How To Fix CS:GO Crashing

Many players, mainly ones with low-end computers, face the issue of their Counter-Strike client randomly crashing or even not launching, and the last thing they want is to have their games suddenly close while they’re playing in a winnable clutch situation. 

All in all, nobody likes having their game randomly crash, so it’s vital to get the issue resolved before it causes more harm. In this article, we’ll go over the best methods to prevent crashes and CSGO not responding issues.

Verify The Integrity Of Your Game Files

The first thing to always do to resolve crashing issues in any Steam game is to verify the game’s files. Sometimes, corrupted files might reside within your game files after an update of the game was released. This may sound bad, but the procedure to remove corrupted files is relatively straightforward.

To verify the integrity of your game files, follow the steps below:

1. Close Counter-Strike entirely and go to your Steam client.
2. Next, go to your Steam Library, where all your games are listed.
3. Search for Counter-Strike Global Offensive and right-click the game.
4. A drop-down menu will appear, in which you will click Properties.
5. Then, navigate to the Installed Files section.
6. Finally, click Verify integrity of game files.

The verifying process will take anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes. During this time, you won’t be able to launch Counter-Strike. After it is complete, try launching Counter-Strike to see if the crashing issue still persists.

Lower Down Your Video Settings

CSGO isn’t the heaviest game on the Steam platform, but you still need a decent computer to run it at high graphics settings. Many players like to play on high graphics as it enhances the aesthetics and gaming experience.

However, it is a fact that not everyone’s computers are strong enough to run Counter-Strike at maximum capacity. Many players don’t realize that they’ve set their video settings too high for their setups to handle. You must ensure you are not overdoing your video settings, as Counter-Strike might not function properly and crash if the settings are too high. 

Here’s how you can tone down your video settings:

1. Launch Counter-Strike and go to your Settings page.
2. In the Settings page, go to the Video Settings section.
3. Go to Advanced Video, where you will see a list of all the settings.
4. Lower down all of your video settings, preferably to the lowest choice.

It is also a smart choice to play the game on a stretched resolution, as it will significantly increase your computer’s performance and reduce the chances of a crash. 

Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

As mentioned briefly in the start of the article, your graphics card is an important tool that keeps Counter-Strike afloat. Old or incompatible drivers can prevent your graphics card from reaching its maximum potential, which can ultimately lead to CSGO crashes. 

Here is one way you can check if your graphics card drivers are up to date:

1. Open your Windows Control Panel.
2. In your Control Panel, head over to the Hardware and Sound section.
3. Below Devices and Printers, select Device Manager.
4. In the list of devices, look for Display Adapters.
5. Click the arrow next to Display Adapters, where you should see your graphics card.
6. Right-click the name of your graphics card and press Update Driver.
7. Next, choose Search Automatically For Drivers.
8. If there is an update available, follow further instructions and complete the process.

To perform a secondary check, you can always go to your GPU manufacturer’s website and manually search the model of your graphics card. There should be a list of its latest drivers that you can download and install. 

Use Several Launch Options To Optimize CSGO

Some launch options in Counter-Strike are designed to improve your Counter-Strike’s performance. As the name suggests, these options will modify how the game is launched, which can prevent crashing upon launching the game. 

To find where launch options are located, follow the steps below:

1. Close Counter-Strike entirely and go to your Steam client.
2. Next, go to your Steam Library, where all your games are listed.
3. Search for Counter-Strike Global Offensive and right-click the game.
4. A drop-down menu will appear, in which you will click Properties.
5. In the General section, look for Launch Options.
6. You can start putting launch options in the text box provided.

Here are some recommended launch options to use:

-novid: Disables the annoying intro video that plays every time you launch the game, saving time and making launching smoother.

-high: Sets Counter-Strike to run on high priority mode on Steam, forcing your computer to pool in more resources.

-nojoy: Disables joystick controller support and boosts performance. Joystick support is not needed if you’re not planning to play on a controller. 

+cl_forcepreload: Forces the game to load everything on the map before joining a match. Can lead to longer loading times but will result in smoother performance overall. 

Remember to separate the launch commands using a space. Do not use a comma or any hyphens!

Run Counter-Strike As An Administrator And In Compatibility Mode

In this next solution, we’ll make two changes simultaneously, as both are located in the same place. 

The first thing we’ll do is set Counter-Strike to always run on administrator mode, which has resolved crashing issues for many players. We are also going to have the game run in compatibility mode, which improves performance and makes the game feel smoother.

Here are the steps to tackle both at once:

1. Look for your CSGO desktop shortcut and right-click it. 
2. Then, go to the Properties section.
3. Next, select the Compatibility tab.
4. The first thing to do is check the box that reads Run This Program In Compatibility Mode.
5. In the drop-down menu under it, select Windows 8, which should be the most recent Windows version available. 
6. The second thing to do is check the box that says Run This Program As An Administrator.
7. Once both options have been modified, save your changes by clicking Apply in the bottom-right corner of the menu.

Generally, you can always run the game in administrator mode. However, some players have reported that their compatibility settings have not resolved crashing issues. If you think compatibility mode isn’t helping, feel free to disable it. 

Set Counter-Strike To High Performance 

We’ve already set Counter-Strike to high priority on Steam with the “-high” launch option, but we can also set it to high performance on your computer in general. This time, we’ll mess with our Windows settings instead of Steam.

Here’s how you can enable high performance mode:

1. Go to your Windows Settings and open the System section.
2. Next, select Display Settings and go to the Graphics page.
3. Here, you should see a list of all your downloaded applications. Use the search bar to look for CSGO.
4. Click and CSGO and open the options menu.
5. Below Graphics Preference, select High Performance mode. Ensure the graphics card name you see matches the one you are currently using. 

After completing this change, your GPU will be trained to put in more resources into Counter-Strike, ensuring it is the highest-priority program whenever it is open. You might notice lag when Alt + Tab-ing, because other programs won’t run well when Counter-Strike is on. 

Check For Overclocking Issues

Many players realized that their Counter-Strike client has been crashing a lot because their computers are overclocking. Overclocking occurs when your computer is going over the clock rate set by the manufacturer, causing issues which can lead up to crashes.

You can prevent your computer from overclocking by following the steps below:

1. Go to your Windows Control Panel.
2. Then, select the Hardware and Sound section.
3. Look for Power Options, click Edit Power Plan, and go to Change Advanced Power Settings.
4. In the new menu that appears, look for Processor Power Management. 
5. After expanding the drop-down menu, you should see the minimum and maximum processor state.
6. Change both of them from 100% to 99%.
7. Finally, save your changes by clicking Apply. 

Following this procedure will ensure that Counter-Strike will always run at 99% capacity, which will prevent it from going over 100% and overclocking. 

Ensure No Background Applications Are Running

When Counter-Strike is open, it takes a massive toll on your computer and eats up a lot of RAM. The same can be said for other background applications. So, when Counter-Strike is running, you must ensure that there are no unnecessary background programs running, as all these applications being open could overwhelm your CPU and crash the game. 

Sometimes, it is necessary to have certain programs like Discord, TeamSpeak, or Spotify open, as these programs are essential for some players. However, others such as Google Chrome, Photoshop, and messaging programs aren’t necessarily required when playing Counter-Strike.

Just remember to close any background applications that are not needed to ensure your RAM can put most of its focus into running Counter-Strike properly. Make sure to get into this habit especially if you have a low-end computer setup. 

Disable Your Antivirus/Firewall Programs

More players than expected have reported that their antivirus or firewall programs have been clashing with Counter-Strike and causing the game to crash at random times. These types of applications will impact how your computer is run, and could cause mismatches with Counter-Strike on rare occasions.

If you’re desperate to look for a solution to your crashing issues, it never hurts to try temporarily turning off your antivirus and firewall programs to see if they were the culprits. The procedure to disable these programs differs on various providers, but it should be relatively straightforward.

Try turning them off and playing Counter-Strike for a few hours. Once the testing has been completed, don’t forget to re-enable them so you don’t get caught with a random virus. 

Reinstall Counter-Strike

If you have tried all nine methods and nothing seems to be solving the crashing issues, we must try the last-resort method, which is to reinstall Counter-Strike entirely. Performing a reinstall will ensure that all corrupted files and mismatches will be wiped, and the game will come in fresh from the oven.

If you’re willing to proceed with a full reinstallation of Counter-Strike, follow the steps below:

1. Open your Steam client and go to your Steam Library.
2. In the list of games, look for CSGO and right-click it.
3. Next, click on the Uninstall button and confirm your actions.
4. Wait until CSGO is finished uninstalling.
5. Then, go to the Steam Store page and search for Counter-Strike.
6. Redownload the game and wait until the download and installation process is complete.

Hopefully, one of these ten solutions would have fixed your crashing issues. If none of them have, there is a high chance that the problem is coming from your computer being too weak to run Counter-Strike properly. Consider upgrading your hardware peripherals for an improved Counter-Strike experience.