🎮 Game Error Codes What it means & how to fix it

Cronos: The New Dawn — 'An Unreal Process Has Crashed: UE-Cronos GPU Crash Dump Triggered'

Cronos: The New Dawn runs on Unreal Engine 5 and its internal project name is Cronos — so its signature crash reads 'An Unreal Process Has Crashed: UE-Cronos GPU Crash Dump Triggered', hitting at launch, on the shader screen, or in cutscenes. The fixes most players miss: forcing DirectX 11 and, if you're on the KB5065789 Windows 11 update, switching G-Sync to 'windowed and fullscreen'. Here is each cause and the fastest fix.

Error codes

'An Unreal Process Has Crashed: UE-Cronos GPU Crash Dump Triggered' UE5's GPU crash-dump handler fired — Cronos is the game's internal UE project name

Cause: Corrupted shader cache, an unstable GPU driver, or the Windows 11 KB5065789 update conflicting with G-Sync fullscreen.

Fix:
  1. Add -dx11 to the Steam launch options (Properties -> General -> Launch Options) — DX11 stops the GPU crash-dump for most affected rigs; try -dx12 if you're already on DX11.
  2. If you installed Windows 11 update KB5065789, set G-Sync from 'Fullscreen mode' to 'Windowed and Fullscreen mode' in NVIDIA Control Panel — a confirmed fix for the UE-Cronos crash.
  3. Delete the NVIDIA DXCache (C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\NVIDIA\DXCache) so the game rebuilds error-free shaders.
LowLevelFatalError on the 'Compiling Shaders' screen The game dies while building its shader cache on first launch

Cause: Shader-compilation failure from a stale driver or corrupted cache.

Fix:
  1. Clean-install the latest GPU driver with DDU, then the newest Nvidia/AMD build.
  2. Verify integrity of game files in Steam (Properties -> Installed Files) to replace corrupted shaders.
  3. Set NVIDIA 'Shader Cache Size' to 10 GB or Unlimited in Manage 3D settings.
Crash during cutscenes Game crashes to desktop specifically when a cutscene plays

Cause: Config corruption or overlay/driver interference during video playback.

Fix:
  1. Delete GameSettings.ini from Documents\My Games\Cronos: The New Dawn to reset the game configuration.
  2. Update to the latest patch (Patch 1.005 + Hotfix 1 fix critical crash/progress-blocker bugs).
  3. Disable Discord/Steam/GeForce overlays and add Cronos.exe to antivirus exceptions.

Fixes that work for most Cronos: The New Dawn (PC / Steam, UE5, internal name Cronos) errors

  1. Force DirectX 11 via -dx11 launch option and, on KB5065789, switch G-Sync to 'Windowed and Fullscreen' — the two fixes behind most UE-Cronos GPU crash dumps.
  2. Clean-install the latest GPU driver with DDU and install the newest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables (x86 + x64) plus the DirectX End-User Runtime.
  3. Verify game files in Steam, delete the NVIDIA DXCache, and reset GameSettings.ini, then relaunch.

FAQ

Is 'UE-Cronos' a virus?

No — Cronos is simply the game's internal Unreal Engine 5 project name. 'An Unreal Process Has Crashed: UE-Cronos GPU Crash Dump Triggered' is UE5's GPU crash-dump wrapper, usually a shader-cache or driver issue.

I installed a recent Windows 11 update and now it crashes — why?

The Windows 11 KB5065789 update conflicts with G-Sync fullscreen for this game. Set G-Sync to 'Windowed and Fullscreen mode' in NVIDIA Control Panel to stop the UE-Cronos crash.

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