Have you been eagerly waiting to play Overwatch 2 only to have the game freeze or crash unexpectedly on your PC? Don‘t worry, you‘re not alone. Many gamers have reported performance issues like freezing, crashes, and errors when trying to play the Overwatch 2 beta or early access release.
The good news is that in most cases, you can quickly troubleshoot and resolve these freezing and crashing problems in just a few minutes. In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through the top fixes that have helped gamers stop Overwatch 2 from freezing or crashing on their systems.
Follow these tips and you‘ll be back to enjoying the new Overwatch 2 content in no time without annoying crashes or lockups. Let‘s get right into it!
Why Does Overwatch 2 Keep Freezing and Crashing?
Before we look at how to fix Overwatch 2‘s crashing issues, it helps to understand what causes these problems in the first place. Here are the most common culprits:
Outdated Graphics Drivers: Old NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers often cause compatibility issues and game crashes, especially with major new releases like Overwatch 2. Always keep your drivers fully updated.
Too Many Background Apps: Lots of unnecessary programs running in the background eats up your PC‘s resources. This resource strain leads to game crashes.
Game File Errors: Damaged or corrupted Overwatch 2 files can interfere with the game loading and running properly.
Overheating: Excessive heat buildup causes system instability and crashes. Make sure your CPU and GPU temperatures stay within acceptable limits.
Software Conflicts: Certain software like game overlays or antivirus programs often clash with games, leading to crashes and freezes.
Unsupported Hardware: Playing on very old or weak PC components that can‘t keep up with Overwatch 2‘s demands will result in freezing and crashes.
By focusing on these common problem areas, you can zero in on why Overwatch 2 is crashing and make the necessary fixes. Now let‘s go through the top troubleshooting steps you should take.
Step 1: Update Your Graphics Drivers
The very first thing you should do is make sure your NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers are completely up to date. Graphics driver issues are by far the #1 cause of game crashes. Outdated drivers lead to all sorts of compatibility and stability problems.
Here are simple instructions for updating drivers from the two major manufacturers:
NVIDIA Driver Update
- Open the GeForce Experience app on your PC
- Click on the Drivers tab and check for any available updates
- Download and install any new Game Ready Driver updates
- Restart your PC once the installation is complete
AMD Driver Update
- Go to AMD‘s website and find your graphics card model
- Download the latest recommended Adrenalin driver for your card
- Run the installer/executable to update your graphics drivers
- Reboot your computer when done
I highly recommend registering your GPU with the manufacturer to get alerts when new drivers are released. Also check their driver download pages regularly around major game releases like Overwatch 2.
Installing fresh new drivers is by far the best starting point for resolving game crashes. Be sure to fully restart your system after updating for the changes to take effect.
Step 2: Close Out All Other Programs Before Playing
Another common source of Overwatch 2 crashes is too many background apps and tasks putting a strain on your PC‘s resources while you‘re gaming. Things like web browsers, MS Office, media players, server tools, etc. can all interfere with your games if left open.
To maximize performance and stability, you should close out all unnecessary background programs before launching Overwatch 2. This prevents software conflicts and frees up RAM, CPU usage, and graphics resources for your game.
Use the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC keyboard shortcut to open up Windows Task Manager and end any processes not vital for running Overwatch 2. For example, apps like Discord, Spotify, Chrome, Photoshop, etc. should be closed.
Additionally, you should disable any gaming "overlays" that could clash with Overwatch 2. Turn off the in-game overlays for apps like Discord, MSI Afterburner, AMD Adrenalin software, NZXT CAM, etc.
Finally, temporarily pause or disable any antivirus scanners, firewalls, Windows Defender, etc while gaming. These can sometimes interfere with games and cause performance issues or crashes. Add exclusions if needed.
Starting Overwatch 2 with as few background tasks as possible gives you the best chance of a smooth, stable gaming experience.
Step 3: Scan and Repair Your Overwatch 2 Files
Another common source of crashes and freezes in Overwatch 2 is file corruption or missing game files. Thankfully, Blizzard‘s Battle.net launcher has a built-in scan and repair feature that can find and fix any errors with your game files.
Follow these instructions to scan and repair Overwatch 2 through Battle.net:
- Launch the Battle.net app on your PC
- Click on the Overwatch 2 icon
- Click on the Options menu (next to Play button)
- Select Scan and Repair
- Wait for the scan process to finish completely
- Let any found errors be repaired
This scan can take several minutes depending on your hardware. When it finishes, restart your computer and then try launching Overwatch 2 again. Oftentimes scanning and repairing files will fix crashing issues caused by file corruption.
As a preventative measure, you can also change the Overwatch 2 settings so that Battle.net will regularly scan game files automatically. Turn this on under Settings > Game Settings.
Step 4: Monitor Your PC Temperatures
Excessive heat buildup inside your desktop or laptop can definitely cause system instability, game crashes, and full computer lockups. Using hardware monitoring software, check that both your CPU and GPU temperatures remain within acceptable limits when running Overwatch 2.
Here are some maximum safe temperatures to aim for when gaming:
- NVIDIA GPUs: < 85°C
- AMD GPUs: < 90°C
- Intel CPUs: < 80°C
- AMD CPUs: < 85°C
If your components are overheating, here are some troubleshooting tips:
- Improve airflow and cable management in your case
- Clean dust buildup off your PC components
- Reapply high-quality thermal paste on your CPU and GPU
- Adjust fan curves to ramp up cooling at lower temperatures
- Lower graphical settings or FPS cap in Overwatch 2
- Limit FPS if very high uncapped frame rates overwork your hardware
Keeping your gaming PC at safe operating temperatures is key to avoiding stability and crashing issues. Overwatch 2 can really heat up components, so monitor temps closely.
Step 5: Tweak Your In-Game Graphics Settings
Overwatch 2‘s max graphics settings and uncapped frame rates may simply be too demanding for your PC hardware if you‘re running into crashes. Some troubleshooting steps are to:
- Lower the graphics settings from Ultra to Medium or Low
- Reduce the Render Scale below 100% to decrease GPU load
- Cap the FPS to a stable level like 60 FPS or 120 FPS
- Disable taxing settings like Local Reflections
The goal is to reduce strain on your graphics card and find the sweet spot of visual quality versus performance that prevents Overwatch 2 from crashing. NVIDIA GeForce Experience also has game optimization tools that can automatically pick ideal settings for your PC‘s hardware.
Use the in-game Graphics Benchmark feature to help fine-tune settings for both optimal FPS and stability. Lower settings may look slightly worse visually but can work wonders for stopping crashes.
Step 6: Check Your RAM Usage
Another potential cause of game crashes is insufficient RAM memory. Overwatch 2 requires a minimum of 8GB of RAM, but ideally you need 16GB+ for smooth performance, especially if you have lots of browser tabs and apps open while gaming.
Use the Task Manager‘s Performance tab to monitor your overall RAM usage. If you consistently see usage at or above 90-95% when playing Overwatch 2, your system is maxing out its available memory which can cause crashes.
Upgrading to more RAM provides headroom and stops the freezing and instability associated with insufficient memory. Adding an extra 8GB stick is inexpensive and can really help optimize performance.
Step 7: Try Reinstalling Overwatch 2
If you still can‘t resolve Overwatch 2 crashing after trying the other troubleshooting steps, fully reinstalling the game can potentially fix lingering issues. Here‘s the full process:
- Uninstall Overwatch 2 through Windows Settings or Control Panel
- Restart your computer
- Delete any leftover Overwatch 2 files and folders
- Reinstall a fresh copy of Overwatch 2 through Battle.net
- Before launching, install the latest GPU drivers using DDU uninstaller
This gives you a completely clean Overwatch 2 installation, removing any corrupted files that may be causing problems. When reinstalling, avoid importing old config files.
Reinstalling Overwatch 2 essentially gives you a fresh start. While time consuming, this has resolved crashing for many gamers when other fixes were unsuccessful.
Helpful Tips to Stop Crashes from Fellow Gamers
In addition to the main troubleshooting steps outlined above, here are some other tips from the Overwatch gaming community for stopping crashes:
- Disable GPU overclocking – Factory reset your graphics card if you have an unstable OC
- Use wired internet – WiFi can contribute to connection issues and crashes
- Disable NVIDIA ShadowPlay – Recording/streaming software causes conflicts for some
- Try older GPU drivers – If latest drivers aren‘t stable, roll back to older ones
- Add an exception for OW2 in antivirus – Prevent scanning interference while playing
- Disable onboard graphics – Prevents potential conflict with dedicated GPU
- Set CPU power plan to "Prefer maximum performance" – Helps high CPU usage stability
- Close web browsers/Discord – Too many background apps eats up resources
- Use two separate PCIe power cables for GPU – Improves stability if crashing under load
- Add more case fans – Maximizes airflow and cooling to prevent overheating
Gamers in community forums like Reddit have reported success with these extra tips for resolving Overwatch 2 crashes. There are lots of little software and hardware tweaks you can try to isolate your specific issue.
When to Contact Blizzard Support
If you‘ve tried every troubleshooting step in this guide extensively but Overwatch 2 keeps crashing, it‘s probably time to reach out to Blizzard support for additional help.
Make sure to include detailed information on your PC specs, when the crashes occur, your troubleshooting steps, and any error messages. Blizzard can investigate and provide tailored solutions or patches for any lingering issues.
Certain game crashing bugs may require waiting for patches and hotfixes from Blizzard as well. Stay updated on their Overwatch 2 Known Issues forum page for the latest fixes.
Conclusion
With this comprehensive troubleshooting guide, you now have a detailed plan of attack for resolving any Overwatch 2 crashing or freezing issues. The most important steps are updating your drivers, closing background apps, monitoring temps, scanning/repairing files, and optimizing in-game settings.
Stay patient, work through each fix methodically, and you should be able to track down the source of your crashes. Overwatch 2 is still brand new and has some expected launch bugs, but these tips will get you back to enjoying the game smoothly.
Now get out there, sharpen your skills with the new heroes and maps, relive the glory days of Overwatch, and show the world what you‘re made of! The power to stop annoying crashes is now in your hands.
Let me know if any of these troubleshooting steps fixed your Overwatch 2 freezing or crashing problems! I‘m happy to help fellow gamers get the best experience possible with this classic team-based shooter reborn. Game on!