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

No Man's Sky Keeps Crashing? Here's the Fix

Most No Man's Sky crashes on PC come from one of three things: a stale/broken shader cache after a game or driver update, a mismatched graphics API (Vulkan vs DX12), or an overclock/overlay the game doesn't like. The fastest fix that clears the majority of cases: delete the game's cache folder (Steam: %appdata%\HelloGames\NMS\<id>\cache) so it rebuilds shaders clean, then launch and pick the API that matches your GPU (Vulkan for most modern cards). If it still crashes on startup, verify files and disable every overlay.

No Man's Sky crashing — the shader-cache fix

Game shader cache
Delete everything in ...\No Man's Sky\GAMEDATA\SHADERCACHE (game regenerates it safely)
NVIDIA driver cache
Delete contents of %localappdata%\NVIDIA\DXCache and GLCache
Expect
First launch after clearing stutters 5-10 min while caches rebuild — this is normal
Also try
Verify game files in Steam; update GPU drivers

Last verified: September 2026

Error codes

Crash on startup / black screen then close The game aborts during engine/shader init before the main menu

Cause: A corrupted shader cache after an update, or the wrong graphics API selected for your GPU.

Fix:
  1. Delete the cache folder (Steam: %appdata%\HelloGames\NMS\<numbered id>\cache) and relaunch so shaders rebuild.
  2. At launch pick the other graphics API (Vulkan <-> DX12) — some GPUs crash on one but not the other.
  3. Update the GPU driver with a clean install (DDU in safe mode, then latest Game Ready / Adrenalin).
  4. Verify files: Steam > right-click No Man's Sky > Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity.
Crash mid-flight / on warp or planet load The game runs but crashes when it streams a lot of new assets

Cause: VRAM pressure from too-high settings, an unstable overclock, or an overlay hooking the game.

Fix:
  1. Lower texture quality and cap the frame rate (in-game or via the driver) to reduce VRAM/thermal spikes.
  2. Set GPU clocks to stock — remove any factory or manual overclock and test.
  3. Disable overlays (Discord, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner, Steam FPS counter).
  4. Turn off HDR and any third-party reshade/mod injectors while testing.

Fixes that work for most No Man's Sky Keeps Crashing on PC errors

  1. Delete the shader cache (%appdata%\HelloGames\NMS\<id>\cache) so the game rebuilds it clean after any update.
  2. Switch graphics API at the launcher: try Vulkan if you were on DX12, or the reverse.
  3. Clean-install the latest GPU driver (DDU in safe mode first) — crashes often start right after a Windows or driver update.
  4. Verify game files in Steam/GOG to repair anything an update corrupted.
  5. Set GPU clocks to stock and disable overlays/monitoring tools that hook the render loop.
  6. Cap the frame rate and lower texture quality to cut VRAM pressure on warp/planet loads.
  7. Remove mods and reshade injectors — test on a clean, unmodded install before adding them back.

FAQ

Why does No Man's Sky crash right after an update?

Updates invalidate the shader cache and can outrun your current GPU driver. Delete the cache folder so shaders rebuild, then clean-install the latest Game Ready / Adrenalin driver — that clears most post-update crashes.

Should I use Vulkan or DX12 for No Man's Sky?

Try both. Most modern NVIDIA and AMD GPUs are stable on Vulkan, but some systems only run cleanly on DX12. If you crash on startup on one API, switch to the other at the launcher before changing anything else.

No Man's Sky won't launch at all — what first?

Verify game files, delete the cache folder, and launch with all overlays disabled. If it still won't start, clean-install your GPU driver and run the game as administrator.

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