized by pixelated, dot-like corruption on object surfaces and character skins, most prevalent in the Lego Fortnite game mode, which induces significant frame-time inconsistency (stuttering). The second is a persistent application termination error where the Unreal Engine process crashes upon exiting the game. This error occurs across multiple game client versions following the implementation of Performance Mode. The issue is classified as common, with a high severity impact due to game-breaking visual corruption, performance degradation, and application instability leading to crashes.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The application exhibits pixelated rendering artifacts on environmental geometry and character models, presenting as a field of fine dots resembling shadow or texture corruption. This visual defect correlates with severe frame pacing issues and stuttering during gameplay, particularly within the Lego Fortnite environment. Concurrently, the application experiences a full process termination via an Unreal Engine crash handler dialog when the user initiates an exit from the game session. This crash occurs consistently when Performance Mode is active, regardless of the selected DirectX version.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: The game's Performance Mode rendering pipeline contains an unhandled shader compilation or sampling error for specific material types, notably those used in Lego Fortnite. This causes incorrect pixel output. Why this causes the problem: The shader defect generates visual artifacts and forces real-time recompilation, resulting in frame stutters. Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: The game's shutdown sequence in Performance Mode fails to properly release DirectX device context or memory allocations, triggering a fatal access violation. Why this causes the problem: The ungraceful teardown of graphics API resources forces the Unreal Engine crash reporter to engage upon exit. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: A mismatch between the Windows Display Scaling setting and the in-game resolution creates a viewport scaling conflict that exacerbates the pixelation defect. Why this causes the problem: Incorrect scaling multiplies the underlying rendering error, making pixelation more severe. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Outdated or corrupted Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable or DirectX End-User Runtime files cause instability in the game's rendering backend. Why this causes the problem: Performance Mode relies on specific low-level API calls that fail if core runtime components are damaged. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: GPU driver versions 545.92 through 552.44 contain known stability issues with Fortnite's Performance Mode features. Why this causes the problem: The driver's memory management for low-resolution texture streaming and mesh shaders conflicts with the game's optimized rendering path. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Leftover configuration files from previous graphics settings or a corrupted GameUserSettings.ini file force incorrect parameter initialization for Performance Mode. Why this causes the problem: The game loads invalid texture pool or shadow map settings, initiating the bug from session start.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Switch Rendering Mode and Adjust Core Settings

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

Launch Fortnite and navigate to the Settings menu.
Select the Graphics tab.
Locate the Rendering Mode setting. Change it from Performance (Alpha) to DirectX 11 or DirectX 12.
Set Anti-Aliasing & Super Resolution to TSR and Quality to Low or Medium.
Set Global Illumination to Off.
Set Shadows to Off.
Apply the changes and restart the game.

Technical Explanation: This bypasses the defective Performance Mode rendering pipeline entirely, forcing the game to use the more stable, albeit potentially less performant, standard DirectX 11 or 12 renderers with simplified lighting that avoids the problematic shaders. Verification: The pixelated dot artifacts are absent, and the game exits without triggering the Unreal Engine crash dialog.

Solution 2: Perform a Clean GPU Driver Installation

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: Administrator access, internet connection Steps:

Download the latest GPU driver package from the manufacturer's website (NVIDIA or AMD).
Download and run the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) utility from https://www.guru3d.com/download/display-driver-uninstaller-download/.
Boot Windows into Safe Mode.
Execute DDU, select your GPU vendor (NVIDIA/AMD/Intel), and click Clean and restart.
After the restart, install the previously downloaded driver package using the Custom (Advanced) installation option.
Select the Perform a clean installation checkbox during setup.
Complete the installation and restart the system.

Technical Explanation: DDU removes all driver files, registry entries, and leftover configuration that can conflict with Fortnite's low-level graphics calls, ensuring a pristine driver state that correctly handles texture sampling and device shutdown. Verification: Check driver version in NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Adrenalin Software. Launch Fortnite with Performance Mode enabled; stuttering should be reduced and exit crashes mitigated.

Solution 3: Reset Fortnite Configuration Files

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None Steps:

Close the Epic Games Launcher completely via the system tray.
Navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\FortniteGame\Saved\Config\WindowsClient\.
Locate and rename the file GameUserSettings.ini to GameUserSettings.ini.old.
Navigate to %LOCALAPPDATA%\FortniteGame\Saved\.
Rename the CosmeticLoadouts folder to CosmeticLoadouts.old.
Restart the Epic Games Launcher and launch Fortnite.

Technical Explanation: This forces the game to generate new configuration files with default values, eliminating any corrupted settings related to texture streaming, shadow quality, or rendering mode that are perpetuating the bug. Verification: The game will start with default video settings. Reconfigure graphics options. The pixelation error should not reoccur if it was caused by file corruption.

Solution 4: Repair Microsoft Visual C++ and DirectX Runtimes

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Administrator access Steps:

Open Windows Settings and go to Apps > Installed apps.
Search for "Microsoft Visual C++". For each instance from 2015 onward, select Modify and choose Repair. Perform this action sequentially.
Download the official DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer from Microsoft.
Run the installer (dxwebsetup.exe) and follow the prompts to update runtime components.
Restart the computer.

Technical Explanation: Performance Mode utilizes specific functions within these runtime libraries. Repairing them ensures the required API calls for shader management and device context handling execute without error. Verification: System stability is improved. The frequency of Unreal Engine crashes on exit diminishes.

Solution 5: Disable Full-Screen Optimizations and Override High DPI Scaling

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Prerequisites: None Steps:

Navigate to your Fortnite installation directory (typically C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64\).
Locate the FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe file.
Right-click the file, select Properties, and go to the Compatibility tab.
Check the box for Disable full-screen optimizations.
Click Change high DPI settings.
Check the box for Override high DPI scaling behavior. Set the dropdown to Application.
Click OK twice to apply changes.

Technical Explanation: This prevents Windows from applying post-processing composition to the game's output, which can interact poorly with Performance Mode's upscaling, and ensures the game application controls its own scaling, resolving viewport conflicts. Verification: The pixelation artifact appears less pronounced or is eliminated, and frame pacing feels more consistent.

Solution 6: Adjust Windows Performance Power Plan

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: Administrator access for some power plans Steps:

Open Windows Control Panel and select Power Options.
Select the High performance power plan. If not visible, click Show additional plans.
Click Change plan settings next to High performance.
Click Change advanced power settings.
Expand Processor power management and set Minimum processor state to 100%.
Expand PCI Express and set Link State Power Management to Off.
Click Apply and OK.

Technical Explanation: This prevents the CPU from downclocking during gameplay, ensuring consistent performance for the game's main thread and reducing stutter caused by CPU frequency fluctuations, which can exacerbate the rendering bug's impact. Verification: System monitoring software shows consistent CPU clock speeds. In-game stuttering is reduced in frequency.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain GPU drivers at stable versions, avoiding early-adopter releases. After any major game update, verify the integrity of game files through the Epic Games Launcher. Regularly clean the %LOCALAPPDATA%\FortniteGame\Saved\ directory of old crash logs and reports. Establish a system restore point before updating graphics drivers or the game client. Monitor the FortniteGame.log file in the Saved\Logs directory for early warnings of rendering errors. Adhere to using either DirectX 11 or 12 rendering modes instead of Performance Alpha until an official patch is confirmed.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact Epic Games Support if all solutions fail and the error persists exclusively in Performance Mode. Provide the full FortniteGame.log and the latest crash dump from %LOCALAPPDATA%\FortniteGame\Saved\Crashes\. Include your complete system specification list (CPU, GPU, RAM, OS build). Official support channels are accessible via the Epic Games Help portal at https://www.epicgames.com/help. Escalation is warranted when the error demonstrates it is a persistent, reproducible client-side bug requiring a game patch.