If you love survival games and are a fan of Norse mythology, you are probably an avid player of Valheim. Valheim is an open world survival game that transports you to the North. It lets you explore, hunt, and craft tools while discovering this exciting but dangerous Viking realm.

The game has been a hit ever since its release. Just a few days ago, Valheim beat several records gaining over 500,000 simultaneous players.

However, while the game is hugely popular, it’s not without faults. Users report running into bugs and errors. They also complained about low FPS, server problems, slow loading, and more.

Perhaps, you’re asking, “Why is Valheim crashing?” On the other hand, you probably found this blog post because you want to learn how to fix low FPS in Valheim. Well, you’re in luck because we’ll address those issues in this article.

How to Fix Valheim Issues on Windows 10?

So, there are several things you can do to fix the problems you are having when playing the Valheim game. Here are the methods we suggest:

  • Restarting Valheim and running it as an administrator
  • Checking for a Windows update
  • Updating your GPU drivers
  • Verifying the game files in Steam
  • Relaunching Valheim after a clean boot
  • Running Valheim’s executable file with the highest priority
  • Disabling Steam overlay

Below, we will go over these fixes in more detail. We suggest you start with the first fix—we will list the simplest solutions first. If this one doesn’t work for you, move on to the next one. So, let’s get started.

Fix One: Restart Valheim and Run it as an Administrator

Before proceeding with some more complicated solutions, we suggest you start with a very easy solution. Simply restarting the game can often do wonders for its performance. Over time, some files may start misbehaving or there may be programs running in the background messing with your gameplay. So, the best place to start from would be to simply relaunch the game and see if it fixes the problems you are experiencing.

Before relaunching the game, make sure to give Valheim administrative privileges. This will grant the game full access to the system. Plus, it will let the system know that this is a trustworthy program that you want running in full capacity on your computer.

Here’s how to run Valheim as an administrator:

  • Right-click the game’s shortcut.
  • From the context menu, select the Run as Administrator option.

Now, try running the game again and see if the issues have disappeared. If you are still having problems, move on to the next fix.

Fix Two: Check for a Windows Update

New Windows updates tend to fix a lot of things. If you are running an older version of Windows, your game bugs may be related to just that. Here’s how to check if a Windows update is available:

  • Go to Start.
  • Select Settings.
  • Navigate to Update & Security.
  • Click Windows Update.
  • If an update is available, it will be automatically installed on your PC.

If you are still running into the same issues after installing the update, move on to the next solution.

Fix Three: Update Your GPU Drivers

An outdated GPU driver can also cause your game to crash. If you think that this may be the cause of your gameplay issues, try updating your drivers. You can do that in one of the two ways. You can update your drivers manually — this is recommended for more experienced users who know the process and feel confident making these changes on your computer. Note that if you make a mistake while updating your drivers, you may run into severe system issues. So, it’s only recommended to do this when you are sure of your skills. To update your drivers manually, you will need to do the following:

  • The first thing you will need to do is locate corrupt or outdated drivers.
  • Next, you will need to go to the driver manufacturer’s website and download the latest available driver versions.
  • Once you’ve located the needed drivers, download them on your PC.
  • Next, install them following the installation prompts.

If this is done correctly, your drivers will be successfully updated and your game should run smoothly.

Now, another way to update your drivers is to use specialized software and do it automatically. For instance, you can use a program like Auslogics Driver Updater. Here’s how to proceed:

  • First, you will need to download the software from Auslogics Driver Updater’s official page.
  • Next, follow the instructions on the page to install it.
  • Once the program is installed, launch it, and click Scan for Driver Issues.
  • Driver Updater will check your system for any outdated or damaged drivers.
  • If any are located, the program will let you know.
  • Click the Update Drivers button.
  • That’s it — your drivers are updated in just one click.

Fix Four: Verify Your Game Files on Steam

There is a chance that as you were downloading Valheim game files from Steam, some of the files were damaged or corrupted. Naturally, this can cause a whole range of errors during gameplay and even lead to game crashes. While this does sound like a problem, it’s not a big one. The good thing about it that Steam offers an option to verify the game files you’ve downloaded. What’s more, as a result of this verification process, Steam will also repair or replace the files that have been damaged. So, you will be solving your gaming issues in just a few easy steps. Here’s how to proceed:

  • Launch Steam.
  • Navigate to the Library.
  • Here, look for Valheim.
  • Once you find it, right-click the game.
  • From the context menu, select Properties.
  • Got to the Local Files tab.
  • Click Verify Game Integrity Files.

Wait for the process to complete and then check how your game is doing. If you are still having the same problems, move on to the next solution.

Fix Five: Relaunch Valheim After Clean Boot

One of the reasons for your game crashing is that it could be conflicting with other applications on your PC. For instance, one of the applications you have running in the background may be consuming too many system resources, causing game crashes. The way to solve this issue would be to disable these applications while you are playing the game or to uninstall them altogether. So, to avoid game crashes, try performing a clean boot on your PC and then launching Valheim again. Here’s how to do a clean boot:

  • Go to Search and type “msconfig” (no quotes).
  • Next, navigate to the Services tab.
  • Here, find the Hide all Microsoft services box.
  • Put a checkmark next to the box.
  • Now go to Task Manager and disable all your running processes one by one.

Once this is done, restart your PC and launch Valheim again. Check if the issues have disappeared. If the game is still crashing, move on to the next method.

Fix Six: Run Valheim’s Executable File with Highest Priority

Granting the game the highest priority on your system can help fix the problem as well. This will give Valheim a commanding position on your computer and will result in a performance boost during gameplay. Here’s how to run the game at a higher priority:

  • Use the Ctrl + Shift + Esc key combo on your keyboard to open the Task Manager.
  • Search for valheim.exe from the processes.
  • Right-click the program.
  • In the submenu, go to Set Priority.
  • Set it to the highest available level.

Now, go back to the game and check if the situation has improved. If it hasn’t, move on to the final fix in our list.

Fix Seven: Disable Steam Overlay

In-game Steam overlay is a very helpful feature to have onboard. It lets you do lots of things while playing the game, like purchase and sell items. It is also a way to interact with Discord. However, occasionally, Steam overlay may also cause your game to crash. Naturally, this can get quite annoying as it will mess with your gaming experience. If Steam overlay is getting in the way of your gameplay, consider disabling it to fix the problem.

Here’s how to disable Steam overlay for Valheim:

  • Open Steam and go to Settings.
  • Once in the Settings menu, go to the In-game tab.
  • Uncheck all the boxes here and save the changes.

Now, launch Steam again and run Valheim. You should no longer be experiencing any in-game problems

Pro Tip: Optimize Your PC’s Performance

Sometimes, PC junk can cause video games to crash. So, to ensure excellent gameplay and smooth system performance, you should use Auslogics BoostSpeed. What this software does is locate a variety of speed-reducing issues on your computer. It will safely remove unneeded system files, temporary items, browser cache, unneeded error logs, leftover Windows Update files, temporary Java files, and other types of PC junk. As a result, you will be able to reclaim lots of space on your computer. You won’t have to waste time on long cleaning sessions or spend money on pricey upgrades.

Once the process is complete, you will notice a significant improvement on how Valheim runs in your PC.

There you have it. We hope that you can now enjoy playing the game without any problems. Now, you know how to fix Valheim crashes on Windows 10 if the issue ever comes up in the future.

Which of the solutions above has worked the best for you? Please share in the comments below.