Games crashing after 5-15 minutes of gameplay

Hello! TwinSeven,

Okay got it, here's a more refined and recommended next steps:

Step 1: Page File & Virtual Memory

Go to System Properties → Advanced → Performance Settings → Advanced tab → Virtual memory.

Enable “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”, or manually increase it to at least 1.5× your total RAM.

This helps buffer against sudden memory demands that might crash games.

Step 2: Clean Graphics Driver Reinstall

Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to completely remove your current GPU driver.

Reinstall either the latest stable driver from NVIDIA or try one or two previous versions to see if a recent update introduced instability.

Step 3: Collect Crash Logs & Use Event Viewer

For Unity games, find logs at:

%USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow<GameMaker><GameName>\Player.log

Check for errors or patterns appearing just before crashes.

Open Event Viewer → Windows Logs to inspect any Error or Critical entries aligned with the crash time. These entries often point to the module or driver responsible.

Step 4: Set RAM to safe/manual speed

If completely disabling XMP helps but you’d like better RAM speed:

Manually set the RAM frequency slightly below its XMP profile (e.g., DDR5-5600 → 5200).

Use standard timings/voltages or opt for a slight undervolt to boost stability without losing much performance.

Best regards,

Kimberly

Hello! TwinSeven , Kimberly here, and I’m eager to jump in and help you fix this.

Even if benchmarks pass, unstable RAM can cause mid-game crashes.

Run MemTest86 (bootable USB) for at least 4 passes.

In BIOS, try disabling EXPO/XMP and running your RAM at JEDEC default speeds to see if stability improves. DDR5 can be finicky with some boards.

Should you have more questions, please let me know.

Best regards,

Kimberly

Hi TiwnSeven, great to hear that! If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Best regards,

Kimberly

Alright, take your time.

Hi TwinSeven,

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A Forum!

Regarding the issue you're experiencing with Game crashing after a short time of gameplay, I understand this must be frustrating, and I'm here to help you resolve this.

To help us narrow down the cause and work towards a solution, please try the following initial troubleshooting steps:

• Run Windows Memory Diagnostic (type mdsched.exe in Start menu)
• Test each RAM stick individually
• Try running games with just one stick to isolate faulty memory, if crashes stop with one stick, replace the faulty one

As you mentioned Unity crashes specifically, here's Unity-specific troubleshooting:

• Update DirectX and Visual C++ Redistributables
• Clear Unity cache: Delete %LOCALAPPDATA%\Unity\cache
• Disable Windows Game Mode temporarily
• Run games in Compatibility Mode
• Verify game files integrity through Steam/Epic Games

If the issue persist, please try: BIOS and Hardware Settings

• Update BIOS to latest version
• Enable XMP/EXPO for RAM if not already enabled
• Disable PBO (Precision Boost Overdrive) temporarily
• Reset BIOS to defaults and test
• Check motherboard standoffs and connections

Disclaimer: If you are going to modify BIOS Setting, please back up all your personal files first to ensure you do not lose data.

To assist others who might have similar questions and to help us improve our support system, we kindly encourage you to "Accept the answer" if it successfully addressed your concern. Accepting an answer lets other users know that this solution worked for you, and it also helps us track the effectiveness of our support efforts.

Warm regards,

Hendrix Vu | Microsoft Q&A Support Specialist