How to Fix Games Freezing in Windows 10

One of the most frustrating experiences for gamers is their computer freezing while playing games. It becomes even more frustrating when you know your PC specifications are enough to support and run the game. According to many users, the games freezing Windows 10 issue occurs randomly while playing a game. When this happens, the game freezes at a frame, and you will not be able to do anything else on your PC.

And once you are stuck in this situation, the only way out is a hard PC shutdown by long-pressing the physical power button. In some cases, the PC may restart on its own after half a minute or so. Whatever be the case, this is an annoying thing to happen.

If you are looking for solutions to get rid of the game crashing issue in Windows 10, we will help you out with solutions that have worked for many gamers who were experiencing the same issue.

Why do my Games keep Freezing?

There could be many reasons why you must be facing the games freezing issue in Windows 10. The main culprit could be the game itself. If the game is demanding and overpowers your PC’s available resources, you are more likely to face the issue of game freezing or game crashing. Problems with system files that are broken or corrupt could also cause such issues in Windows 10 PC. Other reasons why a computer freezes while gaming includes device drivers, overheating, problematic hardware, and more.

Solutions to Fix Games Freezing in Windows 10:

Optimize the Game’s Settings

To be able to play a game on Windows 10, you will need to make sure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements. Although your PC may meet the minimum requirements, it doesn’t mean you should play the game on full graphics settings. Try to lower down the in-game settings a bit and try to run the game. If the issue still persists, try to lower down the settings a bit further and optimize it according to what suits your PC. If the game is still freezing even after you have lowered the settings to a minimum, you should try the other solutions mentioned below.

Check PC Hardware

Several issues related to PC hardware could be causing your PC to freeze while playing games. Let us know about the issues and how to identify them, one at a time.

1. Overheating: Overheating is the most common reason behind games crashing in Windows 10. Again in this scenario, a lot of reasons could be behind the CPU temperature to rise unexpectedly. First, begin checking with the CPU fans. If the fans aren’t working, your PC will heat up. You should also make sure that an appropriate cooling system is installed on your PC. Overheating occurs when the cooling system cannot cool down powerful CPU components like processor, GPU, etc. You must also look if your PC is getting proper ventilation. If the CPU cabinet is cramped and all the components are packed very closely, you must consider getting a giant cabinet. Also, make sure that there is ample space between your PC’s CPU and surrounding walls. If you own a gaming laptop, make sure its air vents are not blocked. Operating a laptop while keeping it on surfaces like mattresses or pillow block its airflow, causing it to freeze while gaming eventually. Dust buildup is another reason that could lead to the crashing game issue due to overheating. It is highly recommended to clean up your PC components regularly.
2. Component Issues: Faulty components in your PC or loose connections could also cause it to freeze while gaming. Or you are carrying out work that demands high CPU usage. Make sure that the RAM is inserted into its slot tightly. Check for other PC component connections. If need be, unplug the connections, clean the connecting slots, and reconnect the components back.

Run SFC Scan in Windows 10

Now let us begin with fixing issues in Windows 10 that could be causing games to crash or freeze. System files on your PC, if broken or corrupt, could cause some serious issues on your PC, including games and other resource-heavy apps to crash. Using the SFC scan will ensure to repair any such problematic system files available on your PC. SFC Scan is a command-line utility which you will find out how to run in the following steps:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt in Admin mode. For this, press the Win + X keys, then select the Command Prompt (Admin) option in the menu that opens. You will get a dialogue box with a prompt to get permission; click on Yes.

Step 2: When the Administrator: Command Prompt window opens, type the command that is mentioned below and press Enter:

sfc /scannow

Wait till the SFC scan is complete. When done, exit Command Prompt. Now, reboot your PC. After the restart, try to run the game and see if it freezes the computer.

Clean up Temp Files

When an unexpectedly high amount of temp files accumulate in your PC, it may cause your PC to slow down and freeze in general. This build-up of junk files or temp files may occur because of the widespread usage of overtime or other reasons. In the quest to fix computer freezing while playing games issue, you should make sure to delete the temp files in your PC. Here are the steps involved in this process:

Step 1: Press Win + R keys to open the Run box. There, type temp and click on the Ok button.

Step 2: The Windows Temp folder will open now in File Explorer. Here, press Ctrl + A to select all the temp files in the folder. Now, click on the Delete option to remove all the files from your PC.

Once these junk files are removed, restart your PC. After the restart, launch the game that was freezing and see if the issue remains.

Update Device Drivers

The hardware devices in your PC require drivers to function. If the device drivers installed on your PC are not up to date, it may lead the device to underperform or even malfunction. This may lead to various issues on your PC, including the game freezing issue.

The option to update the device drivers is available in the Device Manager utility. Here are the steps to update device drivers in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open the Windows power menu by pressing the Win + X keys. In the menu that will open, select the Device Manager option.

Step 2: Now, when the Device Manager window opens, you will view a list of devices installed on your PC. You can click on a device to expand the list of drivers associated with the device. You can select to update any device drivers that could lead to issues while playing games, such as the display adapters, disk drives, processor, human interface devices, etc.

In the expanded list of drivers, make a right-click on a driver and select the Update Driver software option.

Step 3: On the next screen, select the Search automatically for the updated driver software option. Your PC will begin a lookout on the internet for an updated version of the driver. Once found, you will see a prompt. Now, follow the on-screen instructions to update the driver.

After the driver is updated successfully, go back to the Device Manager window and update the other essential drivers the same way you did above. Once all the drivers are updated, close the Device Manager window, and then reboot your PC.

After the reboot, go ahead and try to launch the game. If Windows 10 freezes even now, try the next solution.

If you want to save time and do not wish to update all the drivers manually, you should try Driver Updater software for Windows 10. This software carries out the driver update work automatically without your intervention. You have to launch the application and run it.

Use Antivirus Software

Viruses or Malware cause your PC to slow down significantly. The presence of a virus on your PC is not only undesirable in general; it could be a big issue while playing games. Viruses usually take up a lot of CPU resources and lead PC to freeze.

Suppose your computer freezes more often even when there is no visible issue; there could be a virus lurking around in your PC. To keep your PC safe from viruses or malware attacks, it is highly recommended to keep Windows Defender and Firewall on at all times.

In some cases, you may also require the use of third-party antivirus software to perform a scan on your PC to remove threats from your PC. Make sure to install a trusted antivirus with high ratings.

We hope we were able to help you with game freezing in Windows 10 issue.