All possible fixes of Doom: The Dark Ages crashing on PC

If you're trying to play Doom: The Dark Ages and it keeps crashing or showing a black screen on launch, you're not alone.

While the game runs well for most players, some are facing issues, especially on PC. This guide goes over all the common fixes you can try to get things working smoothly again.

Why Does Doom: The Dark Ages Crash on PC?

Image via Bethesda Softworks

Before jumping into the fixes, let’s go over the main reasons why the game might crash:

• Outdated graphics drivers
• Corrupted or missing game files
• Conflicts with background apps or overlays
• Incompatible in-game settings
• Missing system updates or DirectX components

How to fix Doom: The Dark Ages crashing on PC

Image via Bethesda Softworks

1. Update your graphics card drivers

The most common reason for the game crashing is an outdated GPU driver. Doom: The Dark Ages needs the latest drivers to run properly.

How to do it:

• If you have an Nvidia GPU, go to the Nvidia Driver Download page.
• If you have an AMD GPU, visit the AMD Driver Support page.

Download the latest driver for your graphics card model and install it. For a clean installation, you can use a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to fully remove your old drivers before installing the new ones.

2. Verify the game files

Sometimes game files can get corrupted during installation or updates. Verifying them can fix this.

On Steam:

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on Doom: The Dark Ages and select Properties.
3. Go to the Installed Files tab.
4. Click Verify integrity of game files.

Steam will scan and repair any broken or missing files.

3. Lower graphics settings

Even if you have a strong PC, certain settings may cause issues during launch or gameplay.

What to try:

• Use Borderless Window Mode instead of Fullscreen.
• Lower settings like Shadows, Reflections, and Texture Quality.
• Temporarily disable Frame Generation, especially if you’re using DLSS or FSR.

4. Disable third-party overlays

Image via Bethesda Softworks

Some apps run overlays that can interfere with games. These include:

• Discord
• GeForce Experience
• MSI Afterburner
• Razer Cortex
• Steam Overlay (you can disable it from the game’s properties)

Try disabling any overlays or background apps you don’t need.

5. Make sure windows and DirectX are updated

Missing system updates or outdated DirectX can also cause games to crash.

• Go to Settings > Windows Update and install any available updates.
• You can also download the latest DirectX Runtime from the official Microsoft website.

6. Reinstall the game (if nothing else works)

If nothing has helped so far, you might want to try reinstalling the game completely. First, uninstall the game through your launcher, then reinstall it. If you can, install it on an SSD for better performance and stability.

FAQs

Why does Doom: The Dark Ages crash at launch?

The most common reasons are outdated GPU drivers, corrupted game files, or interference from third-party software like overlays.

Will reinstalling the game fix the crash?

It can help if your game files are seriously corrupted or if something went wrong during installation.

Is Doom: The Dark Ages optimized for PC?

Yes, generally it runs well. But like many new releases, some players might run into stability issues until patches roll out.

Do I need to update my drivers even if I just did it a few weeks ago?

Yes. Game-ready drivers are often released just before or after a game launches. Even a recent driver might not be the latest.