Since day 1, there have been players complaining about Counter-Strike 2 crashing in-game or on start-up. If you’re one of them, don’t worry, there are some fixes that have helped many other gamers with the problem before an absolute fix is out by Valve, and you may want to try them as well.

Try these fixes

You don’t have to try them all; just work your way down the list until you find the one that fixes the Counter-Strike 2’s crashing problem for you.

  1. Some quick fixes
  2. Update Windows
  3. Update graphics driver
  4. Run the game in compatibility mode
  5. Disable conflicting applications
  6. Run SFC and DISM checks
  7. Clean install Counter-Strike 2

1. Some quick fixes

Here are some of the quick fixes mentioned a lot by forum users. They’re pretty quick and fast to do, so you may want to try them first:

  1. Disable full-screen mode when you’re playing Counter-Strike 2, and use window-bordered mode instead.
  2. Stop overclocking the CPU or GPU if you’re doing it.
  3. If you have Faceit Anti-cheat installed, disable it.

2. Update Windows

If your system isn’t updated regularly, there could be compatibility issues that can cause Counter-Strike 2 to crash. To make sure that you have the latest available updates installed:

  1. On your keyboard, hit the Windows key, then type check for updates, then click Check for updates.

  2. Click Check for updates, and Windows will scan for any available updates.
  3. If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Restart your computer for the update to take effect if needed.
  4. If there are no available updates, you’ll see You’re up to date like this.

Then try your Counter-Strike 2 again to see if it still crashes. If the problem remains, please move on to the next fix.

3. Update graphics driver

An outdated or incorrect display card driver could also be the culprit to your Counter-Strike 2’s crashing problem, so if the above two methods don’t help to stop the crashing of CS2, it’s likely that you have a corrupted or outdated graphics driver. So you should update your drivers to see if it helps.

There are mainly 2 ways you can update your graphics driver: manually or automatically.

Option 1: Update your graphics driver manually

If you’re a tech-savvy gamer, you can spend some time updating your GPU driver manually.

To do so, first visit the website of your GPU manufacturer:

Then search for your GPU model. Note that you should only download the latest driver installer that’s compatible with your operating system. Once downloaded, open the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to update.

If you don’t have the time, patience or skills to update the driver manually, you can do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to be troubled by the wrong driver you would be downloading, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing. Driver Easy handles it all.

You can update your drivers automatically with either the FREE or the Pro version of Driver Easy. But with the Pro version it takes just 2 steps (and you get full support and a 30-day money back guarantee):

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
  3. Click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version – you’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
    Note: You can do it for free if you like, but it’s partly manual.
  4. Restart your PC for the changes to take effect.
The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support. If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Launch Counter-Strike 2 again and see if the latest graphics driver stops the crashes. If this fix doesn’t work for you, try the next fix, below.

4. Run the game in compatibility mode

If Counter-Strike 2 or Steam lacks administrative privileges, which ensure that you have full rights to do anything it needs on your computer, it might fail to launch properly. To check if that’s your case, you can try running it as an administrator:

  1. Right-click your Steam desktop icon and select Properties.
  2. Select the Compatibility tab. Tick the box for Run this program as an administrator. Then click Apply > OK to save the changes.
  3. Then tick the box for Run this program in compatibility mode for: then select Windows 8 from the dropdown list.

Now open Counter-Strike 2 again (it should be opened with administrative permission), to see if the crashes stop. If it’s still happening, please move on to the next fix.

5. Disable conflicting applications

If there are conflicting software running in the background, Counter-Strike 2 is likely to crash easily. Here’s a list of software that could most likely interrupt the launching of CS2 (or Steam):

  • NZXT CAM
  • MSI Afterburner
  • Razer Cortex
  • Anti-virus or anti-spyware software
  • VPN, proxy, or other firewall and security software
  • P2P or file-sharing software
  • IP filtering or blocking software
  • Download manager programs

If you have none of the above-mentioned suspicious software programs installed, but your Counter-Strike 2 still crashes, you may need to perform a clean boot in Windows to see if the problem remains there.

If CS2 stops crashing when you do a clean boot, one or more third-party services or programs are interfering with the game, so you will need to disable 3rd-party software one by one until you find the culprit.

6. Run SFC and DISM checks

Corrupted system files may cause your Counter-Strike 2 to crash as well, but luckily, there are two built-in tools that can help to identify and repair such bad system files. The whole process could take some time, and we suggest you don’t run any other programs when doing the test. To run these tools:

6.1 Scan corrupt files with System File Checker

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type cmd and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter at the same time to run Command Prompt as administrator.

Click Yes when prompted for permission to make changes to your device.

2) In the Command Prompt window, copy and paste the following command and hit Enter.

sfc /scannow

3) System File Checker will then scan all system files and repair any corrupted or missing ones it detected. This may take 3-5 minutes.

4) After the scan, try to open your Alan Wake 2 again to see if the crashing problem still persists. If so, move on to the next test:

6.2 Run dism.exe

1) On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R at the same time. Type cmd and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to run Command Prompt as administrator.

Click Yes when prompted for permission to make changes to your device.

2) In the Command Prompt window, copy and paste the following commands and hit Enter after each line:

dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth
dism.exe /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth

2) When the process finishes:

  • If the DISM tool gives you errors, you can always try this command line. This will take up to 2 hours.
dism /online /cleanup-image /startcomponentcleanup
  • If you get Error: 0x800F081F, reboot your computer, then open Command Prompt as administrator again (step 1) and run this command line instead:
Dism.exe /Online /Cleanup-Image /AnalyzeComponentStore

When these tests are done, run your Counter-Strike 2 again to see if it still crashes. If the problem still persists, please move on to the next fix.

7. Clean install Counter-Strike 2

If none of the above helps to stop Counter-Strike 2 from crashing on your computer, you’ll need to do a clean install of the game, which involves a full removal, and then reinstallation. To do so:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and the R key at the same time. Type prefetch and hit Enter.
  2. If or when asked for admin permission, click Yes to go ahead. Select all files you see here and delete them.
  3. Then press the Windows key and the R key at the same time again. Type %temp% and hit Enter.
  4. Select all files you see here and delete them as well.
  5. Restart your computer.
  6. On your keyboard, press the Windows key and R key at the same time. Type control panel and hit Enter.
  7. View by Categories, then select Uninstall a program under Programs.
  8. Select Steam, then click the Uninstall button to remove it.
  9. Download the latest version of Steam and then double-click the file you downloaded to reinstall it.

Then download Counter-Strike 2 again on Steam, and see if it stops crashing now.

This process will remove Steam and any installed game content from your machine.

The above are some of the most effective ways to stop your Counter-Strike 2 from crashing. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

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