Critical Launch Crash Graphics device driver has crashed Error
Hello, I would like to report a persistent issue that has been preventing me from launching Space Engineers for the past few weeks. The game immediately crashes on startup and displays the following error message:
“Graphics device driver has crashed. Your card is probably overheating or driver is malfunctioning. Please update your graphics drivers and remove any overclocking.”This issue has been ongoing for several weeks and has completely prevented me from playing the game.
System Specifications:
- Operating System: Windows 11 (fully up to date, including optional updates)
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7500F 6-Core Processor
- RAM: 32GB DDR5 6000MHz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 (28,537 MB available GPU memory)
Troubleshooting Steps Already Attempted:
- Updated NVIDIA graphics drivers to the latest version
- Completely reinstalled graphics drivers multiple times
- Confirmed GPU is not overclocked (I do not overclock and have no interest in doing so)
- Verified game files numerous times through Steam
- Restarted PC multiple times
- Cleared Space Engineers cache
- Confirmed no mods are installed (vanilla installation)
- Reinstalled Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable multiple times (latest version installed)
- Ensured Windows 11 is fully updated (including optional updates)
Despite all of the above, the issue persists. The crash occurs immediately upon launching the game.
At the time of the crash, my GPU temperature is approximately 35°C, indicating overheating is not the cause.
I am currently unable to access or play the game due to this error and would greatly appreciate guidance or further troubleshooting steps. Please let me know if additional logs, crash reports, or system diagnostics are required.
Thank you for your time and assistance. I have attached the lates log to this message. Any help you can provide is greatly appreciated.
I have the same bug
Today I redownloaded space engineers, and kept absolutely nothing. I saved my blueprints and saves, but I did not import them yet, as i wanted to test what was making this happen.
It worked for about 20 minutes, and I was able to join a server and play for a little bit before it completely crashed again. I attempted to relaunch the game, and was met with the same "graphics card overheating" dialogue box upon launch. Im at a loss for what to do. If reinstalling the game does nothing, then it has to be a problem with my GPU?
My GPU is only 3 years old, and works perfectly fine on every other game though. DX11 games run good on my card, and its only space engineers that does this.
Today I redownloaded space engineers, and kept absolutely nothing. I saved my blueprints and saves, but I did not import them yet, as i wanted to test what was making this happen.
It worked for about 20 minutes, and I was able to join a server and play for a little bit before it completely crashed again. I attempted to relaunch the game, and was met with the same "graphics card overheating" dialogue box upon launch. Im at a loss for what to do. If reinstalling the game does nothing, then it has to be a problem with my GPU?
My GPU is only 3 years old, and works perfectly fine on every other game though. DX11 games run good on my card, and its only space engineers that does this.
I just completed a Unigine Heaven Benchmark of my GPU to assess if DX11 is causing it to crash. Absolutely no issues with the benchmark. The benchmark report is attached below.
I just completed a Unigine Heaven Benchmark of my GPU to assess if DX11 is causing it to crash. Absolutely no issues with the benchmark. The benchmark report is attached below.
Hello!
Thank you for contacting us. Since this is a bug report, I'm moving your ticket to our support page, where our QA team will take care of you.
Kind Regards
Keen Software House
Hello!
Thank you for contacting us. Since this is a bug report, I'm moving your ticket to our support page, where our QA team will take care of you.
Kind Regards
Keen Software House
Hello Asher,
Thank you for the detailed information and for the additional testing you performed.
Based on the behavior described, especially the fact that the game worked briefly after reinstalling and then began crashing again, one possible cause could be that Windows may be attempting to initialize the game on the wrong graphics adapter.
Even though your system has a dedicated RTX 4070, Windows can sometimes default to a fallback adapter or incorrect GPU profile. Please follow the steps below to ensure the game is explicitly using your NVIDIA card.
Force Space Engineers to Use the NVIDIA RTX 4070
Additionally, please ensure that your monitor cable is connected directly to the RTX 4070 and not to the motherboard.
Force NVIDIA Control Panel GPU Assignment
If the game launched successfully, in the game's Options → Display → Video Adapter, check if your Nvidia dedicated graphics driver is selected, if not select it.
Also, in Windows Mode, keep it in Fullscreen Window. Keep playing the game and see if the issue still occurs.
If the issue persists after forcing the correct GPU, please proceed with the following additional steps:
Disable Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling
This feature can cause device removed errors in some DX11 titles.
Perform a Clean NVIDIA Driver Installation (DDU Method)
Even if drivers were reinstalled previously, please perform a full clean removal:
In some cases, the newest driver branch may introduce instability with certain DirectX 11 titles.
Clear NVIDIA Shader Cache
If the issue still continues after these steps, please send us the latest log from the time this issue occurred.
Kind regards,
Keen Software House: QA Department
Hello Asher,
Thank you for the detailed information and for the additional testing you performed.
Based on the behavior described, especially the fact that the game worked briefly after reinstalling and then began crashing again, one possible cause could be that Windows may be attempting to initialize the game on the wrong graphics adapter.
Even though your system has a dedicated RTX 4070, Windows can sometimes default to a fallback adapter or incorrect GPU profile. Please follow the steps below to ensure the game is explicitly using your NVIDIA card.
Force Space Engineers to Use the NVIDIA RTX 4070
Additionally, please ensure that your monitor cable is connected directly to the RTX 4070 and not to the motherboard.
Force NVIDIA Control Panel GPU Assignment
If the game launched successfully, in the game's Options → Display → Video Adapter, check if your Nvidia dedicated graphics driver is selected, if not select it.
Also, in Windows Mode, keep it in Fullscreen Window. Keep playing the game and see if the issue still occurs.
If the issue persists after forcing the correct GPU, please proceed with the following additional steps:
Disable Hardware Accelerated GPU Scheduling
This feature can cause device removed errors in some DX11 titles.
Perform a Clean NVIDIA Driver Installation (DDU Method)
Even if drivers were reinstalled previously, please perform a full clean removal:
In some cases, the newest driver branch may introduce instability with certain DirectX 11 titles.
Clear NVIDIA Shader Cache
If the issue still continues after these steps, please send us the latest log from the time this issue occurred.
Kind regards,
Keen Software House: QA Department
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