How to Fix Marvel Rivals Random Crashes, Step by Step

Start with the order NetEase recommends

NetEase's Common Technical Issues FAQ answers the question "I frequently experience crashes during gameplay. What should I do?" with a sequence, and it is worth following it exactly because each step rules out a different cause. First, follow the Integrity Check and Repair Guide to repair damaged files. Second, if crashes continue, enable GPU Debug Mode in the launcher and reinstall the latest driver for your graphics card, using the clean installation mode. Third, keep playing, and when the game crashes again, collect diagnostic information and contact customer support with it.

The same FAQ adds two side fixes. If the game crashes repeatedly, your antivirus may be misjudging the game process, so add the game executable and install folder to its whitelist. And you can enable Switch Shader Compilation Mode in the launcher "to reduce the likelihood of crashes". The sections below take each of these in turn, then cover the processor-specific and shader-cache steps NetEase publishes separately.

Check your PC against the published requirements

Before blaming the game, confirm the hardware is inside what the developer supports, because a machine below the minimum can crash rather than simply run slowly. The requirements on the official FAQ and the Steam store page match. Minimum: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or newer), Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600X, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060, AMD RX 580 or Intel Arc A380, DirectX 12, a broadband connection and 70 GB of free storage. Recommended: the same operating system and memory, with an Intel Core i5-10400 or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 (Super), AMD RX 5700-XT or Intel Arc A750. Both lists recommend installing on an SSD.

NetEase's launch-period FAQ adds two details that matter for crashes. Some integrated graphics, and it names Intel Iris Xe Graphics and Intel UHD Graphics, may not run the game properly. And for GPU memory errors it asks that your card meet the minimum models "with sufficient video memory (6GB)" and that you close background applications that may be using GPU memory. If your system falls short on any line here, the most reliable fix is lowering settings or upgrading the part, not any of the software steps below.

Repair the game files on Steam, Epic or Loading Bay

A damaged or incomplete file after a patch is the first thing NetEase tells you to rule out. Its Integrity Check and Repair Guide covers all three PC launchers.

Steam: Valve's own instructions are to restart your computer, launch Steam, right-click the game in your Library (or use the gear icon on its Library page), choose Properties, open the Installed Files tab and click Verify integrity of game files. Valve says the check can take several minutes, and NetEase's guide adds that if any files are found missing or corrupted, you wait for them to download before launching. Valve notes that one or more files failing to verify is normal for most games, because local configuration files are deliberately left alone, and that you should not run the check while defragmenting a drive or running a virus scan.

Epic Games Store: right-click Marvel Rivals in your library, choose Manage, then click Verify and wait for it to finish.

Loading Bay: click the option button next to the game and choose Verify File Integrity.

If verification replaces files and the crashes stop, you have your answer. If nothing changes, move to the driver step.

Reinstall the graphics driver in clean mode

NetEase's guidance for both crashes and stuttering is to reinstall the latest driver for your GPU model using the clean installation mode, and its launch-period FAQ spells out the vendor names for it: choose the clean installation option for NVIDIA and the factory reset option for AMD. Download the driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel directly (the vendor download pages are linked below), run the installer, choose the clean or factory reset option when the installer offers it, and restart afterwards.

A clean install matters because it removes the old driver's profiles and settings rather than layering the new one on top. If your crashes started on the same day as a driver update and nothing else changed, rolling back to the previous version you know worked is a reasonable test; NetEase's guides don't cover rollback, so treat that as a troubleshooting step of your own rather than official advice.

Turn on GPU Debug Mode so the crash leaves evidence

NetEase's Guide to Enabling GPU Debug Mode opens with the line that crashes "may be due to a GPU failure", and asks you to start the game through the launcher's Start With GPU Debug Mode option. The mode exists to collect crash information that helps the developers diagnose what went wrong. NetEase warns that running in GPU Debug Mode may affect performance, and that you can switch it off at any time.

This step doesn't fix anything by itself. What it does is make the next crash useful: when you contact support, the information collected in debug mode, together with the diagnostic file described further down, gives them something concrete to work with. Leave it on until you have captured a crash, then turn it off if you notice the performance cost.

Clear the NVIDIA shader cache

The same GPU Debug Mode guide gives a separate fix for NVIDIA cards if crashes continue: clear the GPU shader cache. The steps, as NetEase lists them, are:

Step one: open NVIDIA Control Panel, go to Manage 3D settings, set Shader Cache Size to Disabled, save, and restart your computer.

Step two: open the folder %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\NVIDIA\PerDriverVersion\ and delete the DXCache folder inside it.

Step three: return to Manage 3D settings, set Shader Cache Size back to Enabled, save, and restart again. Then launch the game.

Expect the first match afterwards to stutter while shaders rebuild. Since the August 8, 2025 update, the PC version preloads essential shaders in the background after an install or update, and the patch notes warn that entering a match before preloading completes can cause stuttering, network lag, rendering errors or crashes. After clearing the cache, give the game a few minutes at the menu before you queue.

Whitelist the game in antivirus and Windows Security

NetEase says repeated crashes, crashes on launch, failing to enter a match after loading, and failing to reconnect after a disconnect can all come from antivirus software or a firewall misidentifying the game. The fix is to add the game folder and the file ~\Marvel\Binaries\Marvel-Win64-Shipping.exe (the path is relative to your install folder) to your antivirus or firewall whitelist, or to disable the antivirus temporarily and restart the game to test.

For the built-in Windows tools, NetEase gives two paths. Windows Defender: open Windows Security, then Virus & Threat Protection, then Manage Settings, find Controlled Folder Access, and add Marvel-Win64-Shipping.exe. Windows Firewall: open Windows Defender Firewall, choose Allow an app through the firewall, and allow Marvel-Win64-Shipping.exe on private and public networks. If you disabled a third-party antivirus to test, switch it back on once you have your answer and add the exception instead.

Intel 13th and 14th generation processors

NetEase has a dedicated Intel CPU Crash Troubleshooting Guide because players on unlocked 13th and 14th generation Intel processors can see stability problems, low video memory warnings, or crashes during shader compilation, including an "Out of Video Memory" message at launch. The first recommendation is to update to the latest BIOS following instructions from Intel or your motherboard manufacturer. If instability continues, NetEase points you to your system manufacturer (for prebuilt PCs), Intel customer support (for boxed processors) or your point of purchase (for bulk processors).

The guide also gives a workaround using Intel XTU (Extreme Tuning Utility), which the game itself may offer to open via a CLICK TO NAVIGATE prompt at launch. Install XTU, restart, open it, and lower the performance core ratio by two to three steps; NetEase's example is moving the multiplier from 55x down to 53x. Click Apply, and the game should start. If you cannot follow these steps or the problem persists, the guide sends you to the official Discord to contact the administrators.

Laptops, background programs and a clean boot

For laptops, NetEase's Performance Optimization Tips for Laptop Users focus on heat. Playing with an unlocked frame rate for long periods can overheat a laptop and cause thermal throttling, so it recommends enabling the in-game limit at Menu, then Options, then Display Settings, then Frame Rate Limit. It also suggests using the laptop's discrete-graphics direct mode and its Game or Performance mode where the manufacturer offers them, keeping vents clear, and using a cooling pad or fan. A throttling laptop usually shows up as falling frame rates first, and a guide on that is at marvel rivals fps drops fix.

If crashes survive everything above, check whether something you installed is interfering. Overlays and capture tools hook into a game's renderer, so test with the ones you don't need switched off. For a broader test, Microsoft's clean boot article explains how to start Windows with a minimal set of services: run msconfig to open System Configuration, on the Services tab tick Hide all Microsoft services and select Disable all, then open Task Manager from the Startup tab and disable each startup app. If the game is stable in a clean boot, re-enable items in batches until the crash returns. Undo the clean boot afterwards using the same article.

Collect diagnostics and contact support

When the steps above haven't worked, NetEase wants data, not a description. Its Client Diagnostic Tool Guide describes the process. In Steam, right-click Marvel Rivals, choose Manage, then Browse Local Files to open the install folder. Close the game, run client_diagnose.exe, and click Analyze. When the progress bar finishes, the tool opens the folder holding a file named in the format diagnose_yyyy_mm_dd_xx_xx_xx.zip, which NetEase asks you to send through its Discord.

NetEase's launch-period FAQ also points players to the Marvel Rivals Discord, where a Support Bot takes requests, and the official site's footer lists the support address marvel_rivals@global.netease.com. With GPU Debug Mode on and a diagnostic file attached, your report gives support enough to tell a driver fault from a game bug. If a crash also cost you a ranked match, the disconnect penalty rules are explained at marvel rivals restricted from competitive matches, and our hub of fixes for other problems is at guides.