Mafia: Definitive Edition Crashing at Startup, Won’t Launch, or Lags with FPS drops: Fix

Mafia: Definitive Edition is another action-adventure video game in 2020 that has been developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games. Due to the stunning graphics and the gameplay, the game has received very positive reviews in just a couple of days or so. Though there are a couple of visual glitches in this game, the overall gameplay experience is well-optimized and very smooth than its previous releases. However, some of the unfortunate PC players are experiencing Mafia: Definitive Edition Crashing at Startup, Won’t Launch, or Lags with FPS drops issue either while launching it or during the gameplay.

So, if you’re also one of the victims and don’t want to stick with it for a long until Hangar 13 releases any patch fix update, then this troubleshooting guide is for you only. Here we’ve shared all the possible reasons for crashing as well as the possible workarounds that you can try yourself to easily resolve the crashing issue. Now, without waiting for further ado, let’s get into it.

Why Does Mafia: Definitive Edition Keep Crashing?

There can be possible reasons behind Mafia: Definitive Edition that keeps crashing on your Windows 10 PC. Let’s take a look.

Fix Mafia: Definitive Edition Crashing Issue
Image Source: Steam
  • First, check your PC configuration whether it’s compatible with the game’s system requirements or not. You can find out the system requirements details of the Mafia: Definitive Edition game below.
  • Maybe the game files are missing or corrupted.
  • An outdated Windows OS or graphics driver can also cause multiple issues.
  • Check whether the DirectX version is up-to-date or not.
  • Make sure that the Mafia: Definitive Edition game or the game launcher is up-to-date.
  • Some higher CPU/Memory consuming background running apps can also cause errors or crashes.
  • Windows Firewall or Antivirus program can also prevent the game to run properly.

Minimum System Requirements:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core-i5 2550K 3.4GHz / AMD FX 8120 3.1 GHz
  • Memory: 6 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 / AMD Radeon HD 7870
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 50 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Recommended System Requirements:

  • Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
  • OS: Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core-i7 3770 3.4GHz / AMD FX-8350 4.2GHz
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 / AMD Radeon RX 5700
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 50 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX Compatible

Mafia: Definitive Edition Crashing at Startup, Won’t Launch, or Lags with FPS drops: Fix

Now, if you’re a Mafia: Definitive Edition PC gamer and facing issues like random crashing, shuttering, lagging, or even FPS drops, then you can follow this troubleshooting guide below. Here we’ve shared some of the possible solutions that you can perform manually yourself in order to solve this issue completely. So, without wasting any more time, let’s get into it.

1. Run mafiadefinitiveedition.exe File Directly

If you’re unable to launch Mafia: Definitive Edition game properly via the Steam or Epic Games Launcher then make sure to run the mafiadefinitiveedition.exe file directly from the installed game folder. To do so:

  • Open Steam > Click on Library.
  • Now, right-click on Mafia: Definitive Edition from the list.
  • Click on Manage > Click on Browse local files.
  • Double-click the mafiadefinitiveedition.exe file from the installed game folder.
  • It should launch the game > Go to in-game Options.
  • Click on Game > Turn On Disable Launcher.
  • Once done, you can close the game and run it via the Steam or Epic Games Launcher again.

For Epic Games Launcher users, basically, the game will be installed at C.\Program Files\Epic Games\Mafia Definitive Edition location.

2. Run the game as Administrator

Sometimes running a program on Windows without having admin access can upset you because the User Account Control system doesn’t give proper access to run it. So, allowing the administrator access is necessary for every game on Windows PC/Laptop. To do that:

  • Right-click on the installed mafiadefinitiveedition.exe file.
  • Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
  • Enable the Run this program as an administrator checkbox.
  • Click on Apply and hit OK to save changes.

Similarly, you will need to enable admin access for your game clients like Steam or Epic Games Launcher. Just right-click on the Steam or Epic Games Launcher exe and repeat the same steps.

3. Update Graphics Drivers

If you’re using the Nvidia graphics card then update the GeForce Experience app on your PC from the Nvidia official site here.

But if you’re using the AMD graphics card on your system, then update the latest AMD Drivers from here.

4. Disable Steam Overlay

  • Open Steam on your Windows.
  • Head over to the Settings > Click on the In-Game option.
  • Click on the checkbox to disable “Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game“.
  • Once the checkbox mark is removed, click on OK.

5. Adjust Discord Settings

  • Launch Discord > Click on User Settings.
  • Select Voice & Video from the left sidebar.
  • Scroll down a bit and click on the Advanced.
  • Next, disable OpenH264 Video Codec provided by Cisco System, Inc.
  • Then disable Enable Quality of Service High Packet Priority.
  • Click on Overlay.
  • Disable in-game overlay.
  • Next, click on Appearance.
  • Scroll down to the bottom Advanced.
  • Disable Hardware Acceleration.
  • Once done, restart the Discord or restart the system.

6. Adjust Nvidia Control Panel Settings

  • Click on Adjust image settings with preview under 3D settings.
  • Select Use the advanced 3D image settings.
  • Next, open the Nvidia Control Panel.
  • Click on Manage 3D settings.
  • Then select Global Settings.
  • Now, adjust some of the additional settings:
    • Turn off Image Sharpening
    • Turn on Threaded Optimization
    • Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
    • Low Latency Mode: Off
    • Texture Filtering Quality: Performance

7. Adjust AMD Control Panel Settings

  • Click on Global Graphics.
    • Disable Radeon Anti-Lag
    • Disable Radeon Boost
    • Image Sharpening: Off
    • Anti-Aliasing Mode: Use Application settings
    • Set Anti-aliasing Method to Multi-sampling
    • Morphological Filtering: Off
    • Anisotropic Filtering: Disabled
    • Texture Filtering Quality: Performance
    • Surface Format Optimization: Enabled
    • Tesselation Mode: AMD Optimized
    • Turn off Wait for V-sync
    • OpenGL Triple Buffering: Off
    • Shader Cache: AMD optimized
    • Turn off Maximum Tesselation Level
    • GPU Workload: Graphics
    • Radeon Chill: Off
    • Frame Rate Target Control: Disabled

8. Verify Game Files

The Mafia: Definitive Edition PC gamers on Steam can follow the below steps:

  • Open the Steam Library by logging into the account
  • Right-click on Mafia: Definitive Edition
  • Click on Properties
  • Select the Local Files tab
  • Then click on Verify Integrity of Game Files
  • Wait for the process and then restart the game to check whether the issue has been fixed or not.

The Mafia: Definitive Edition PC gamers on Epic Games Launcher can follow the below steps:

  • Open Epic Games Launcher > Select Library.
  • Select on Mafia: Definitive Edition > Now, click on the three dots icon.
  • Click on Verify > Wait for the process to complete.
  • Once done, you can relaunch the Mafia: Definitive Edition game to check whether it’s unable to launch or not.

9. Temporarily Disable Antivirus

It’s also worth mentioning that temporarily disabling the antivirus program on your Windows computer may come in handy in most cases. In order to protect your system and data, the antivirus program can block several files or ongoing connections as well. So, you can follow the steps below to temporarily disable the antivirus program and check whether the game is launching properly or not.

  • Press Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings menu.
  • Click on Update & Security > Click on Windows Security from the left pane.

  • Go to Virus & threat protection > Click on Manage settings.
  • Next, you’ll need to simply turn off the Real-time protection toggle.
  • If prompted, click on Yes to proceed further.
  • Additionally, you can also turn off Cloud-delivered protectionTamper protection if you want.

10. Uninstall Windows 10 Updates (Unstable/Buggy Versions)

A couple of days ago, Microsoft has released a new update for Windows 10 with KB4535996. The KB4535996 cumulative update for Windows 10 is quite buggy and causing so many errors or problems.

  • Go to Start menu > Click on Settings
  • Next, click on Update and Security
  • Click on View update history
  • Now, if you can see that there is an update having KB4535996 has been already installed. Make sure to uninstall it.
  • Here you will see the Uninstall updates option on the top of the page.
  • Click on it and select that particular update version.
  • Right-click on it and select Uninstall.
  • It may take some time to delete that update and your system may restart automatically.
  • Have some patience and you can also manually reboot your Windows PC (if required).

11. Clean Temporary Files

  • Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the RUN program.
  • Now, type %temp% and press enter
  • You will get a bunch of temporary files on a page.
  • Select all files by pressing Ctrl + A on the keyboard.
    Next, press Shift + Delete on the keyboard to remove all the files.
  • Sometimes some of the temporary files can’t be deleted. So, leave them as it is and close it.

12. Use CPU and GPU Clock Speed at Default Settings

If you’ve overclocked your GPU speed and experiencing the crashing or stuttering issue on the Mafia: Definitive Edition gameplay or at the launching, make sure to use the MSI Afterburner tool or Zotac firestorm to underclock or set the default clock speed. Now, you can try again to run the game whether it’s working or not.

If the above-mentioned steps won’t work for you, make sure to follow the final possible step below.

13. Reset and Update BIOS (CMOS)

  • Shut down your computer and unplug the power cord from the power source.
  • Now, remove the side panel of the CPU.
  • Ensure that you’re grounded and locate the CMOS battery on the motherboard. There is only one circular CMOS battery which is easily noticeable.
  • Next, remove the CMOS battery quite gently. If you don’t know how to do it, you can search it online.
  • Once removed, clean it with a cloth and wait for around a couple of minutes.
  • Finally, place the battery back like before and close the side panel of the CPU.
  • Plugin the power cord to the power source again and restart your PC.
  • Now, run the Steam as an administrator and launch the Mafia: Definitive Edition game to check for the issue.

We assume that now you’re able to run the game properly on your computer without any crashing or lagging. Have some queries? Feel free to comment below.

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