Resident Evil Requiem Crashing on PC? Every Fix (2026)

Resident Evil Requiem runs on Capcom’s RE Engine — the same technology behind RE4 Remake and RE Village. While the engine is well-optimized overall, launch-day PC issues are common. If RE Requiem is crashing, freezing, black-screening, or refusing to launch, this guide covers every known fix based on RE Engine crash patterns and the official PC requirements.

RE Requiem launches February 27, 2026 on Steam. This guide is ready for day one and will be updated as new issues surface. Check our RE Requiem launch coverage for the latest updates.

Quick Fixes (Try These First)

Before diving into advanced troubleshooting, run through these fast checks. They resolve the majority of RE Engine crashes:

1. Restart your PC. A clean reboot clears stale driver states and memory leaks from prior sessions.
2. Run as Administrator. Right-click re-engine-SHIPPING-Win64-Final.exe in Steam\steamapps\common\Resident Evil Requiem and select Run as administrator.
3. Verify game files. In Steam, right-click the game > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. This catches corrupted downloads — especially important on launch day when servers are hammered.
4. Disable Steam Overlay. Right-click RE Requiem in Steam > Properties > General > uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game. The overlay conflicts with DX12 in several RE Engine titles.
5. Close background apps. Kill Discord overlay, MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner, RGB software, and any other overlay or hooking software before launching.

Update Your GPU Drivers

Outdated GPU drivers are the single most common cause of RE Engine crashes, especially on AMD hardware. Both NVIDIA and AMD release game-ready drivers for major launches.

NVIDIA Users

• Download the latest Game Ready Driver from nvidia.com/drivers.
• Target driver version: 572.x or newer (the RE Requiem Game Ready driver, expected around Feb 25-27, 2026).
• Perform a clean installation: check “Perform a clean installation” in the NVIDIA installer, or use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for a thorough wipe.

AMD Users

• Download the latest Adrenalin Edition driver from amd.com/support.
• AMD GPUs (especially RX 5000/6000 series) have historically had more RE Engine issues. A factory reset install via AMD Software is strongly recommended.
• If crashes persist on AMD, try disabling AMD Anti-Lag and Radeon Boost in Adrenalin settings.

Steam-Specific Fixes

Clear Shader Cache

RE Engine compiles shaders on first launch, which can cause stuttering and crashes. If the compilation fails or gets corrupted:

1. Navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Capcom\Resident Evil Requiem
2. Delete the shader_cache folder (or any folder named cache / ShaderCache).
3. Also clear Steam’s global shader cache: Steam > Settings > Shader Pre-Caching > click Delete next to the cache size.
4. Relaunch the game. Shader compilation will restart — expect 1-3 minutes of loading on first boot.

Launch Options

In Steam, right-click RE Requiem > Properties > General > add these launch options one at a time to test:

• -dx12 — Forces DirectX 12 mode (RE Requiem requires DX12, but this ensures no fallback attempt).
• -windowed — Launch in windowed mode to bypass fullscreen black-screen crashes.
• -nointro — Skip intro videos (can cause freezes on some configurations).

Graphics and Display Fixes

Black Screen on Startup

If the game shows a black screen with audio (a classic RE Engine issue):

1. Press Alt+Enter to toggle windowed/fullscreen.
2. If that fails, navigate to C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Capcom\Resident Evil Requiem and delete the config.ini file to reset all graphics settings.
3. Disable HDR in Windows Display Settings before launching. RE Engine HDR initialization can cause black screens on some monitors.

HDR Washed-Out Colors

If colors look faded or washed out with HDR enabled:

• Enable HDR in Windows Settings > Display first, then enable it in-game.
• Adjust Paper White and Peak Brightness sliders in the game’s HDR calibration menu.
• If your monitor is under 600 nits peak brightness, disable HDR entirely for better image quality.

Mouse Cursor Stuck on Screen

This is a known RE Engine bug when switching between mouse/keyboard and controller:

• Go to Options > Controls and set input mode to Keyboard/Mouse Only or Controller Only (not auto-detect).
• If the cursor persists, Alt+Tab out and back in.

For optimal settings to prevent performance-related crashes, see our RE Requiem best PC settings guide for 60 FPS.

Advanced Fixes

Reinstall Visual C++ Redistributables

RE Engine requires Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable. Download both x86 and x64 versions from Microsoft’s official page and install them. Restart your PC afterward.

Whitelist in Antivirus

Some antivirus software (especially Windows Defender, Bitdefender, and Avast) flag re-engine-SHIPPING-Win64-Final.exe as suspicious. Add the entire game folder to your antivirus exclusion list:

• Windows Defender: Settings > Privacy & Security > Virus & Threat Protection > Manage Settings > Exclusions > Add the game install folder.

Clean Boot

A clean boot eliminates third-party software conflicts:

1. Press Win+R, type msconfig, press Enter.
2. Go to Services tab > check Hide all Microsoft services > click Disable all.
3. Go to Startup tab > click Open Task Manager > disable all startup items.
4. Restart and launch the game. If the crash stops, re-enable services one by one to find the culprit.

Check RAM and VRAM

RE Requiem requires 16 GB RAM minimum. If you have 16 GB, close all other applications. The game also uses significant VRAM — at 4K Ultra, expect 10-12 GB VRAM usage. If your GPU has 8 GB or less VRAM, lower texture quality to High or Medium to prevent out-of-memory crashes.

To check VRAM usage, open Task Manager > Performance > GPU and monitor “Dedicated GPU Memory” while the game runs.

Disable Overclocks

If you are running GPU or CPU overclocks (including XMP/EXPO RAM profiles), reset to stock clocks. RE Engine is sensitive to memory instability in particular.

When All Else Fails

1. Reinstall the game to a different drive (preferably an SSD — the 70 GB install benefits enormously from SSD speeds).
2. Check your Windows version. RE Requiem requires Windows 10 20H2 or later. Run winver to check.
3. Report to Capcom. File a bug report at Capcom Support with your crash logs from C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Local\Capcom\Resident Evil Requiem\crash_reports.

If your hardware meets the minimum specs (i7-8700 / Ryzen 5 3600, GTX 1070 / RX 5700, 16 GB RAM) and you have followed every step above, the issue is likely a day-one bug that Capcom will patch. Bookmark this page — we will update it as new fixes emerge.

More RE Requiem guides:

• Best PC Settings for 60 FPS
• Steam Deck Settings and Performance
• Beginner Tips Guide
• FAQ: Game Pass, Length, Co-op and More
• How to Reduce Input Lag in PC Gaming