Fallout 3 has the annoying habit of crashing when you start a new game, leaving the Wasteland life out of reach. I’ve been lucky to make it into the game, but crashes are still more common than not. Here are some methods you can try to fix Fallout 3 crashing when starting a new game, whether you’re playing via Steam or Epic Games.
How to Stop Fallout 3 Crashing When Starting a New Game
PC ports aren’t known for stability. Fallout 3, unfortunately, carries on that reputation. Bethesda has confirmed the game isn’t optimized for Windows 7 and later operating systems. Naturally, players have dealt with it crashing for years now. And those playing on Windows 11 are seeing countless crashes.
If the game stops working when you start a new game or while you’re playing, make sure that you’re not running any mods, your drivers are updated, and that your system meets the game’s requirements. Assuming those aren’t the problem, you can try the following troubleshooting methods:
- Adjust your display settings to your desktop’s resolution under Options in the Fallout 3 launcher or run Fallout 3 in windowed mode.
- Run Fallout 3 as an admin on your PC.
- Disable your second monitor if you’re playing with dual monitors.
- Reinstall the game.
Steam user FinnishSpirit also created a step-by-step guide to fix crashes that started happening after patch 1.7.0.4 back in 2021. It requires changing the performance settings through the Fallout3.exe file. Though it’s years old, you’ll notice new players are still putting it to good use. That said, it’s not a guaranteed way to get the game to stop crashing immediately, as some report that it didn’t work. The same user also suggested that you could delete the .ini files and RendererInfo.text file for the game (found under the Fallout folder in Documents). But that’s also a hit-or-miss fix judging by player comments.
Those are possible fixes for crashing in Fallout 3. Unfortunately, the game is pretty old now. And Bethesda hasn’t fixed its crashing issues over the several years that they’ve been reported. That said, you can still submit a ticket to Bethesda support. In my case, I’ve found the official support account on X will yield a quicker response.
