How to Fix Palworld Crashing and Not Launching on PC (2026)

If Palworld keeps crashing on startup or refuses to launch at all on PC, you are not alone. The game has had persistent stability issues since its early access launch, and even after patch v0.7.2 in February 2026, crashes remain common. Here are the fixes that actually work, tested on the latest build.

Quick Fix

This combination solves the crash for roughly 70% of players:

1. Open Steam, right-click Palworld, select Properties.
2. In Launch Options, type: -DX12
3. Click Play.

If the game still crashes, right-click the Palworld executable, run it as administrator, and try again.

What Causes Palworld to Crash?

Palworld crashes trace back to a few core issues:

The game defaults to DirectX 11, which causes rendering failures on certain GPU and driver combinations. Forcing DirectX 12 via launch options bypasses this entirely.

Antivirus software falsely flags the game executable. Windows Defender and third-party antivirus programs are known to quarantine Palworld-win64-shipping.exe without telling you, which makes the game appear to crash on launch when it is actually being blocked.

Missing or corrupted Visual C++ Redistributables cause the underlying runtime to fail before the game can even start. This produces a generic crash with no useful error message.

Fix 1: Force DirectX 12

The most effective fix for Palworld crashes on PC.

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click Palworld and click Properties.
3. In the General tab, find Launch Options.
4. Type: -DX12
5. Launch the game.

DirectX 12 handles memory and GPU resources differently than DX11, and Palworld is significantly more stable running in DX12 mode. Pocketpair has acknowledged this issue but has not changed the default yet.

Fix 2: Check Antivirus Quarantine

Your antivirus might be silently blocking Palworld.

1. Open Windows Security (or your third-party antivirus).
2. Go to Virus and threat protection then Protection history.
3. Look for Palworld-win64-shipping.exe in the quarantine list.
4. If found, click Restore and Allow on device.
5. Add the entire Palworld installation folder to your antivirus exclusion list.

For third-party antivirus like Avast, AVG, or Bitdefender: navigate to settings, find the exclusions list, and add the Palworld folder path. The default Steam path is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Palworld\

Fix 3: Reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables

Missing or corrupted Visual C++ runtimes are a silent killer.

1. Press Win + R, type appwiz.cpl, hit Enter.
2. Uninstall ALL versions of Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable (both x86 and x64).
3. Restart your PC.
4. Download the latest Visual C++ Redistributable from Microsoft: search for “Visual C++ Redistributable latest” on microsoft.com.
5. Install both the x86 and x64 versions.
6. Restart your PC again before launching Palworld.

This fix also resolves crashes in many other games that use Unreal Engine.

Fix 4: Update GPU Drivers

Palworld uses Unreal Engine 5, which requires up-to-date GPU drivers.

NVIDIA: Install the latest Game Ready driver from GeForce Experience or nvidia.com. As of February 2026, version 572.xx or newer is recommended.

AMD: Update through AMD Radeon Software. Version 24.12.1 or newer provides the best Palworld stability.

Always restart your PC after a driver update.

Fix 5: Verify Game File Integrity

Corrupted game files cause crashes that look random but are actually consistent.

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click Palworld and select Properties.
3. Go to the Installed Files tab.
4. Click Verify integrity of game files.
5. Wait for the process to complete. If files are repaired, restart Steam before launching.

Fix 6: Disable Fullscreen Optimizations

Windows fullscreen optimization can interfere with Unreal Engine 5 games.

1. Navigate to your Palworld installation folder.
2. Find Palworld-Win64-Shipping.exe in the install directory.
3. Right-click it and select Properties.
4. Go to the Compatibility tab.
5. Check Disable fullscreen optimizations.
6. Check Run this program as an administrator.
7. Click Apply then OK.

Fix 7: Lower Graphics Settings

If Palworld crashes mid-game rather than on startup, your GPU is likely running out of VRAM.

1. Launch Palworld (if you can reach the menu).
2. Go to Settings then Graphics.
3. Set View Distance to Medium.
4. Disable Anti-Aliasing or change it from None to FXAA.
5. Enable V-Sync to prevent frame rate spikes.
6. Set an FPS Limit of 60 to reduce GPU load.

Players on r/Palworld have confirmed that disabling Anti-Aliasing specifically is the single setting change most likely to stop mid-game crashes.

Fix 8: Clean Reinstall

If nothing else works, a clean reinstall clears any deep corruption.

1. Uninstall Palworld through Steam.
2. Delete the remaining Palworld folder manually from steamapps\common\.
3. Also delete: %localappdata%\Pal\ (this is where config and save data live).
4. Restart your PC.
5. Reinstall Palworld from Steam.

Your game saves should be backed up to Steam Cloud. Verify in Steam settings that Cloud Saves are enabled for Palworld before uninstalling.

How to Prevent Palworld Crashes

Keep your GPU drivers updated after every Palworld patch. Pocketpair frequently changes rendering behavior between updates.

Always use the -DX12 launch option until Pocketpair makes DX12 the default. There is no performance penalty for using DX12, and stability is significantly better.

Whitelist Palworld in your antivirus permanently. The false-positive detection issue has persisted since launch and shows no signs of being resolved by antivirus vendors.

FAQ

Does the -DX12 launch option affect performance?

No. Most players report equal or slightly better performance with DX12 compared to DX11. DX12 handles VRAM more efficiently, which can actually improve frame rates on lower-end GPUs.

Why does my antivirus flag Palworld as a virus?

This is a known false positive. The Palworld executable uses certain memory protection techniques that trigger heuristic detection in antivirus software. It is safe to whitelist.

Will reinstalling Palworld delete my save files?

Your saves are stored separately in %localappdata%\Pal\Saved\SaveGames\. Back up this folder before reinstalling. If Steam Cloud is enabled, your saves should sync automatically.

Palworld crashes after 10-20 minutes of gameplay. What causes this?

This is almost always a VRAM issue. Lower your graphics settings, especially View Distance and Anti-Aliasing. Monitor your GPU temperature with MSI Afterburner. If your GPU exceeds 85 degrees Celsius, improve your case airflow.

Is Palworld crashing more on AMD GPUs?

Earlier versions had more crashes on AMD hardware, but patch v0.7.x has largely resolved this. Make sure you are running AMD driver version 24.12.1 or newer.