Guardians of the Galaxy PC Crashes: Fixes That Work

If Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy keeps crashing on your PC, the cause is almost always a driver conflict, an outdated graphics driver, or a corrupted shader cache—and you can usually fix it in under 15 minutes by updating your GPU driver, verifying game files, and disabling the in-game ray tracing. Below are the proven steps, plus why this game is especially prone to crashes and how to prevent them.

Why Guardians of the Galaxy Crashes on PC

This 2021 action-adventure from Eidos-Montréal uses a heavily modified Dawn Engine. It’s a demanding title that pushes GPUs hard, especially with ray tracing enabled. The most common crash triggers are:

Outdated or corrupted GPU drivers – the game relies on features like DirectX 12 Ultimate and mesh shaders that need current drivers.
Shader compilation stutter or corruption – the game compiles shaders on the fly, and a bad cache can cause a hard crash.
Ray tracing memory spikes – enabling ray tracing can push VRAM usage over the limit on 6 GB or 8 GB cards.
Overheating or unstable overclocks – the game loads all cores and the GPU heavily; any instability shows up as a crash.
Windows or DirectX issues – missing or broken system files can cause random CTDs (crashes to desktop).

Step-by-Step Fixes (in Order of Likelihood)

Try these in order. Most players solve the issue with step 1 or 2.

Update your GPU driver – Go to NVIDIA or AMD’s website (or use GeForce Experience / Adrenalin software) and install the latest driver. For NVIDIA, also do a “Clean installation” if you’re upgrading from a very old version.
Verify game files – In Steam, right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. This replaces any corrupted files. On Epic Games Store, use the “Verify” button in the game’s settings.
Disable ray tracing – In the game’s Video settings, set Ray Tracing to Off. This is the single most effective fix for crashes on mid-range GPUs.
Clear the shader cache – Delete the DXCache and GLCache folders in your user profile (usually C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\D3DSCache and ...\GLCache). The game will rebuild them on next launch.
Run the game as administrator – Right-click the .exe (or Steam shortcut) → Properties → Compatibility → “Run this program as an administrator.” This can fix access-related crashes.
Lower graphics settings – Set Texture Quality to High instead of Ultra, and turn off DLSS or FSR if you have them on. This reduces VRAM pressure.
Close background apps – Disable overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner) and close browsers that use hardware acceleration. They can conflict with the game’s rendering.

What to Do If It Still Crashes After These Steps

If you’ve tried all the above and the game still crashes, the issue may be deeper:

Check your temperatures – Use MSI Afterburner or HWInfo to monitor CPU and GPU temps. If they exceed 90°C under load, your cooling may be inadequate. Clean dust from fans and ensure proper airflow.
Test with a stress test – Run FurMark or Prime95 to see if your system is stable. An unstable overclock (even from factory) can cause crashes in this game. Reset your GPU and CPU to stock clocks and test again.
Update Windows – Install all pending Windows updates, especially the optional “quality updates” that include DirectX fixes.
Reinstall the game – As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall. This clears all corrupted data and resets settings to defaults.

Common Misconceptions: “It’s My PC’s Fault”

Many players assume the game crashes because their PC is weak. In reality, the game runs on modest hardware (it’s well-optimized for its visuals), but it’s sensitive to certain driver versions. For example, a known issue with NVIDIA drivers from late 2021 caused crashes in this game specifically; updating to a newer driver fixed it. Similarly, having an older AMD driver with ray tracing enabled could cause a black screen crash. So before you upgrade your hardware, try the software fixes above.

Preventing Future Crashes

Once you get the game stable, you can minimize future crashes with these habits:

Keep drivers updated – But don’t install beta drivers unless you’re troubleshooting; they can introduce new bugs.
Disable ray tracing unless your GPU has 10 GB+ VRAM – The game’s ray tracing is heavy, and even a 3070 can run out of memory in some scenes.
Limit frame rate – Use the in-game FPS limiter or NVIDIA Control Panel to cap at 60 FPS. This reduces GPU load and heat.
Play with VSync on – This can prevent tearing and reduce stress on the GPU.
Regularly clean shader caches – If you notice stuttering or crashes after a driver update, clear the caches once.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my game crash only in certain areas?

Certain areas (like Knowhere or the garden planet) have heavy particle effects and light sources. If you crash only there, it’s likely a VRAM or shader issue. Lower texture quality and disable ray tracing in those areas, or verify files to fix corrupted shaders.

Will lowering graphics settings stop the crashes?

Often yes, especially if the crash is due to VRAM exhaustion. Lowering Texture Quality and disabling ray tracing reduces memory usage significantly. If the crash persists, it’s not a graphics setting issue.

Does the game crash more with DLSS or FSR enabled?

Not typically. DLSS and FSR are stable in this game. However, if you have an older GPU, DLSS might cause a driver timeout. Try turning it off to see if that helps.

Can a corrupted save file cause crashes?

Rarely, but it’s possible. If your game crashes on loading a specific save, try loading an earlier save or starting a new game to test. If the new game works, your save may be corrupted.

Is there a known fix for the “Unreal Engine is exiting due to being forced” error?

That error usually appears when the game is forced to close due to a system issue. It’s often a symptom of a driver crash. Follow the steps above, especially updating drivers and disabling overlays.

Should I reinstall Windows?

No. That’s a last resort and rarely necessary. Only consider it if you have persistent crashes across many games and you’ve ruled out hardware issues.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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