[Solved] Overwatch Crashing and Freezing on Windows

Overwatch Crashing and Freezing on Windows? Here’s How to Fix It!

Overwatch is one of the most popular games out there right now, but many people are struggling with Overwatch crashing and freezing on Windows. If you’re one of those people, don’t worry – we’re here to help! In this blog post, we will discuss some steps you can take to fix the issue and get back to playing the game you love.

What is Overwatch?

For those of you who don’t know, Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Blizzard Entertainment. The game was released in May 2016 and has since become one of the most popular games played online.

The game is set in the future where humans and robots battle each other, and the player takes on the role of either a human or a robot. The objective of the game is to work with your team to complete various objectives, such as capturing or defending a point or escorting a payload.

Why is Overwatch Crashing and Freezing on Windows?

There are several reasons why Overwatch might be crashing or freezing on Windows. 

• One possibility is that your computer doesn’t have the necessary system requirements to run the game. 
• The graphic driver on your system is outdated,
• The antivirus program on your system might be blocking the executable file that runs Overwatch.
• Corrupted game files might also cause Overwatch to constantly crash.
• Another possibility is that there is something wrong with your drivers, or that you have a virus or malware infection. 
• Overheating of GPU can also cause the game to crash.
• Finally, it’s also possible that there is something wrong with your installation of Overwatch itself.

How to Fix Overwatch Constantly Crashing on Windows?

Here is the list of best solutions to fix the Overwatch constantly crashing. 

Verify the System Requirements

In order to run a program correctly, your system must meet the minimum requirements set by the app developers. Here are the minimum system requirements for Overwatch:

Make sure that your system meets these prerequisites to stop the Overwatch crashing on your Windows device. 

To check your device’s specifications, follow these steps:

1. Open Windows 10 settings and select System settings.
2. Under System settings, scroll down and click About on the left pane.
3. Check your device specifications and match them with the requirements of Overwatch.

Run Overwatch With Administrator Rights

It might be possible that the Overwatch is unable to access a system file while launching causing it to constantly crash. This might be because it does not have administrative rights to access that particular system file.

To fix this, you need to login in with your administrative account and run Overwatch with administrator rights.

1. Right-click on the Overwatch icon on the desktop and select Properties.
2. Under the Overwatch Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab. 
3. Tick the Run this program as administrator option to run Overwatch with administrator.
4. Click Apply and OK.

Update the Display Driver

An outdated driver can disturb the system and application’s working. It is possible that the Graphic card driver on your system is outdated and therefore causing miscommunication between the Overwatch and the GPU. This miscommunication might lead to Overwatch constantly crashing on Windows.

It is pretty easy to fix this issue. Here is how to update the Graphic card drivers on your Windows 10 device:

1. Right-click on the Start button and select Device Manager from the list.
2. Under the Device Manager, expand the Display adapters.
3. Right-click on your display driver and select Update driver.
4. Follow the on-screen instruction to update the drivers.

Stop Unnecessary Processes

If there are too many processes running in the background when you launch Overwatch they might consume the system resources and cause Overwatch to crash. You can stop the unnecessary processes and clear the RAM for running the Overwatch without any interruption.

To end the processes, here are the instructions:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the list.
2. Under the Processes tab, look for the unnecessary ones, right-click and choose End task.
3. Similarly, end all the unrequired apps and processes.

Repair the Game

If the Overwatch crashing problem persists even after trying the above fixes, the reason for it might be that the game is corrupted or some files are missing. Fortunately, the game provides a built-in option to repair.

Here are the steps to repair the Overwatch:

1. Search for Battle.net and click on its icon to launch.
2. Under Overwatch, click on the gear icon next to the Play button and select Scan and Repair.
3. Next click on the Begin Scan button to begin repairing the game.
4. The scanning will begin and would take some time to find out and fix the problem.

Clear the Overwatch Cache

Overwatch might also misbehave and frequently crash because of the corrupted cache files. It would be best to clear the caches that might fix the Overwatch crashing problem.

Here are the steps to clear the Overwatch caches:

1. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the list.
2. Select the Battle.net process and end it.
3. Now, press Windows key + R to open the Run command box.
4. Type %ProgramData% and hit the enter key.
5. Under the ProgramData folder, right-click on the Battle.net folder and select Delete.
6. Re-launch the game and check if Overwatch crashes.

Reinstall the Overwatch

If none of the above fixes work for you, try uninstalling and freshly installing it again.

Here is how to uninstall the Overwatch:

1. Search for Overwatch on the Windows search box and click on Uninstall below its icon.
2. You will be taken to the Program and Features section of the Control Panel.
3. Click on the Overwatch and then select Uninstall/Change button.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall the game.

Re-install the Overwatch:

1. Download the Overwatch installer from the Softonic.
2. Run the installer and follow the process to re-install the Overwatch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

These are some of the most effective ways to fix the Overwatch crashing problem on Windows. If one of these solutions does not work for you, try another until you find the one that does. Have fun gaming!