Cyberpunk 2077 keeps Crashing or Flatlining on PC

If Cyberpunk 2077 keeps crashing or flatlining on your Windows 11/10 PC, this post will help you resolve the issue. Cyberpunk 2077 is an action role-playing video game by CD Projekt Red. Millions of gaming enthusiasts love playing it. However, many users have reported facing several performance issues in the game. For some users, the game keeps crashing on startup or in the middle of gameplay. At the same time, many affected users said that the game gets frozen in the middle and becomes unplayable.

There can be several reasons why Cyberpunk 2077 keeps crashing or freezing. So, before discussing fixes, let us understand the scenarios that might trigger the issues at hand.

Why does Cyberpunk 2077 keep crashing or flatlining?

• The Cyberpunk 2077 game might crash if your Windows and graphics drivers are not updated.
• Another reason for the same can be that your game files are corrupted. It is common for game files to get corrupted over time.
• If a lot of programs are running on your PC, it will overload your system resources and cause your game to crash or freeze.
• The in-game overlay can also cause performance issues in Cyberpunk 2077.
• If you have overclocked on your system, you might experience game crashes.

Cyberpunk 2077 keeps Crashing or Flatlining on PC

Before trying these fixes, check the recommended system requirements for Cyberpunk 2077 and see if your PC meets them or not. You may need to upgrade your PC if it doesn’t fulfill the system requirements.

1. Update your Windows.
2. Ensure that your graphics driver is up-to-date.
3. Verify the integrity of the game files of Cyberpunk 2077.
4. Terminate unnecessary background programs.
5. Turn off the in-game overlay.
6. Disable overclocking.
7. Modify in-game settings.
8. Uninstall and then reinstall Cyberpunk 2077.

Woah! Cyberpunk 2077 has flatlined

1] Update your Windows

The first thing you should do is ensure that your OS is up-to-date and that you are using the latest build of Windows. Having an outdated version of Windows installed on your system can cause stability and performance issues with your games and applications. Hence, update Windows to its latest version and see if the problem is resolved.

To update your Windows OS, you can use the following steps:

1. Firstly, press Win+I to open your Settings app.
2. Now, go to the Windows Update tab and press the Check for updates button.
3. Next, let it scan for available updates, and once done, download and install pending Windows updates.
4. The system will be rebooted; you can now try playing Cyberpunk 2077 and see if it still crashes or freezes or not.

You can move on to the next potential fix to resolve the issue.

Read: How to fix GOG Galaxy Launcher Out of disk space error on Windows PC?

2] Ensure that your graphics driver is up-to-date

Along with Windows, you also need to ensure that your graphics driver is up-to-date. A graphics/ display driver is crucial for achieving the greatest performance from your video games on a PC. If your graphics driver is outdated or corrupted, you will experience performance issues in games like crashes, freezing, etc. Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can fix the problem by updating your graphics driver.

You can update your graphics driver using the below steps:

1. Firstly, launch your Settings app using Windows + I shortcut key.
2. Now, move to the Windows Update tab and click on the Advanced options > Optional Updates option.
3. Next, download and install the pending driver updates.
4. Once done, reboot your PC and open Cyberpunk 2077 to check if the issues are resolved.

There are other ways to update your graphics driver. You can visit the official website of manufacturers like Intel, NVIDIA, or AMD, and download and install the latest version of your graphics driver.

One of the easiest methods to update display drivers is using a free third-party driver update software. There are free software like Winzip Driver Installer, IObit Driver Booster Free, etc. that can automatically update your outdated drivers.

If updating the driver doesn’t help, it might be the case that the driver installation is corrupted. So uninstalling and reinstalling the Graphics drivers might help you.

See: Slime Rancher 2 keeps crashing or freezing on PC.

3] Verify the integrity of the game files of Cyberpunk 2077

In many cases, corrupted and broken game files cause performance issues in your games, like crashing, freezing, and more. If your system and graphics drivers are up-to-date, there are chances that you are dealing with the infected or damaged game files that are causing Cyberpunk 2077 to crash or freeze.

Hence, if the scenario is applicable, you can verify the integrity of the game files of Cyberpunk 2077 and see if the problem is fixed. Here, we will mention methods to verify and repair game files on game launchers, including Steam, GOG Galaxy, and Epic Games Launcher. You can use the steps based on the game launcher you use for Cyberpunk 2077.

Steam:

1. First, start your Steam app, go to its LIBRARY, and from your installed games, locate and right-click on the Cyberpunk 2077 game title.
2. Now, press the Properties option from the appeared context menu.
3. Next, in the Properties window, move to the LOCAL FILES tab and tap on the VERIFY INTEGRITY OF GAME FILES button.
4. Steam will start verifying your game files and repair all the infected and damaged game files. It might take a couple of minutes, so be patient and let the process complete successfully.
5. Once done, relaunch Cyberpunk 2077 and see if the problem is resolved or not.

GOG Galaxy:

1. First of all, open GOG Galaxy, and from your Library, choose the Cyberpunk 2077 game.
2. Now, you will see a Settings icon available next to the Play button; click on it.
3. From the appeared menu options, click on the Manage installation > Verify / Repair option.
4. After that, wait for the game launcher until it finishes verifying and fixing your game files.
5. When done, reopen the game and see if it still crashes/ freezes or not.

Epic Games Launcher:

1. Firstly, open the Epic Games Launcher, and from the left pane, move its Library tab.
2. Now, select the Cyberpunk 2077 game tile and press the three dots menu button present next to it.
3. After that, from the available options, choose the Verify option.
4. It will start running a game files verification check and repair the broken files.
5. Once the process is done, you can relaunch the game and see if the problem is fixed.

If your game files are clean and still Cyberpunk 2077 keeps on crashing or freezing, you can move on to the next potential fix.

Read: Bloodhunt crashing, stuttering, or lagging on PC.

4] Terminate unnecessary background programs

Your CPU and other system resources might be overloaded with too many background programs. As a result, Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t perform well and keeps on crashing or freezing. If the scenario applies to you, close all the unnecessary applications that are running in the background to relieve your resources. This will also help system resource to focus on the game and its performance.

To terminate background applications, click Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open your Task Manager and click on a program from the Processes tab. After that, click on the End task button to close it. Repeat the process for all other programs that you want to terminate. Once done, try playing Cyberpunk 2077 and check whether the crashing and freezing issues are resolved or not.

See: Wolcen Lords of Mayhem crashes and not launching on Windows PC.

5] Turn off the in-game overlay

Many users have reported that disabling in-game overlays helps improve gaming performance and fix crashes and other issues. So, if you have overlay apps running in the background, try closing them and see if the issue is fixed.

You can use the following steps to disable the in-game overlay feature on Steam:

1. First, start your Steam app and click on the Steam > Settings option from the top menubar.
2. Now, move to the In-Game tab from the left-side pane.
3. Next, untick the option called Enable Steam Overlay while in-game.

Here are the steps to disable the overlay on Discord:

1. Firstly, open your Discord app and press the User Settings (gear icon) button from the bottom of its GUI.
2. Now, click on the Game Overlay option that you can find under the ACTIVITY SETTINGS section.
3. Next, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.

You can also turn off Xbox Game Bar and disable other overlay apps running on your PC. If the problem is still the same, move on to the next potential solution.

6] Disable overclocking

If you have enabled overclocking on your system, it might cause performance issues with your games. Overclocking is a handy function but it can also cause stability issues with your apps and games. Hence, it is recommended to stop overclocking and then try playing Cyberpunk 2077. See if it resolves the issues or not.

In case this scenario doesn’t apply to you, use the next potential fix.

7] Modify in-game settings

Sometimes, keeping higher in-game graphics settings can lead to crashes and freezing issues in your games. This happens because your system can’t handle such configurations and that causes your game to crash or freeze. Hence, you can try adjusting and lowering your in-game graphics settings and see if the problem is resolved. Here’s how you can do that:

1. First, open Cyberpunk 2077 and press the Settings menu option.
2. Now, go to the Video tab and disable VSync.
3. After that, move to the Graphics tab and choose either the Low or Medium option for the configurations present under the Advanced section.
4. Also, disable the Ray Tracing option.
5. Once done, go to Cyberpunk 2077 and see if there is an improvement in its performance or not.

If you still face the same issues, we have one more fix for you.

Read: Generation Zero not launching, freezing, or crashing at startup on PC.

8] Uninstall and then reinstall Cyberpunk 2077

The last resort to resolve the issue is to reinstall the Cyberpunk 2077 game. It might be the case the game installation has gone corrupted which is why it is not performing as intended. Hence, reinstall the game to see if the problem is resolved. For that, you need to uninstall the game and then clear all the remaining leftover game files from your PC to completely remove it. After that, install the game via your game launcher and try playing the game. Hopefully, the game won’t crash or freeze now.

Read: The best Cyberpunk 2077 mods you need to look at.

Cyberpunk 2077s Recommended Specifications:

• OS: Windows 10/11 (64-bit)
• CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 or AMD Ryzen 3 3200G
• RAM: 12GB
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB, a GTX 1660 Super, or AMD Radeon RX 590
• VRAM: 6GB
• Direct X: Version 12
• Available Storage Space: 70GB SSD
• GFX Setting Game Can Be Played On: High

Why is my game suddenly crashing?

The sudden crashes in games can be caused due to your outdated system or graphics drivers. Other than that, it can also be caused due to damaged game files, enabled in-game overlay, and higher in-game graphics settings.