Kingdom Come: Deliverance II crashing, black screen or broken audio on PC? Official PLAION fixes, plus the PS5 crash and shutdown checklist

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, Warhorse Studios’ medieval RPG published by Deep Silver (PLAION), came out on February 4, 2025 on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Players still ask the same questions: why does it crash, why is the screen black at launch, why does dialogue sound too loud or cut off, and why does a PS5 switch itself off? Here is what PLAION’s official support and Warhorse’s patch notes say, read on November 12, 2026. TricknFix has not tested these steps; menu names are given as written by PLAION, whose PC guides are marked as machine-translated.

1. Update the game first

• Many crashes were fixed in patches. On Steam, PLAION says updates install automatically by default; otherwise right-click the game in your Library and choose Update.

• Hotfix 1.5.2 (December 2, 2025) fixed occasional cutscene crashes, a rare crash when putting a weapon in a belt slot, prolonged black screens at startup after changing the auto-detected PC specs, and the map opening as a black screen in Hardcore mode.

• Earlier, Hotfix 1.1.2 fixed crashes with certain locked doors and chests, the horse inventory, carts, the EULA screen, after the dice mini-game, and when conflicting versions of the Bink library were installed.

• The latest patch listed by Warhorse on Steam is 1.5.6 (June 25, 2026), which added Steam Controller support.

2. Update your graphics driver

• PLAION’s method: press Windows + R, type DxDiag, open the Display tab to see your graphics card, then get the latest driver from NVIDIA or AMD.

• On PCs with an NVIDIA card, PLAION suggests setting “High-performance NVIDIA processor” for the game in NVIDIA Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings.

3. Clear the Steam cache and verify the files

• In Steam > Settings > Downloads, click Clear Download Cache (you will have to sign in again).

• Then right-click the game > Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files. These are PLAION’s labels; the current Steam client may word them slightly differently.

4. Dialogue too loud, too quiet or cut off (Windows 11 and 10)

• PLAION says these audio issues are caused by Windows features enabled by default on some systems.

• Windows 11: in Sound settings, select your active playback device, then turn off Audio enhancements and Spatial sound at the bottom of the page.

• Windows 10: Sound Control Panel > right-click the active playback device > Properties > Spatial sound tab > turn off spatial sound.

5. Windows on ARM laptops

• Patch 1.5.3 (March 5, 2026) added native Windows on ARM support, optimised for Snapdragon X Elite devices, instead of emulation. If you play on such a laptop, make sure you have that patch or later.

6. PS5: the game crashes and the console shuts down

• Disc version: test other discs to see whether the console itself is at fault, and follow Sony’s steps linked by PLAION. Back up your data first: some Safe Mode options erase data.

• Fully turn off the PS5, hold the power button until the second beep, connect the controller with a USB cable, then choose Clear Cache and Rebuild Database.

• Then: install the latest system update, keep the console ventilated and dust-free, try it horizontal, use a heatsink on any added SSD, select Performance Mode in Game Presets, and set VRR, 120Hz output and ALLM to Automatic (or turn 120Hz off). Last resort: reinstall the game.

7. Minimum PC specs (Steam)

• 64-bit Windows 10 (or newer), Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 2600, 16 GB of RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6 GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580, 100 GB of space, and an SSD is required.

8. Still crashing? Report it to PLAION

• Open a ticket (Contact Support), choose the game, your platform and “Report a Bug”. Explain how to reproduce the problem, how often it happens and what you already tried, add a screenshot or video, and on PC attach your DxDiag and MsInfo files.

Sources (PLAION Support, Deep Silver and Steam, read on November 12, 2026)

• PLAION Support, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Helpcenter (no update date shown): https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/

• PLAION Support, “PS5: Crash and Shutdown”: https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/article/310-Kingdom-Come-Deliverance-II-Crash-and-Shutdown/

• PLAION Support, “PC: Fix Audio Disparities”: https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/article/308-Kingdom-Come-Deliverance-II-Audio-Disparities/

• PLAION Support, “Update drivers” (PC Steam, machine-translated by PLAION): https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/platform/1/1-PC-Steam/85-How-to-update-my-drivers/

• PLAION Support, “Clear Steam cache” (machine-translated by PLAION): https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/platform/1/1-PC-Steam/89-How-to-clear-cache-on-Steam/

• PLAION Support, “Report a Bug”: https://beta.support.plaion.com/en/games/kingdomcome2/article/304-Kingdom-Come-Deliverance-II-Report-a-Bug/

• Steam news, “Hotfix 1.5.2 is now Live” (December 2, 2025): https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1771300/view/1817483467048729

• Deep Silver, “Hotfix 1.1.2 – Stability & Quest Fixes”: https://www.deepsilver.com/games/kingdom-come-deliverance-ii/news/hotfix-112-stability-quest-fixes

• Steam news, “Patch 1.5.3: Native Windows on ARM Support” (March 5, 2026): https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1771300/view/1826362059920521

• Steam news, “Patch 1.5.6: A Jester’s visit” (June 25, 2026): https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1771300/view/1836506165549798

• Steam store page, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (app 1771300: Warhorse Studios / Deep Silver, released February 4, 2025, PC specs): https://store.steampowered.com/app/1771300/