EA FC 26 crashing on PC is one of the most common issues players are dealing with right now. Mid-match freezes, startup crashes, Access Violation errors, and complete system lockups are happening across all hardware configurations. If your game crashes during matches or won’t even launch, here’s how to fix it.
What’s Causing the Crashes
EA FC 26 PC crashes typically come from one of these sources:
- EAAntiCheat service conflicts — The anti-cheat software crashes independently from the game
- Access Violation / Software NX Fault — Memory protection errors, often triggered by overlays or background apps
- Corrupted game files — Especially after patches and updates
- GPU driver incompatibility — Old or broken drivers cause mid-match freezes
- Windows background processes — Discord overlay, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, and Xbox Game Bar can all trigger crashes
Fix 1: Repair EAAntiCheat (Most Common Fix)
The EAAntiCheat service is responsible for the majority of EA FC 26 crashes. Repairing it fixes the issue for most players.
Steps:
1. Close EA FC 26 and the EA App completely
2. Navigate to your game installation folder (usually C:\Program Files\EA\EA SPORTS FC 26)
3. Open the __Installer folder, then the EAAntiCheat subfolder
4. Run EAAntiCheat.Installer.exe as Administrator
5. Select EA SPORTS FC 26 from the game dropdown
6. Click Repair
7. Restart your PC and launch the game
If the repair option doesn’t work, select Uninstall first, then reopen the installer and click Install to do a clean anti-cheat installation.
Fix 2: Repair Game Files
Corrupted files after patches are a frequent crash cause. Verify your installation through the EA App.
EA App:
1. Open the EA App
2. Right-click EA FC 26 in your library
3. Select Repair
4. Wait for the verification to complete (may take 10-15 minutes)
Steam:
1. Right-click EA FC 26 in Steam
2. Go to Properties > Installed Files
3. Click Verify Integrity of Game Files
This scans every file and redownloads anything corrupted. It’s non-destructive — your settings and saves are preserved.
Fix 3: Update GPU Drivers (Clean Install)
Outdated or corrupt GPU drivers cause mid-match freezes where the game stops responding without showing an error message.
NVIDIA:
1. Download the latest driver from nvidia.com/drivers
2. During installation, check Custom Installation
3. Check Perform a clean installation
4. Restart your PC
AMD:
1. Download the latest driver from amd.com/support
2. During installation, select Factory Reset (this wipes old driver settings)
3. Restart your PC
A clean install removes leftover driver files that cause conflicts. Regular updates without clean installs can accumulate corrupt registry entries over time.
Fix 4: Fix the Access Violation / Software NX Fault Error
This specific error crashes EA FC 26 with a dialog mentioning “Access Violation” or “Software NX Fault.” It’s caused by Data Execution Prevention (DEP) flagging the game incorrectly.
Steps:
1. Press Windows + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
2. Go to the Advanced tab
3. Under Performance, click Settings
4. Go to the Data Execution Prevention tab
5. Select Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select
6. Click Add and browse to your EA FC 26 .exe file
7. Click Apply and restart your PC
Additionally, install the latest Visual C++ Redistributables from Microsoft’s official page. Missing runtime libraries trigger Access Violation errors in many EA games.
Fix 5: Disable Overlays and Background Apps
Overlays inject code into the game process, and EA FC 26 doesn’t handle this well. Disable these:
- Discord — Settings > Game Overlay > Disable in-game overlay
- NVIDIA GeForce Experience — Settings > In-Game Overlay > Toggle off
- Xbox Game Bar — Windows Settings > Gaming > Xbox Game Bar > Off
- Steam Overlay — Right-click game > Properties > Uncheck “Enable Steam Overlay”
- MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner — Close completely from system tray
After disabling overlays, if the crashes stop, re-enable them one by one to find the culprit. Discord overlay is the most common offender with EA FC 26.
Fix 6: Cap Your FPS
Uncapped framerates can cause instability in EA FC 26, especially during cutscenes, replays, and menu transitions.
How to cap FPS:
1. In EA FC 26 settings, set Frame Rate Limit to your monitor’s refresh rate (60, 144, etc.)
2. Alternatively, use NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Max Frame Rate
3. For AMD, use Radeon Software > Gaming > Frame Rate Target Control
Capping at your refresh rate reduces GPU power spikes that trigger crashes. If you’re still crashing, try capping at 60 FPS temporarily to test stability.
Fix 7: Reinstall the Game (Last Resort)
If nothing else works, a clean reinstall removes any deep file corruption.
Steps:
1. Uninstall EA FC 26 through the EA App or Steam
2. Delete the remaining game folder manually (C:\Program Files\EA\EA SPORTS FC 26)
3. Delete the EA FC 26 settings folder: Documents\EA SPORTS\EA SPORTS FC 26
4. Reinstall the game
5. Run EAAntiCheat repair (Fix 1) before launching for the first time
Quick Fix Checklist
| Fix | What It Solves | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Repair EAAntiCheat | Most crashes, startup failures | Easy |
| Repair game files | Post-patch crashes | Easy |
| Clean GPU driver install | Mid-match freezes | Easy |
| DEP exception + Visual C++ | Access Violation errors | Medium |
| Disable overlays | Random crashes during gameplay | Easy |
| Cap FPS | Cutscene/menu crashes | Easy |
| Clean reinstall | Persistent crashes | Time-consuming |
Still Crashing?
If you’ve tried everything and EA FC 26 is still crashing on PC, check for Windows updates (especially cumulative updates that affect DirectX). The recent dxgmms2.sys crash fix for Windows 11 also affects some EA FC 26 players. For general performance improvements, see our FPS optimization guide.
Report persistent crashes to EA Support with your DxDiag report and crash logs from Documents\EA SPORTS\EA SPORTS FC 26\logs. The more detailed your report, the faster they can patch it.
