Fix: Returnal Crashing/ Fatal Error/ Stuttering or Lagging Issue on PC

The Returnal is a massive action thriller co-op game published by PlayStation PC LLC that visualizes Selene’s story of survival. In this game, you are able to experience, explore and fight your way through a relentless journey where the mystery haunts your every move. But there is nothing more frustrating than failing at a fatal error or stuttering problem.

As we said, some players reported that they encountered crashing or fatal errors that prevented them from continuing the game while enjoying the dark beauty of the Returnal decaying world.

If you are struggling with crashing or stuttering issues in Returnal, you can rely on this guide. Here we have listed a few solutions that will allow you to solve your problem and help you continue the gameplay. Then have a look. 

Fix 1: Update Driver

If your Graphics driver, Sound Card, and other drivers are outdated, then you will encounter fatal errors in Returnal. In this case, you should check and update all the drivers in your system and see if the issue gets resolved. To do so, 

  • Open Device Manager->Display adapters-> right-click on Graphics driver and click on the Update driver option. 
  • Then expand all sections in Device Manager and ensure all drivers are up-to-date.
  • Once done, you can start to play the game smoothly.

Fix 2: Repair Game Files

If any game files get damaged, then you will face crashing or stuttering issues in the game. Repair the game files here before relaunching the game on your PC. To do so, 

In Steam, 

  • Open Steam->Library->right-click on Returnal-> Properties-> choose Local Files from the left side and click on Verify integrity of game files

In Epic Games, 

  • Open Epic Games-> Library-> click on Three dots beside Returnal-> choose Manage option and click on the Verify button. 

Fix 3: Disable Overlay

Sometimes disabling the Game Overlay will help to escape from the crashing or stuttering issue in Returnal. To do so, 

In GeForce Experience, 

  • Open GeForce Experience-> Settings-> toggle Off beside the In-game Overlay option and start the game. 

In Discord, 

  • Open Discord->Settings-> Overlay option->toggle Off beside Enable In-game overlay option and start the game. 

Fix 4: Lower Graphics Settings

The game is designed with stunning visual effects and graphics. Sometimes these in-game high-performance features can cause the game to crash or lag on the startup screen. In this case, you should lower all in-game graphics settings, switch to windowed mode and re-launch the game. 

Fix 5: Launch using Dedicated GPU

At times, launching the game using a dedicated GPU will help you resolve Fatal errors in Returnal. To do so, 

  • Open the Graphics Settings window->choose Graphics Performance Preference-> click on the Browse button. 
  • Then choose Returnal from the installation folder->click on Three dots->Options-> select High Performance from the new screen and relaunch the game. 

Fix 6: Install DirectX

In most cases, reinstalling DirectX on your system will help you escape from the Fatal error in Returnal. To do so, 

  • Open the DirectX page-> choose Language and click on the Download button, then install it on your system and see the error eliminated from your PC. 

Fix 7: Reinstall the Game

If all the above solutions fail in your case, you can uninstall the game and restart the system. After restarting your system, reinstall the game and see its performance.

These are the top solutions you can try to resolve Returnal Crashing, Fatal Error, Stuttering or Lagging issues on your PC. With these tricks, you can check system requirements and disable antivirus programs from your system.