Starfield crashing or won’t launch on PC? Bethesda’s official fixes: long saves, Creations, ContentCatalog.txt, drivers, amdvlk64.dll (November 2026)

Video: “Starfield Official Gameplay Trailer”, official Bethesda Softworks YouTube channel, published June 11, 2023 (3 min). It is the game’s official gameplay trailer, not a troubleshooting video: the fixes below come from Bethesda Support. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfYEiTdsyas

Starfield crashes on your PC, closes during play, or does nothing after you click Play? Here are the fixes published by Bethesda Support, as read on November 11, 2026. TricknFix did not test these steps itself: they are Bethesda’s instructions, not a guarantee.

1. A known issue: crashes when loading long-played saves

• Bethesda says it is aware of an issue that can make some players crash when loading save files that have been played for a long time, and that it will be resolved in a future update. Bethesda suggests logging in to its help website and choosing “Subscribe to Article” on the crash page to be notified.

2. Check the basics: requirements and SSD

• Make sure your PC meets Starfield’s minimum system requirements and that the game is installed on a solid-state drive (SSD), not a hard disk drive.

3. Crashes from poor performance

• Close applications you are not using (chat programs, web browsers, music streaming), disable the Steam Overlay and/or the Xbox Game Bar, and lower graphics options in the in-game Settings > Display menu.

4. Right GPU, updated drivers, DirectX

• Install the latest AMD, NVIDIA or Intel driver. On a laptop or a PC with several GPUs, make sure Starfield.exe uses your primary GPU (NVIDIA Control Panel or AMD Software) and pick the High performance power plan (battery icon, More power options, Show additional plans).

• Bethesda also says reinstalling the DirectX runtime libraries may help.

5. Repair the game files, remove mods

• Verify (repair) the game files in Steam or in the Xbox app. If you added mods, remove them, reinstall Starfield, then repair the files again.

6. Remove Creations and ContentCatalog.txt

• Creations can cause in-game issues. If you crash often, disable or remove installed Creations, or unsubscribe from them.

• Bethesda also lists this method: go to C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Local\Starfield and delete ContentCatalog.txt.

7. Administrator rights and antivirus exclusions

• Make sure you are an administrator on the PC, and add Starfield (and Steam, for launch problems) to your antivirus exclusion list.

8. Starfield won’t launch at all

• NVIDIA users: an incomplete uninstall of an older driver can leave a conflicting file. Create a DxDiag file and look for amdvlk64.dll under “Windows Error Reporting” next to a Starfield.exe APPCRASH. If it is there, Bethesda says you can remove it with AMD’s Cleanup Utility (instructions on AMD’s support site).

• Unplug any controller before launching the game, then try restarting Windows in Clean Boot.

9. Advanced troubleshooting if it still crashes

• Reset or reinstall your launcher (Steam or Xbox app).

• Launch the game from a new Windows user profile. If it works there, use Selective Startup on your main profile to find the conflicting program.

• Do a “clean” or “factory reset” install of your NVIDIA, AMD or Intel driver.

• On Steam, make sure the Xbox app for PC is closed, and vice versa: both running at once can interfere.

Sources (Bethesda Support, read November 11, 2026)

• What can I do if Starfield is crashing on PC?: https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/61089

• What do I do if Starfield won’t launch on PC?: https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/61091

• Advanced Troubleshooting - Crashing/Freezing on PC - Starfield: https://help.bethesda.net/app/answers/detail/a_id/62766