How to Fix Sons of the Forest Crashing on Startup on PC

Sons of the Forest is an exciting new survival horror video game that has recently been released on February 23, 2023, via early access for Microsoft Windows. However, some players have reported experiencing crashing issues when trying to launch the game.

If you’re facing a similar problem, don’t worry, as you’re not alone. Many PC gamers experience issues like crashes, lags, stutters, graphical glitches, and framerate drops with various games. Such problems can be frustrating, especially when you’re eager to play a new game.

There are a few possible reasons why Sons of the Forest might be crashing on startup. It could be due to temporary glitches, issues with game files, or problems with your computer. It’s not uncommon for PC gamers to face such issues related to game files or hardware/software, which can cause crashes at any time.

Also Read: Fix: Sons of the Forest Won’t Launch or Not Loading on PC

However, there are some simple troubleshooting methods that you can try to fix the problem. Before jumping to conclusions, it’s important to check for possible reasons why the game is crashing. Many players have found success by performing the following methods:

Checking if your computer meets the game’s requirements
Updating the game to the latest version
Updating the game launcher
Updating graphics drivers
Checking DirectX version issues
Closing unnecessary background tasks
Checking if antivirus or firewall software is blocking the game
Checking for startup app issues
Checking for Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables issues
Checking if an overclocked CPU/GPU is causing the issue
Checking for overlay apps issues.

By following these steps, you may be able to resolve the startup crashing issue and enjoy playing Sons of the Forest without any problems. Don’t let this issue discourage you from experiencing this thrilling survival horror game.

Steps to Fix Sons of the Forest Crashing on Startup on a PC

It’s important to explore all possible solutions to fix the startup crashing issue when playing Sons of the Forest. Some gamers may think that certain troubleshooting methods won’t work, but it’s essential to try every option available as even a basic method can be helpful. Don’t skip any workaround until you’ve attempted them all.

1. Check System Requirements

To begin troubleshooting the startup crashing issue with Sons of the Forest, it’s crucial to check if your PC meets the game’s system requirements. Incompatibility between your computer and the game’s specifications can cause the game to crash on startup or prevent it from launching altogether. Refer to the game’s requirements to determine if your PC build is compatible. If your system doesn’t meet the requirements, consider upgrading specific hardware or software to ensure compatibility.

Minimum Requirements:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: INTEL CORE I5-8400 or AMD RYZEN 3 3300X
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB or AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD (Preferred)

Recommended Requirements:

Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: 64-bit Windows 10
Processor: INTEL CORE I7-8700K or AMD RYZEN 5 3600X
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce 1080Ti or AMD Radeon RX 5700 XT
DirectX: Version 11
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: SSD (Preferred)

2. Running the Game with Administrator Access for Sons of the Forest

In order to ensure that the Sons of the Forest game runs smoothly on your PC, it is recommended to run it with administrator access. This allows the User Account Control (UAC) to access the system, which may be necessary for the game to function properly. You can enable admin access by following the steps below, which will only need to be done once:

Navigate to the directory where the Sons of the Forest game is installed.
Right-click on the game’s application file.
Select “Properties” and then click on the “Compatibility” tab.
Check the box that says “Run this program as an administrator”.
Click “Apply” and then “OK” to save the changes.
Double-click on the game’s application file to launch it.

If you are playing the game through Steam, be sure to follow the same steps for the Steam application as well.

3. Disable fullscreen optimizations

To resolve compatibility issues on some PCs, disabling fullscreen optimizations for your specific game application file may help. Although this feature is disabled by default, it’s a good idea to verify that it’s not enabled. Follow these steps to check:

Open the Steam client and go to your library.
Right-click on Sons of the Forest and select Manage.
Click on Browse local files and navigate to the Sons of the Forest installed folder.
Right-click on Sons of the Forest.exe and select Properties.
Go to the Compatibility tab and make sure to check the Disable fullscreen optimizations box.
Click on Apply and then OK to save the changes

4. Update Graphics Driver

Updating your graphics driver is crucial to ensure your PC is running at its full potential and to avoid compatibility issues with games and other programs. Follow the steps below to update your graphics driver:

Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Access Menu.
Click on Device Manager from the list.
Double-click on Display adapters to expand it.
Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that’s active or you’re using.
Click on Update driver and select Search automatically for drivers.
If an update is available, it will download and install automatically. Wait for the process to complete and then reboot your PC to apply the changes.

If no updates are available through Windows Update, you can manually download and install the latest driver for your graphics card model from the official website of your graphics card manufacturer. Click on the links below to visit the website of your GPU manufacturer:

5. Update Windows

To ensure that your Windows system is up to date, follow the steps below to check for updates. Installing the latest system update can help resolve compatibility issues, improve performance, provide bug fixes, and add new features.

Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.
Click on Windows Update and click on Check for updates.
If there is an update available, click on Download and Install.
Wait for the update process to be completed.
Once done, reboot your PC to apply changes.

In addition to the above steps, you should also check for optional updates that might contain driver updates or security patches that can help resolve specific issues. Follow the steps below to check for optional updates.

Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.
Click on Windows Update and click on Advanced Options.
Scroll down to locate Additional options.
Click on Optional updates and select any available update.
Click on Download & install and wait for the process to complete.
Reboot the system manually.

After updating your Windows system and optional updates, check if the compatibility issues with Sons of the Forest are resolved.

6. Force Use Dedicated GPU

To ensure that your dedicated graphics card is being used for the game and the issue is resolved, follow the steps below:

For Nvidia GPU:

Right-click on the desktop screen and open the Nvidia Control Panel.
Click on “Manage 3D Settings” under the 3D Settings section.
Select the “Program Settings” tab and choose “Sons of the Forest” from the list of programs.
Select “High-performance NVIDIA processor” under “Select the preferred graphics processor for this program.”
Click “Apply” and then reboot your PC.

For AMD GPU:

Right-click on the desktop screen and open the Radeon Settings.
Click on “Preferences” under “Additional Settings.”
Click on “Switchable Graphics Application Settings” under “Power.”
Select “Sons of the Forest” from the list of applications. If the game is not visible, select “Add Application” to include the game.
Select “High Performance” from the graphics settings.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes.

If the problem is still not resolved, try the next method.

7. Optimize System Performance by Closing Unnecessary Background Tasks

To optimize your system’s performance and improve gameplay, it’s important to close any unnecessary background tasks that may be using up valuable system resources. This will help to prevent in-game lag, framerate drops, and other issues that can negatively affect your gaming experience. Follow the steps below to close unnecessary background tasks:

Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.

Click on Processes and check which tasks are consuming the most resources. Select the process and click End Task to close it forcefully. Repeat this step for each third-party app process that is consuming high resources. After closing all unnecessary tasks, close Task Manager and restart your PC.

If you’ve completed these steps and still experience issues while gaming, try the next method below.

8. Verify and Repair Game Files

Checking and repairing game files is a crucial step to resolve issues related to corrupted or missing game files that may lead to game launch crashes or errors without any proper error message. If you are experiencing such issues, you can follow the steps below to verify and repair game files:

For Steam:

Launch the Steam client and click on Library.
Right-click on Sons of the Forest from the list and select Properties.
Go to the Local Files tab and click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
The process may take some time to complete, so be patient.
Once done, make sure to restart your PC to apply changes.

Have you tried this method? If not, please follow the steps and check if the issue is resolved. If the problem persists, we can move on to the next method

9. Update Sons of the Forest Game:

In addition to verifying and repairing game files, it’s important to ensure that Sons of the Forest is up-to-date to avoid conflicts with outdated game versions. To manually check for game updates on Steam, follow these steps:

Open the Steam client and go to Library.
Select Sons of the Forest from the left pane.
Steam will automatically search for available updates.
If an update is available, click on Update.
Wait for the update to complete.
Once done, restart your PC to apply changes.

10. Disable Third-Party Overlay Apps:

Third-party overlay apps can also cause conflicts with game launching by consuming a lot of system resources. Disabling them manually can help resolve the issue. Here’s how to disable overlay apps:

Disable Discord Overlay:
- Open the Discord app and click on the gear icon (Settings) at the bottom.
- Select Overlay under App Settings and turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
- Click on Games and select Sons of the Forest.
- Turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
- Restart your PC to apply changes.
Disable Xbox Game Bar:
- Press the Windows + I keys to open Settings.
- Click on Gaming and go to Game Bar.
- Turn off the Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar option.
- Save changes and restart your PC to apply changes.
Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay:
- Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app and go to Settings.
- Click on General and disable the In-Game Overlay option.
- Restart your PC to apply changes.
Disable Steam Overlay:
- Open the Steam client and click on Library.
- Right-click on Sons of the Forest and click on Properties.
- Click on General and turn off the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game option.
- Restart your PC to apply changes.

Additionally, it’s recommended to turn off any other unnecessary overlay apps or mouse/keyboard software during gaming to free up system resources. If the problem still persists, try following the next method.

11. Reinstall Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime:

If Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables is not installed on your Windows system or is already installed, it may be necessary to reinstall it manually. Follow the steps below to do so:

Open the Start Menu and type “apps & features” and open it.
Click on each Microsoft Visual C++ program from the list one by one.
Click on Uninstall and follow the on-screen instructions.
Once all Visual C++ programs are uninstalled, reboot the PC.
Go to the official Microsoft website and download the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime.
Install it on your computer and restart the system to apply changes.

12. Perform a Clean Boot:

Performing a clean boot on your PC may fix the system boot-up issue because some apps or tasks start at the very beginning and consume a lot of system resources. Follow the steps below to perform a clean boot:

Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Type “msconfig” and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
Go to Services and click on “Hide all Microsoft services” to enable it.
Click on “Disable all” to turn off the rest of the services.
Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Go to Startup and click on “Open Task Manager.”
Click on the Startup tab and select the specific task that has a higher startup impact.
Click on “Disable” to turn it off.

Note: Do the same steps for each program that has a higher startup impact except for the audio or graphics service.

Finally, make sure to restart your computer to apply changes.

13. Restore Default to Overclocked CPU or GPU:

Overclocked CPU or GPU on your PC might cause conflicts with the other hardware and trigger a bottleneck issue. It is better to temporarily disable or restore the overclocked CPU/GPU to the factory default to check out the potential reason behind the crashing issue. Multiple tools are available online to adjust overclocked CPU or GPU on the PC, such as MSI Afterburner, Riva Tuner, AMD Ryzen Master, EVGA Precision X, etc.

14. Reinstall Sons of the Forest

If none of the previous solutions has resolved the crashing issue in Sons of the Forest, we recommend that you try deleting and reinstalling the game. Here are the steps to follow:

Open Steam and go to the Library tab.
Right-click on Sons of the Forest and select Uninstall.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
Once the game is uninstalled, restart your computer.
Open Steam and go to the Store tab.
Search for Sons of the Forest and click on it.
Click on the Add to Cart button and complete the purchase process if necessary.
Once the game is purchased, click on the Install button.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.
Once the game is installed, launch it and see if the crashing issue persists.

We understand that this is a time-consuming process, but it’s important to ensure that the game is installed correctly and that any corrupted files are replaced with fresh ones. Deleting and reinstalling the game is a common troubleshooting step recommended by game developers and can often resolve crashing issues.

In conclusion, Sons of the Forest is an exciting game that provides an immersive experience to players. However, like any other game, it can encounter issues that may affect the gameplay experience. In this article, we have discussed various solutions that can help fix crashing issues in Sons of the Forest. We have covered basic troubleshooting steps such as checking system requirements and verifying game files, as well as more advanced solutions like updating drivers and disabling third-party overlay apps.

By following these solutions, players can potentially resolve any crashing issues they are experiencing while playing Sons of the Forest. Additionally, we have recommended that players consider deleting and reinstalling the game if the issue persists. We hope that this article has been helpful in providing solutions to Sons of the Forest crashing issues and has enabled players to continue enjoying this exciting game.