Fix: Space Punks Keep Crashing on PC on Startup

Flying Wild Hog and Jagex Ltd. recently did release a mind-blowing free-to-play online co-op action RPG video game that comes under the shooting and looting category across the galaxy. As the title has been launched on 20th April 2022, it’s in the early access stage where developers might need some time to fix multiple bugs and errors. Meanwhile, some Space Punks players are reporting that the game keeps Crashing on the Windows PC on Startup.

Now, if you’re also one of the victims to encounter such an issue then you can follow this troubleshooting guide completely to resolve it. We should mention that most PC games do come with several bugs or stability issues especially when they are new in the market and runs under early access. But that doesn’t mean the startup crashing or the game not launching issue is happening at your end due to the in-game bug. Maybe your PC has some issues.

Why Do Space Punks Keep Crashing?

It seems that the Space Punks game is crashing a lot on your PC due to several possible reasons that you might not be able to find out by yourself in most scenarios because the crashing issue won’t gonna throw you out any kind of error notice or reasons. Well, if this is true for you then make sure to follow this troubleshooting guide completely to resolve it. If we talk about possible reasons, the outdated or corrupted Windows software can cause trouble.

While the outdated game patch, corrupted/missing game files, outdated or corrupted graphics drivers, background running tasks, startup apps issues, outdated game launcher, antivirus software issues, outdated DirectX version, issues with Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables, etc can trigger crashing. Additionally, overlay apps, an overclocked CPU/GPU, PC compatibility issues, and more can also occur startup or in-game crashing quite often.

Fix: Space Punks Keep Crashing on PC on Startup

We’ll highly recommend you to follow all the methods until the particular issue gets fixed for you. Sometimes a common workaround can also help you a lot in terms of providing bug fixes. Now, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into the guide below.

1. Check System Requirements

You should try checking the game’s system requirements to ensure whether there is an issue with the compatibility or not. Sometimes your PC configuration might gonna trouble you a lot because either it becomes outdated or it has low-end specifications whatsoever. Now, if you’re not sure whether your PC is capable to run the game or not, then you can check out the details below.

Minimum System Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: Intel Core i7- 3770 @ 3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4 GHz
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970/1060 or ATI Radeon R9 series
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB
• Logins: Requires Epic Games account

Recommended System Requirements:

• OS: Windows 10
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6900X
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 or ATI Radeon RX 5700 XT
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 10 GB

2. Update Graphics Drivers

It’s always required to update graphics drivers on your Windows system to run all the programs smoothly. To do this:

• Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
• Click on Device Manager from the list.

• Now, double-click on the Display adapters category to expand the list.

• Then right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
• Select Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
• If there is an update available, it’ll automatically download and install the latest version.
• Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to change the effects.

Alternatively, you can manually download the latest version of the graphics driver and install it directly from the official website respective to your graphics card manufacturer. Nvidia graphics card users can update the GeForce Experience app via the Nvidia official site. Meanwhile, AMD graphics card users can visit the AMD website for the same.

3. Update Windows

Updating Windows OS build is always essential for PC users as well as PC gamers to reduce system glitches, compatibility issues, and crashes. Meanwhile, the latest version mostly includes additional features, improvements, security patches, and more. To do that:

• 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.
• It may take a while to complete the update.
• Once done, restart your computer to install the update.

4. 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 Epic Games Launcher as an administrator on your PC. To do this:

• Right-click on the Space Punks 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 Epic Games Launcher too. It should help you to fix the Space Punks issue on your PC.

5. Close Background Running Tasks

Unnecessary background running tasks or programs can eat up a lot of system resources like CPU or Memory usage literally reducing system performance. Hence, the startup crashing, lagging, and not loading issues appear quite often. Simply, close all the unnecessary background running tasks completely. To do this:

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open up the Task Manager.

• Now, click on the Processes tab > Click to select tasks that are unnecessarily running in the background and consuming enough system resources.
• Click on End Task to close it one by one.
• Once done, restart your system.

Now, you can check whether you’ve fixed the Space Punks Crashing on your PC or not. If not, follow the next method.

6. Set High Priority in Task Manager

Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:

• Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
• Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Space Punks game task.
• Select Set Priority to High.
• Close Task Manager.
• Finally, run the Space Punks game to check if it crashing on PC or not.

7. Reinstall DirectX (Latest)

You should try reinstalling the latest version of DirectX from the official Microsoft website on your PC/Laptop. You just need to download and install the DirectX installer package and run it. Keep in mind that you’ll require DirectX 11 or above to run the Space Punks game properly.

8. Force Run the Game in DirectX 11

It’s also recommended to run the game in the DirectX 11 version forcefully using the command option. If your PC is running on DirectX 10 or lower then make sure to forcefully try running the Space Punks game. To do so:

• Launch Epic Games Launcher > Go to Settings from the bottom left corner.
• Head over to the bottom of the page > Find out the Manage Games section.
• Locate and click on Space Punks under Manage Games.
• Now, check the Additional Command-Line Arguments checkbox.
• Type in -dx11 in the field > Go back and launch the game.

9. Disable Windows Firewall or Antivirus Program

The chances are that maybe your default Windows Defender Firewall protection or any third-party antivirus program is preventing the ongoing connections or game files from running properly. So, temporarily disable or turn off the real-time protection and firewall protection. Then you should try running the game to check if the Space Punks Crashing on PC issue has been fixed. To do this:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type firewall.
• Select Windows Defender Firewall from the search result.
• Now, click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left pane.

• A new page will open > Select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) option for both the Private & Public Network Settings.

• Once selected, click on OK to save changes.
• Finally, restart your computer.

Similarly, you have to turn off the Windows Security protection too. Just follow the steps below:

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

• Now, click on the Open Windows Security button.
• 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 protection, Tamper protection if you want.

10. Set High Performance in Power Options

If, in case, your Windows system is running on the Balanced mode in Power Options, just set the High-Performance mode for better results. Although this option will take higher power usage or battery usage. To do this:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type Control Panel and click on it from the search result.
• Now, go to Hardware and Sound > Select Power Options.
• Click on High Performance to select it.
• Make sure to close the window and fully shut down your computer. To do this, click on the Start Menu > Go to Power > Shut Down.
• Once your computer is fully turned off, you can power it on again.

This should fix the Space Punks Crashing issue on your PC in most cases. However, if none of the methods worked for you, follow the next one.

11. Close the game from Background Apps

If somehow the Space Punks game is still going through issues, turn it off from the Background Apps feature on your PC. To do so,

• Press Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings menu.
• Click on Privacy > Scroll down from the left pane and select Background apps.
• Scroll down and look for the Space Punks game title.
• Just turn off the toggle next to the game title.
• Once done, close the window and restart your computer.

This method should help you out. However, if this doesn’t fix the issue, you can follow the next method.

12. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime

Make sure to reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime on your computer to fix multiple gaming issues or errors completely. To do that:

• Press the Windows key from the keyboard to open up the Start Menu.

• Type Apps & Features and click on it from the search result.
• Now, locate the Microsoft Visual C++ program(s) in the list.

• Select each program and click on Uninstall.
• Visit the official Microsoft website and download the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.
• Once done, install it on your computer, and restart the system to change the effects.

13. Perform a Clean Boot

Some of the apps and services may start automatically while booting the system right away. In that case, those apps or services will definitely use a lot of internet connection and 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.

14. 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 Space Punks.
• 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.

15. Verify and Repair Game Files

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.

• Open the Epic Games Launcher > Click on Library.
• Click on the three-dots icon of Space Punks.
• Click on Verify and it’ll start verifying the game files.
• Wait for the process to complete and restart the launcher.

16. 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.

17. Update Space Punks

If, in case, you haven’t updated your Space Punks 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 Epic Games Launcher > Head over to Library.
• Now, click on the three dots icon of Space Punks.
• Make sure the Auto Update option is turned on.

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