James Harper
How To Fix the UE-ShooterGame Crash in ARK Survival Ascended on PC
Dealing with that pesky “The UE-ShooterGame game has crashed” error when firing up ARK Survival Ascended can be super frustrating. Sometimes it feels like the game just refuses to start, crashes right after launch, or kicks you out with no clear reason. It’s honestly a mix of driver conflicts, bad configs, or even background apps hogging resources. This guide stacks a bunch of tried-and-true methods that’ve helped folks get back into the game without tearing their hair out. Focus on these, and there’s a decent shot of fixing it—at least enough to get gameplay going again.
How to Fix ARK Survival Ascended Crash on PC
Modifying Launch Options to Improve Compatibility
This is a common fix because sometimes Windows or your GPU struggles with certain graphics modes. The idea is to tell the game to run on a specific API, like DirectX 11 or 12, which can bypass some issues. On some setups, switching between -dx11, -d3d11, or -dx12 makes crashing less frequent—or disappear entirely. Of course, it’s trial and error, but good news is you can easily toggle these options:
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Right-click on ARK Survival Ascended and select Properties.
- Under the General tab, look for Launch Options.
- Try typing in one of these commands, one at a time:
-dx11-d3d11-force-d3d11-windowed -d3d11-dx12
After applying one, launch the game. Sometimes a different option works better depending on your GPU. Weird, but worth a shot. Just keep in mind, if you’re on a really old graphics card, some modes might cause more problems.
Reinstall BattlEye Manually – Sometimes It Pays Off
BattlEye’s anti-cheat system is known to cause crashes if it doesn’t install properly or gets corrupted. Reinstalling it can help clear that up. Here’s how:
- Right-click on ARK Survival Ascended in Steam, choose Manage, then Browse Local Files.
- Navigate to the
binaries\win64folder. - Run the
uninstall_BattlEye.batas an administrator. If you don’t see this file, manually run it by right-clicking and choosing Run as administrator. - Once it uninstalls, just run the game again, and BattlEye should reinstall itself. If it doesn’t, you might need to manually download it from the game folder or reinstall the game altogether.
Trust me, on some rigs, this is what turned compatibility issues into nothing. No idea why, but it works surprisingly often.
Run the Game From Its Installed Folder & Settings Tweaks
This little trick sometimes dodges Windows Defender or other background apps messing with the game during launch:
- Navigate to your game installation folder (via Manage > Browse Local Files again).
- Locate
ARK.exeand run it directly. - Right-click and pick Run as Administrator—sometimes Windows needs a nudge to give permissions.
- For further stability, disable Full Screen Optimization (right-click the executable, go to Properties > Compatibility, check Disable fullscreen optimization). Also, try setting it to run in Compatibility Mode for Windows 8 or 7. Not sure why it works sometimes, but it’s worth a shot.
Checking App & Windows Permissions
Antivirus or Windows Security blocking crucial files is often overlooked but very common. To prevent this:
- In your antivirus, add the game’s executable (probably in
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK) to exceptions. - In Windows Settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Ransomware Protection. Add the game folder here as an allowed app.
Sometimes, Windows 11 or Defender just misguidedly flags the game as suspicious, so double-check that it’s not getting blocked.
Verify Integrity of Game Files
If your game files got corrupted (e.g., after a bad update or crash), verifying the files can fix potential issues:
- Open Steam, right-click on ARK, then Properties.
- Go to the Local Files tab and click Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- Wait for it to check and repair any problems. When done, launch the game again.
This helps remove corrupt or missing files that might cause crashes.
Reset Config Files (because of course, configs can go sideways)
This involves deleting the game’s config folder—your game settings will reset, but it often clears mysterious crash triggers:
- Navigate to the Saved folder inside your game directory (usually in
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARK\Saved). - Back it up somewhere, then delete the Config folder.
- Start the game. It’ll regenerate fresh configs, hopefully fixing the issue.
Mods Can Be Troublesome – Uninstall Them
If mods are enabled, remember that incompatible or corrupt mods can crash the game on startup. Disable all mods, restart, and see if that gets you in. If it does, re-enable one by one to see which is problematic.
Optimize In-Game Settings if You Can Launch
If the game runs but crashes during gameplay or when changing graphics, dial back a few options:
- Set graphics mode to Windowed.
- Lower the Max Frame Rate to match your monitor’s refresh rate.
- Disable Frame Generation and DLSS—these features are nice but sometimes unstable.
- Adjust other settings for performance rather than eye candy. Less stress on your GPU = fewer crashes.
Power Setting Tweaks & Driver Updates
Sometimes, your power plan or GPU drivers are the culprits:
- Switch to Power Saver mode in Settings > Power & Battery. Yeah, it sounds counterintuitive, but it can stabilize performance.
- Update your GPU drivers: For Nvidia, grab the latest from Nvidia Drivers. For AMD, head over to AMD Support.
- Consider doing a clean driver install to eliminate leftover artifacts.
Display Adapter & Hardware Checks
On laptops with dual GPUs: make sure the game runs on the high-performance card. Look into Graphics Settings in Windows and set the game executable to use the Nvidia or AMD high-performance GPU.
If crashes started after a driver update, roll back to an older driver (via Device Manager > Display Adapters > right-click Properties > Driver > Roll Back Driver). Sometimes newer isn’t better—at least for crash-prone titles.
Also, disable onboard graphics if you’re on a desktop or it’s causing conflicts. That’s done in Device Manager by disabling the integrated graphics.
Keep Windows Up to Date & Manage External Devices
Windows updates often fix compatibility issues that cause crashes:
- Head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, then hit Check for updates.
Unplug unnecessary peripherals like extra monitors, controllers, or USB hubs that might be causing conflicts. Sometimes removing these stabilizes performance temporarily.
Max Out Virtual Memory & Install Visual C++ Redistributables
If your system struggles with RAM, increasing virtual memory can help:
- Go to Control Panel > System and Security > System > Advanced System Settings.
- In Advanced tab, click Settings under Performance.
- Go to Advanced again and hit Change under virtual memory.
- Uncheck Automatically manage paging file size.
- Set Initial size to roughly 1.5 times your total RAM and Maximum size to about 3x.
Also, having the latest Visual C++ Redistributable files installed from the official Microsoft site can fix runtime issues:
Get VC++ Redistributables here.
Last Resorts: Reinstall the Game
If everything else fails, a fresh install can wipe out stubborn file corruptions:
- Delete the entire game folder.
- Restart your PC—better safe than sorry.
- Reinstall the game onto your C: drive if possible. Faster load times might help, and less chance of weird errors.
Extra Tips & Common Pitfalls
- Keep your GPU drivers and Windows updated — old drivers are a common cause.
- Back up your saved game files before messing around with configs or uninstalling.
- Keep an eye on official forums or Reddit for patches, mod updates, or workarounds others have found.
Wrap-up
Getting ARK back up and running after crashes usually boils down to a mix of driver updates, config resets, or compatibility tweaks. Sometimes it’s a one-and-done fix; other times, it takes a bit of trial and error. The good news? Most crashes are fixable with these steps. Just depends how stubborn your setup is.
Summary
- Try changing launch options like
-dx11or-dx12 - Verify game files and reinstall BattlEye if needed
- Run the game directly from its folder and tweak compatibility settings
- Update drivers and Windows, disable unnecessary peripherals
- Adjust virtual memory and install Visual C++ redistributables
- Reinstall if all else fails
Hopefully, this shaves off a few hours and gets you back into the game without too much fuss. Good luck out there!