Apex Legends: How to avoid game crashes on PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Many Apex Legends gamers (including the author) had to complain when the game crashed midway. This article will give you tips to minimize the possibility of game crashes.

Respawn Entertainment really spoke out about the game’s technical issues. Even after two updates trying to fix them, the crash still occurs.

In its February 20th post, Respawn detailed a list of all the steps you need to take to avoid crashes as much as possible.

On PC

There are a lot of things that are complicated with PCs, and lots of ways to fix them.

First, make sure your operating system and graphics drivers are up to date – this is very important. Also, make sure your device meets the minimum configuration to run the game.

Fix crash on Apex Legends

• Reduce the game configuration to a lower level with the in-game menu
• Right click on the shortcut icon on the desktop and run “troubleshoot compatibility” before entering the game.
• Fix the game in Origin. In the Origin client, right-click on Apex Legends and select “repair”.
• Close background apps and wallpapers like Discord overlay, Teamspeak, Origin in-game and FPS counter, Asus GPU Tweak II, MSI afterburner, EVGA Precision, Shadowplay, Aura for ASUS, RivaTuner OSD, RivaTuner statistics, GeForce Experience, Radeon ReLive, Voicemeeter, FRAPS, OBS studio.
• There may be some programs running in the background or installed on the computer that cause conflicts with Origin. Perform clean boot, you close all unnecessary programs to start the machine. Once booted up, run the game immediately.
• Use old GPU drivers. Origin knows it’s ideal to use the latest version, but drivers 417.71 and 417.35 have caused the game to crash for some players. Use Advanced and then select ‘Clean Installation’.
• Limit FPS via in-game commands: Gear/setting icon, Game Properties, Advanced Launch Options, add +fps_max 90 (or screen’s maximum frame rate), Save.
• Turn off G-Sync (NVIDIA), or FreeSync (AMD)
• Adjust Ambient Occlusion in NVIDIA control panel (Manage 3D Settings)
• Adjust or disable all Vsyn for the screen
• Adjust GPU overclock to default settings
• Try removing GeForce Experience (NVIDIA)
• Increase the power setting of GPU and Windows to Max. Open “NVIDIA Control Panel” -> from NVIDIA Control Panel, select “Manage3D settings” from the left column -> click Power management mode to show options and select “Prefer Maximum Performance”.
• Try reducing Texture Streaming from in-game settings.
• Reduce VRAM usage from 8GB to 6GB (streaming texture)
• Reinstall the game onto the drive (C:) and remove any unused external hard drives.
• Add exception (exceptioN) for Windows Defender Firewall: (Control PanelSystem and SecurityWindows Defender FirewallAllowed Apps). Remember to add and tick both options for Origin’s Launcher app. Anti-virus apps and applications can cause conflicts with Origin.
• Right-click on the Speaker icon in the right corner of the system tray (right corner of Windows). Then select Sound > Playback and disable (disable) any unused devices (don’t forget to right-click and select Show all disconnected/ deactivated devices).
• If you get the error message “illegal instruction”, please report it to Easy Anti-cheat using the following link: https://www.easy.ac/en-us/support/apexlegends/contact/tech/
• Changing the language can fix it. Right-click the game bar in Origin, select Game Properties, Advanced Launch Options. Change the game language (For some, “Polish” fixes it), save and update. Once done, try changing the language again and check it out.
• Let Windows control your PageFile size
• Make sure your Origin, Game and PageFile are in C:
• Turn off fullscreen optimizations
• Allow EasyAntiCheat Service to restart if it fails to run.
• Go to Origin -> Game Library -> Right click on Apex -> Game Properties -> Advanced -> and add the command to Command: +fps_max 100
  • Do you try lower numbers (90, 80, etc.)

On Xbox One

• Do a power cycle: https://support.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-one/console/power-cycle-console
• Clean Mac Address: From the Xbox screen, select Settings>All Settings>Network>Network Settings>Advanced Settings>Alternate MAC address>Clear, then restart Xbox
• Delete game save data in the device. From My Games & Apps>Highlight Apex Legends>Press Start>Manage Game>Deleted Saved Data
• Remove any device attached to the USB port
• Reinstall the game (if it’s on the external hard drive, try installing it on the internal hard drive)

On PS4

Respawn says the steps above are not a final solution, and they are still investigating issues that can cause the game to crash.

Apex Legends: Instructions on how to set up a smooth, optimal configuration