Fix: Dead Space Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC

Dead Space is a science fiction or space horror survival video game that was launched in early 2023. It has been doing really well in the gaming community for a while. Motive and Electronic Arts aimed to offer a third-person shooter title that can blow players’ minds with its graphics, providing an immersive gaming experience. However, Dead Space has its own fair share of issues, and it keeps crashing on startup on Windows PC.

The remake of Dead Space is preventing some unfortunate PC players from getting into the game, which is also known as the game not launching issue. Some players are also claiming that the game suddenly force closes during the gameplay session, which becomes so common and frustrating at the same time. Although the game developers are aware of this specific issue, there is nothing they can do because it’s not a development issue.

Why Dead Space is Crashing?

Talking about the startup crashing issue, it looks like some of the conflicts with the PC-end or even problems with the software/applications might trigger the same. Even though we may assume that the game is new in the market and has some bugs or stability issues, it might not trouble plenty of players with startup crashes whatsoever. Additionally, the same kind of reasons can also occur gameplay lags, stutters, framerate drops, graphical issues, and so on.

So, there can be multiple possible reasons you can find out at your end that you can manually resolve. That’s why you don’t need to worry about it. If we mention the possible reasons, lack of system requirements on the PC, an outdated game version, an outdated graphics driver, conflicts with the third-party applications, background tasks, overlay apps, etc can trouble you a lot.

Meanwhile, the antivirus software blocking, incorrect settings with the power options, an outdated Windows system, conflicts with the startup apps in the background, lack of running the game application without admin access, etc might trigger startup crashes quite often.

Fix: Dead Space Keeps Crashing on Startup on the PC

Luckily, you’ll be able to follow the troubleshooting methods below to fix the crashing issue on the PC. So, without further ado, let’s jump into it.

Watch Our Video Tutorial: Fixing ‘Dead Space’ Crashes on Startup for PC”

In our latest video tutorial, we delve into a common issue faced by gamers: ‘Dead Space’ crashing on startup when played on a PC. We understand how frustrating it can be when you’re all set to dive into the game, only to be stopped by unexpected crashes. To help you overcome this obstacle, we’ve carefully compiled a series of troubleshooting steps and fixes.

Watch Video Tutorial

1. Reboot the Game and PC

You can restart the Dead Space game as well as your Windows PC to refresh the system and game glitches whatsoever. Though some players may not think this method is useful, you can try it once.

2. Check System Requirements

The second thing you can check the system requirements of Dead Space to ensure your computer is compatible to run this game smoothly. If some of the hardware becomes incompatible or outdated then make sure to upgrade the respective hardware parts.

Minimum Requirements:	Recommended Requirements:
OS: Windows 10 64-bit or above	OS: Windows 10 64-bit or above
Processor: Ryzen 5 2600x, Core i5 8600	Processor: Ryzen 5 5600X, Core i5 11600K
Memory: 16 GB RAM	Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: AMD RX 5700, GTX 1070	Graphics: Radeon RX 6700 XT, Geforce RTX 2070
DirectX: Version 12	DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection	Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 50 GB available space	Storage: 50 GB available space
Additional Notes: 50GB SATA SSD	Additional Notes: 50GB SSD PCIe compatible

3. End Tasks from the Background

Some of the reports claim that closing the background running tasks from your system might also help in reducing game crashes, lags, stutters, etc issues in some cases. So, you can follow the steps below to easily end unnecessary background tasks.

• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Go to the Processes tab and check which tasks are consuming higher resources like CPU or Memory.
• Now, click to select the specific task which is not necessary.
• Then select End Task to close it forcefully.
• Ensure to do the same steps for each third-party task which are consuming higher resources.
• Once done, restart your PC to apply changes.

4. Run the Game Application as Administrator

It’s also suggested to run the Dead Space game application as administrator on the PC to grant the User Account Control (UAC) permission to avoid startup crashes. You can follow the steps below to allow the admin permission for one time.

• Navigate to the installed directory of Dead Space.
• Right-click on the game application to open the context menu.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to the Compatibility tab.

• Click to select the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
• Once selected, click on Apply > Click on OK to save changes.
• Now, you can run the game to check for the issue.

You should also do the same steps for your respective game launcher (Steam or Epic Games or EA App) to allow admin access.

5. Keep Your Dead Space Game Up-to-date

We’ll recommend you check the game update manually by following the steps below respective to your game client. It seems that an outdated game version might trouble in launching the game due to stability issues or bugs.

For Steam:

• Open Steam and go to Library.
• Click on Dead Space from the list of installed games.
• If there is an update available, click on Update.
• Wait for a while to complete the update process.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Epic Games Launcher:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Head over to Library.
• Now, click on the three dots icon next to Dead Space.
• Turn On the Auto Update option.

For EA App:

• Launch the EA App for Windows.
• Now, click on the three dots icon in the top left corner.
• Choose Application settings > Click on Download.
• Make sure to Enable the Game updates option to turn it on.

6. Repair Game Files

If you’re a PC gamer for a couple of years then you should know that some of the corrupted or missing game files might trigger the game launching issues. So, you can follow the steps below to verify and repair the installed game files on the PC to get back on track.

For Steam:

• Open the Steam client > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Dead Space from the list of installed games.
• Click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• Wait for some time to complete the repair.
• Once done, you can reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Epic Games Launcher:

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Click on Library.
• Now, click on the three-dots icon next to Dead Space.
• Click on Verify > Wait for it to complete.
• Finally, restart the system, and check for the issue.

For EA App:

• Open the EA Desktop app > Click on My Collection.
• Click on the three dots icon of the Dead Space game.
• Now, select Repair > Wait until the repair process is complete.
• Once done, reboot the computer to apply changes.

7. Update Windows

You can also keep checking for the Windows software update on the machine to ensure you’re running the latest OS version or the build number. Microsoft gradually provides software updates silently that you may not notice in some cases. So, you can follow the steps below easily check for the Windows update and install the same.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Windows Update > Click on Check for updates.
• If there is an update available, click on Download and Install.
• Wait for the update process to complete.
• Once done, reboot your PC to apply changes.

8. Update Graphics Card Driver

Make sure to manually check for the graphics card driver update on the PC by following the steps below to cross-check whether an outdated graphics driver is troubling the game application to run properly. There are two methods to easily check for updates and install the update of the GPU driver that you can check below.

Via Device Manager:

• Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
• Open Device Manager from the list > Then expand the Display adapters option.

• Right-click on the particular GPU card and select Update driver.
• Click on Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download and install it.
• Once done, restart your system to apply changes.

Via Website:

You can also try directly visiting the respective website of your graphics card brand to download the latest version of the GPU driver. Once downloaded as per the graphics card model, you can simply install it on the PC.

• Nvidia GPU | AMD GPU | Intel GPU

9. Change Power Options

In some cases, issues with the balanced power options on your Windows machine might trigger performance decreases which directly affects the game launching or gameplay experience. You should follow the steps below to easily set the high-performance power mode.

• Open the Start Menu > Search and open Control Panel.
• Select Hardware and Sound > Choose Power Options.
• Now, select High Performance > Reboot the PC to apply changes.

10. Change Resolution by Adjusting Settings.txt

It’s also worth recommending changing the Dead Space game resolution by adjusting some values inside the Settings.txt file from the installed game directory. Some of the affected Dead Space players have started reporting that changing the game resolution to 640×480 mostly causes the game to crash while startup. So, you can follow the steps below to easily change the resolution of the game from the settings.txt file.

• Open the Start menu and search for the folder.
• Select Show hidden files and folders from the search result.
• Under the Advanced settings menu, select Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
• Next, click on OK to save changes.
• Then you’ll need to navigate to the installed Dead Space directory on the PC. [Something like below]

C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Electronic Arts\Dead Space\settings.txt

• Open the Settings.txt file > Remove the following lines:
  • Window.Top = 0
  • Window.Left = 0

Note: If in case, this method doesn’t work for you then delete the settings.txt file to completely reset all the changes from the settings for the game to go back to defaults.

11. Disable Overlay Applications

Sometimes third-party overlay applications might also trouble in system performance which can affect the game launching issue. Overlay apps can help users in multiple ways but they can always run in the background even though you’re not using them. That’s why disabling overlay apps will be necessary.

Disable Discord Overlay:

• Open the Discord app > Go to Settings (gear icon) at the bottom.
• Go to App Settings and click on Overlay.
• Now, turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
• Click on Games > Select Dead Space.
• Turn Off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.

Disable Xbox Game Bar:

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

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:

• Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Go to Settings.
• Select General > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.

Disable Steam Overlay:

• Open Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Dead Space > Click on Properties.
• Select General > Turn OFF the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option.

Please Note: The chances are high that you’re using some other third-party overlay apps like MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB lighting software, etc. If so, you should turn them off too.

12. Whitelist Dead Space in Windows Firewall

You should also try allowing the Dead Space game program in the Windows Firewall protection by following the steps below to reduce crashes, errors, etc.

• Open the Start menu > Search and open Control Panel.
• Go to Systems and Security > Open Windows Firewall.
• Select Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.
• Now, click on Change settings > Select Allow another app.
• Select Browse > Click to select Dead Space.
• Click on Add and make sure to save changes.

13. Add an Exception for Dead Space in Windows Antivirus

Additionally, you should perform the steps below to manually add Dead Space as an exception in the antivirus settings to avoid blocking.

• Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Go to Privacy and Security > Click on Windows Security.
• Click on Virus and threat protection > Select Manage ransomware protection.
• Select Allow an app through Controlled folder access > Click on Add an allowed app.
• Click on Browse all apps > Now, select Dead Space.
• Then click on Open > Make sure to save changes.

14. Perform a Clean Boot on Windows

Another thing you can do is perform a clean boot method on your Windows machine to hide all Microsoft services from the system and then disable startup apps altogether. Several Windows users claimed that the clean boot method did help the system boot up quicker and increase the system performance in all aspects. We’ll suggest you follow the steps below to do it.

• Press the Win+R keys to open the Run dialog box.
• Type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
• Go to Services > Select the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.

• Now, click on Disable all to turn off other services from booting automatically while startup.
• Click on Apply and OK to save changes.
• Once done, click on Startup > Choose Open Task Manager.
• Click on the Startup tab > Make sure to choose the particular task with a higher startup impact.
• Finally, click on Disable to turn it off, and disable the rest of the high-impact programs.

15. Contact EA Help

If none of the workarounds come in handy then make sure to contact EA Help to submit a support ticket by describing all the required details, screenshots, and log info to help developers to investigate the issue further.

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