Civilization 7 crashing on startup is a widespread issue that’s been plaguing players since launch. The game either crashes immediately after clicking Play, shows a black screen then closes, or freezes during the initial loading sequence. The good news: there’s a specific cache file fix that resolves this for most players. Here’s every fix that works.
Fix 1: Delete the Legal Cache Files (Best Fix)
This is the #1 fix for Civilization 7 not launching. The game generates legal agreement cache files that become corrupted, preventing the game from starting.
Steps:
1. Navigate to: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Firaxis Games\Civilization7\Cache\
(Press Windows + R, paste the path, hit Enter)
2. Delete these two files:
– LegalChoice.cache
– LegalDocument.cache
3. Launch the game
The game will regenerate these files on next launch. If the folder doesn’t exist at that path, search your Documents folder for Civilization7 or Firaxis Games — the location varies slightly depending on your installation method (Steam vs Epic).
This fix has resolved the startup crash for the majority of affected players. If your game starts crashing again after a patch, repeat this process — updates can re-corrupt these files.
Fix 2: Switch Graphics API (DirectX 12 vs Vulkan)
Civilization 7 supports both DirectX 12 and Vulkan rendering. Some GPU/driver combinations crash with one API but work perfectly with the other.
Steam:
1. Right-click Civilization 7 in Steam
2. Select Properties > General
3. In Launch Options, add: --renderer vulkan (if currently using DX12)
4. Or add: --renderer dx12 (if currently using Vulkan)
5. Launch the game
Epic Games:
1. Open Epic Games Launcher
2. Click Settings, scroll to Civilization 7
3. Check Additional Command Line Arguments
4. Enter: --renderer vulkan or --renderer dx12
General guidance:
– NVIDIA GPUs: Try DX12 first, switch to Vulkan if crashing
– AMD GPUs: Try Vulkan first, switch to DX12 if crashing
– Intel ARC GPUs: Use Vulkan (DX12 has known issues with ARC drivers)
Fix 3: Delete the Shader Cache
Corrupted shader caches cause Civ 7 to crash during the loading screen (after the launcher but before the main menu).
Steps:
1. Navigate to: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Firaxis Games\Civilization7\Cache\
2. Delete the entire ShaderCache folder
3. Also clear the DirectX shader cache:
– Open Disk Cleanup (search “Disk Cleanup” in Start)
– Select your main drive
– Check DirectX Shader Cache
– Click OK
4. Launch the game (first load will take longer as shaders recompile)
Fix 4: Update GPU Drivers
Civilization 7 has specific driver requirements. Outdated drivers are a common crash cause, especially on NVIDIA cards.
NVIDIA Users:
– The game had known issues with driver version 572.16
– NVIDIA released hotfix driver 572.24 specifically for Civ 7 crashes
– Download the latest Game Ready driver from nvidia.com/drivers
– Select Custom Install > Clean Installation
AMD Users:
– Update to the latest Adrenalin driver
– Enable Factory Reset during installation
– If crashes persist, try the previous stable driver version
Fix 5: Install Visual C++ Redistributables
Missing or outdated Visual C++ runtime libraries cause Civ 7 to crash silently at startup with no error message.
Steps:
1. Download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft:
– vc_redist.x64.exe (64-bit)
2. Run the installer — it will repair/update existing installations
3. Also install the 2015-2019 version if prompted
4. Restart your PC
This takes 30 seconds and fixes crashes in many games, not just Civ 7.
Fix 6: Verify Game Files
Corrupted game files after patches or incomplete downloads cause startup crashes.
Steam:
1. Right-click Civilization 7 > Properties > Installed Files
2. Click Verify Integrity of Game Files
3. Wait for completion (may redownload several hundred MB)
Epic:
1. Click the three dots next to Civilization 7
2. Select Manage > Verify
Fix 7: Disable In-Game Overlays
Overlays conflict with Civ 7’s rendering pipeline, especially on startup.
Disable these before launching:
– Steam Overlay — Right-click game > Properties > Uncheck “Enable Steam Overlay”
– Discord Overlay — Settings > Game Overlay > Off
– GeForce Experience Overlay — Settings > In-Game Overlay > Off
– Xbox Game Bar — Windows Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar > Off
Re-enable them one at a time after confirming the game launches successfully to identify which overlay caused the conflict.
Fix 8: Run as Administrator
Permission issues can prevent Civ 7 from accessing necessary system resources.
Steps:
1. Navigate to the game’s installation folder
2. Right-click CivilizationVII.exe
3. Select Properties > Compatibility
4. Check Run this program as an administrator
5. Click Apply
For Steam: also right-click Steam.exe and enable Run as Administrator.
Quick Troubleshooting Flowchart
| Symptom | Try This First |
|---|---|
| Crashes immediately on launch | Delete Legal Cache files (Fix 1) |
| Black screen then closes | Switch graphics API (Fix 2) |
| Crashes during loading screen | Delete shader cache (Fix 3) |
| Crashes with no error message | Install Visual C++ (Fix 5) |
| Crashes after a game update | Verify game files (Fix 6) |
| Worked before, now crashes | Update GPU drivers (Fix 4) |
Still Not Launching?
If Civilization 7 still won’t launch after trying all fixes, check if Windows has pending updates — specifically the Windows 11 gaming crash fix that addresses DirectX-related crashes. Also check our FPS optimization guide for general PC gaming performance tips.
As a last resort, try a clean reinstall: uninstall the game, delete the remaining game folder and the %LOCALAPPDATA%\Firaxis Games\Civilization7\ folder entirely, then reinstall. This removes all cached data and corrupted config files.
