Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 crashing or not launching on PC? Sandfall’s official fixes and workarounds (Windows 11, patch 1.5.6)

Video: “Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 | Launch Trailer”, official Sandfall Interactive YouTube channel, published April 24, 2025 (9:00 AM Paris time), 2 min 22. It is the game’s launch trailer, not a troubleshooting video: the fixes below come from Sandfall’s official patch notes and announcements on Steam and from Microsoft Support. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejgW-upPMgk

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the turn-based RPG by Sandfall Interactive published by Kepler Interactive, has been out since April 24, 2025 on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The latest patch notes posted on Steam are for version 1.5.6 (June 30, 2026). If the game crashes or will not start on your PC, here is what Sandfall’s official patch notes and announcements, the Steam store page and Microsoft Support say, read on November 12, 2026. TricknFix has not tested these steps.

The Steam page says an SSD is required for both configurations.

Make sure the game is up to date: at the time of writing, the latest version described in Sandfall’s Steam patch notes is 1.5.6 (June 30, 2026).

On launch day (April 24, 2025), Sandfall fixed a crash at startup that hit players who had the Steam Overlay disabled, and asked players to “Verify your Game Files in Steam” so the fix applies.

In its hotfix 1.5.1 notes (December 18, 2025), Sandfall said some players had difficulty launching the game on Windows 11. One cause, Windows Security reporting false positives at launch, was fixed in hotfix 1.5.1 (as of 5:00 PM Paris time).

The other cause Sandfall named is Windows Smart App Control. Sandfall did not recommend turning it off, warning that this would remove the feature permanently, and said it was investigating. The later patch notes we read (1.5.3, 1.5.5 and 1.5.6) do not mention a Smart App Control fix.

Microsoft’s Smart App Control FAQ (updated August 17, 2026) says you can turn Smart App Control off in the Windows Security app, that recent Windows updates allow it to be turned back on without a clean installation, and that there is no way to allow one specific app through. Turning it off lowers your PC’s protection: update the game and Windows first.

In the 1.5.6 notes (June 30, 2026), Sandfall says it is aware of a crash when loading into the Reacher or going out of the Manor, linked to some specific PC configurations.

Official workaround until a fix: temporarily set Global Illumination to anything below Epic in the graphics settings. The 1.5.6 notes do not give a fix date.

In the 1.5.3 notes (March 17, 2026), Sandfall says it can no longer reproduce the crash that occurred after defeating Sirene. If it still happens, Sandfall suggests updating Windows to the latest version, then submitting a report if the problem persists.

Hotfix 1.5.1 fixed a soft lock when loading a save without hovering any slot while backup saves were displayed; a later fix added to the same post covers the soft lock when Braseleur hits the player with orbs during two consecutive enemy turns.

Patch 1.5.3 fixed a soft lock in the Chromatic Glissando fight in Sirene’s Dress, a blocked save after using Rematch in the Gestral Beach volleyball minigame, and journals that could disappear when loading a save (missing journals are restored when loading affected saves).

Sandfall asks players to report issues through its official Typeform, linked from the official link hub: https://sandfallinteractive.typeform.com/coe33

The Steam support page for the game lists contact@sandfall.co as the official support email. The sources we read give no console-specific crash steps for PS5 or Xbox Series X|S.

Discussion: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 on Windows 11, blocked by Smart App Control or crashing at the Reacher? Share what worked: https://tricknfix.com/topic/clair-obscur-expedition-33-on-windows-11-blocked-by-smart-app-control-or-crashing-at-the-reacher-on-epic-global-illumination-what-did-you-do-45f38f30a2/