Fix: Age of Empires IV Crashing on PC

Age of Empires IV is a real-time strategic historic battle video game that has been developed by Relic Entertainment with World’s Edge and published by Xbox Game Studios in Oct 2021. It’s the 4th installment of the Age of Empires family that’s currently available for Windows and Xbox Cloud Gaming. Although the gameplay and graphics are top-notch, some PC users are reporting about the Age of Empires IV Crashing Issue on the PC.

Now, if you’re also one of the victims then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide to resolve the startup crashing or the game not launching issue completely. It’s worth mentioning that most PC titles are prone to crashes, lags, stutters, glitches, FPS drop issues, black screen issues, etc. And there is nothing to do on the developer side because such issues tend to appear due to conflicts with the user’s PC whatsoever.

Why Does Age of Empires IV Keep Crashing?

It seems that sometimes the corrupted or missing game files on the PC can cause several issues with the gameplay or even game launching. Whereas issues with the outdated game version, outdated Windows OS build, unnecessary startup programs, overclocking GPU, overlay apps running in the background, other unnecessary background running tasks, etc can trigger startup crashing issues with the games on PC.

Whereas an incompatible PC configuration with the game’s system requirements also plays a major role. Meanwhile, issues with the antivirus software blocking, outdated graphics drivers, outdated DirectX version, outdated Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, running the game in the full-screen borderless display mode, etc can cause multiple issues whatsoever on the PC.

Fix: Age of Empires IV Crashing on PC

We’ve provided you with a couple of possible workarounds that should help you to resolve the startup crashing issue. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into the solution below.

1. Check System Requirements

First of all, you should go through the system requirements of the Age of Empires IV game below to cross-check whether your PC configuration is meeting the requirements or not.

Minimum Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64bit | Windows 11 64bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-6300U or AMD Ryzen 5 2400G | CPU with AVX support required
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: Intel HD 520 or AMD Radeon RX Vega 11
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 50 GB available space

Recommended Requirements:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64bit | Windows 11 64bit
• Processor: 3.6 GHz 6-core (Intel i5) or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | CPU with AVX support required
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: Nvidia GeForce 970 GPU or AMD Radeon RX 570 GPU with 4GB of VRAM
• DirectX: Version 12
• Storage: 50 GB available space
• Additional Notes: 4 GB of video RAM and 16 GB of system RAM

2. Force Use Windowed Borderless Mode

You should also try to force run the game via windowed borderless screen mode rather than the fullscreen mode. To do so:

• Open Steam > Go to Library > Right-click on Age of Empires IV.
• Now, click on Properties > Click on the General tab > Go to Set Launch Options.
• Here type this command-line argument -windowed –noborder on the field.
• Restart the Steam client to apply changes.

3. Run the game as an administrator

Make sure to run the game exe file as an administrator to avoid user account control regarding privilege issues. You should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your PC. To do this:

• Right-click on the Age of Empires IV exe shortcut file on your PC.
• Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

Make sure to do the same steps for the Steam client too. It should help you to fix the Age of Empires IV issue on your PC.

4. Update GPU Drivers

Somehow it may also be possible that your graphics driver hasn’t been updated for a while. If that’s the case, then make sure to update the graphics drivers on your PC to remove potential glitches whatsoever. To do so:

• Press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Now, click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re using.

• Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download & install it.
• Once done, restart the computer to apply changes immediately.

5. Perform a Clean Boot

Some of the apps and their services may start automatically while booting the system right away. In that case, those apps or services will definitely gonna use a lot of internet connection as well as system resources. If you’re also feeling the same, make sure to perform a clean boot on your computer to check for the issue. To do that:

• Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
• Go to the Services tab > Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Click on Disable all > Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
• Now, go to the Startup tab > Click on Open Task Manager.
• The Task Manager interface will open. Here go to the Startup tab.
• Then click on the particular task which has a higher startup impact.
• Once selected, click on Disable to turn them off from the startup process.
• Do the same steps for each program that has a higher startup impact.
• Once done, make sure to restart your computer to apply changes.

6. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks

Whenever there is a couple of unnecessary background running tasks that appear and seem to be third-party sources, make sure to close them one by one to reduce consumption of CPU/Memory usage. To do this:

• Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Select the task that you want to close.

• Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
• Once done, just restart your computer to change effects immediately.

7. Disable Antivirus and Firewall Program

It’s worth recommending to disable the antivirus program as well as the firewall protection on your computer to check for the issue. Sometimes the aggressive antivirus or security protection software can prevent game files to run properly or find them as viruses which basically trouble you to launch them or play them smoothly. To do that:

• Click on the Start menu > Type Control Panel and open it.
• Now, type firewall in the search box > Click on Windows Firewall.
• From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
• Make sure to select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private, Domain, and Public Network Settings.
• Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes, and try checking the issue.

Now, you’ll have to disable the antivirus protection from your computer. To do so:

• Head over to the Windows Settings > Privacy and Security.
• Now, go to Windows Security > Virus & threat protection.
• Click on Manage settings >Then turn off the Real-time Protection option.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

Even if you’re using any other third-party antivirus software on your PC then make sure to turn it off as well.

8. Try Disabling Overlay Apps

It seems that a couple of popular apps do have their own overlay program that can eventually run in the background and cause issues with the gaming performance or even launching issues. You should turn them off to fix the issue by following the steps below:

Disable Discord Overlay

• Launch the Discord app > Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
• Click on Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
• Click on the Games tab > Select Age of Empires IV.
• Finally, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
• Make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

Disable Xbox Game Bar

• Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar > Turn off Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar option.

If in case, you’re unable to find out the Game Bar option then just search for it from the Windows Settings menu.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay

• Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Head over to Settings.
• Click on the General tab > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.
• Finally, restart the PC to apply changes, and launch the game again.

Also do keep in mind that you should disable some other overlay apps like MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, or any other third-party overlay apps that run in the background always.

9. Verify Integrity of Game Files on Steam

If in case, there is an issue with the game files and somehow it gets corrupted or missing then make sure to perform this method to easily check for the issue.

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Age of Empires IV from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer.

It should fix the Age of Empires IV Crashing issue on your PC.

10. Update Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable

• Go to this link and download the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable file on your PC.
• Install it properly and reboot the system to apply changes.

11. Update DirectX

• Head over to this Microsoft link to download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer on your PC.
• Next, install or update the DirectX version manually.
• Once done, restart your computer to apply changes.

If you’re already using the latest version of DirectX on your computer then it should run the game properly. At the time of writing this article, the DirectX 12 version is the latest one. Now, the Age of Empires IV game crashing should have been fixed.

12. Disable CPU or GPU Overclocking

It’s also worth mentioning not to enable CPU/GPU overclocking on your PC if your game is crashing or stuttering a lot. We can understand that overclocking CPU/GPU can make a huge impact in improving gameplay but sometimes it may also cause issues with the bottleneck or compatibility too. Just set the frequency to default for optimal performance.

13. Check for Windows Updates

The chances are high that your Windows OS build becomes outdated enough or corrupted. If you’re also feeling the same then make sure to follow the steps below to check for Windows updates. If the update is available then just install it. The latest software updates always offer bug fixes and improvements. To do this:

• Press Windows + I keys to open up the Windows Settings menu.
• Next, click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.

• If there is a feature update available, select Download and install.
• Wait for some time until the update gets completed.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes immediately.

14. Update Age of Empires IV

If in case, you haven’t updated your Age of Empires IV game for a while then make sure to follow the steps below to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available). To do this:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Age of Empires IV from the left pane.
• It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
• It may take some time to install the update > Once done, make sure to close the Steam client.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.