Civilization 6 is crashing or not launching on Windows PC

If the Civilization 6 game keeps crashing or not launching on Windows 11/10, the solutions provided in this article will help you resolve the issue. The most common reason why a game crashes on a PC is the compatibility issue. If your system does not meet the minimum hardware requirements for the game, running the game will put a strain on your system components which results either in the game crash or the system crash. However, gamers with high-end PCs also reported frequent crashes in the Civilization game.

Civilization 6 is crashing or not launching on Windows 11/10

Use the fixes provided below if Civilization 6 (CIV 6) is crashing or not launching on your Windows 11/10 computer.

Launch the game outside of Steam
Run the game in Compatibility mode
Make sure that you have the latest version of DirectX
Verify the integrity of the game files
Update or reinstall your graphics card driver
Disable or unlink OneDrive

Let’s see all these fixes in detail.

1] Launch the game outside of Steam

The games that you purchase from Steam remain available in the Steam Library. While installing the games through Steam, their shortcuts are also created on the desktop. Whenever you double-click on the desktop shortcut of your game, first, the Steam Client is launched. After that, the game is launched. You are experiencing crash and launch problems with the Civilization game. Hence, try to launch it outside of Steam. This trick worked for some users.

To do so, open File Explorer and go to the location where the Civilization game is installed. By default, it is on your C drive at the following path:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common

Now, open the game folder and locate the Application file (exe file). Double-click on it to launch it directly.

2] Run the game in Compatibility mode

If the above fix did not help, try to run the game in compatibility mode. The steps for the same are explained below:

Go to the location in the File Explorer where the Application file (exe file) of the game is located.
Right-click on the exe file of the game and select Properties.
Select the Compatibility tab.
Enable the “Run this program in compatibility mode for” checkbox.
Select the previous version of Windows OS in the drop-down.
Click Apply and then click OK.

Now, launch the game and see if it helps.

3] Make sure that you have the latest version of DirectX

Sometimes, the issues in Steam games occur due to the outdated version of DirectX. Your system should have the latest version of DirectX. DirectX 11.3 and 12 are included in Windows 11 and Windows 10. To update DirectX, you have to keep your system up to date. Therefore, check for Windows updates and install the same.

If the problem was occurring due to the outdated DirectX version, this step will fix it.

4] Verify the integrity of the game files

Verifying the integrity of the game files works with most Steam games and helps fix the most common issues. Perform this step and see if it helps. The following steps will help you with that:

Open Steam.
Go to Library.
Right-click on your game and select Properties.
Select LOCAL FILES from the left side.
Now, click Verify integrity of game files.

Note: Do not verify the integrity of game files while performing other system processes, like running an antivirus scan, defragmenting your hard disk, etc.

5] Update or reinstall your graphics card driver

Frequent crashes in video games also occur due to outdated or corrupted graphics card drivers. Check if an update for your graphics card driver is available on the Optional Update page in Windows 11/10 Settings. If not, completely uninstall your graphics card driver by using the DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) and then reinstall its latest version.

Follow the steps written below:

Download the latest version of your graphics card driver from the manufacturer’s official website.
Uninstall your graphics card driver via the Device Manager.
Run the installer file to install the display driver again.

If the installer file is in INF format, install it via the Device Manager.

6] Disable or unlink OneDrive

According to the feedback of most users, OneDrive was interfering with the Civilization game and causing it to crash or fail to load. If none of the above fixes helped you, the problem might be occurring due to OneDrive on your computer. Disable or unlink OneDrive from your system. This should help. This action will not delete your data from OneDrive. You can relink OneDrive anytime by signing in to your Microsoft account. After unlinking OneDrive, you will not be able to access the file stored in OneDrive from your computer but the files remain available online.

The following steps will guide you on how to unlink OneDrive:

Click on the cloud icon on the right side of the Taskbar.
Click on the gear-shaped icon on the top right side and select Settings.
Microsoft OneDrive settings will open. Now, select the Account tab.
Click Unlink this PC.
In the confirmation window, click Unlink account.

Similarly, you should start your computer in a Clean Boot state and troubleshoot the problem. If the problem does not appear in the Clean Boot state, there might be a third-party background app or service causing the problem.

Can Civilization 6 run on Windows 11?

Yes, Civilization 5 runs on Windows 11. But your system should meet the minimum hardware requirements to run the game. Otherwise, you will experience several issues like the game won’t launch or crashing frequently. If your system meets the hardware requirements, you can run it on Windows 11.

Why does my Civilization 6 keep crashing?

There could be many reasons why Civilization 6 or any other games are not working on Windows 11. Like your system does not meet minimum hardware requirements, corrupted graphics card drivers, incorrect game settings, security software and other third-party software interference, etc.