Marvel Rivals, a high profile hero shooter that runs on Unreal Engine 5, has grown quickly in popularity, but many PC players have reported crashes that range from client freezes to full system shutdowns. These reports appear to be widespread enough that the developer acknowledged related issues and engaged with platform partners to address them. The picture is complex, and the causes are probably multifactorial – some problems may be tied to recent driver updates, others to specific settings or background software, and some may relate to recent in-game features or performance systems that interact unexpectedly with certain hardware. Because the situation continues to evolve, what follows blends community findings, probable explanations, and practical troubleshooting steps, and it may require further research as new patches arrive.
Below is a compact table made by a Rivals Sector expert summarizing impact, common symptoms, and urgency – this should help you quickly judge how serious a given crash pattern is, and whether to stop playing until a fix is found.
| Symptom observed on PC, typical frequency | Likely immediate risk to hardware or data | Recommended immediate action |
| Occasional in-game crash, returns to desktop | Low to moderate, usually safe | Verify files, update drivers, test lower graphics |
| Repeated crashes with black screen and full shutdown | Moderate to high, may indicate driver or power fault | Stop playing until you try rollback drivers or test other games |
| Blue Screen of Death or kernel crash entries | Elevated, potential system instability | Collect crash logs, boot safe mode, avoid prolonged play |
| Crashes only after recent driver or Windows update | Varies, probable software incompatibility | Consider rollback or fresh driver install |
Symptoms and Community Reports, What Players Are Seeing
Players report a range of behaviors, from the game closing and returning to the desktop, to the whole PC freezing or powering off, and in some cases blue screens that indicate kernel level faults. These incidents are being discussed in active threads on Steam, Reddit, and manufacturer support forums, and they are not strictly limited to low end machines – high end rigs have been reported affected as well. Some players say crashes began after a driver update, while others point to particular in-game features such as frame generation or experimental shader modes that seemed correlated with instability. Taken together, these reports suggest the problem is not uniform, and likely depends on a combination of drivers, system configuration, and game settings.
Probable Causes, Current Theories and Limits to Our Certainty
Below are the principal hypotheses that are circulating, along with a brief note on why each is plausible and where uncertainty remains.
| Candidate cause | Why it might be responsible | Main uncertainty, what needs further research |
| GPU driver regressions after recent updates | Many users link onset of crashes to driver updates, and some reported improvements after rolling back drivers | Which exact driver versions trigger issues varies across GPU vendors and models |
| Interaction between experimental performance features and rendering pipeline | Features like DLSS frame generation or other frame generation technologies add complexity and have been linked to freezes | Specific interactions depend on driver, GPU firmware, and in-game options |
| Overlays and background tools interfering with UE5 rendering | Overlays from Discord, Game Bar, Afterburner are known to change rendering timing and have caused issues in other games | Not all users see benefit when disabling overlays, so this may be only one factor |
| Corrupted game files or local cache problems | Verifying integrity or reinstalling has helped some players, so file corruption is plausible | Does not explain abrupt full system shutdowns or blue screens |
| Low-level firmware or BIOS incompatibility | Some reports claim BIOS updates resolved crashes, implying motherboard firmware could play a role | BIOS updates carry risk and may not be required for most users |
These explanations are based on reports and patch notes from the community and the developer, and they should be treated as provisional. In other words, they are likely contributors rather than definitive single causes.
Practical Fixes and Adjustments That Players Have Reported, Plus Caveats
There is no universal cure, but several mitigations recur across multiple reports. The table below summarizes these actions, why they may work, and tradeoffs or risks.
| Action | Why it may help | Typical success, notes |
| Roll back GPU drivers to a previously stable version | Avoids newly introduced driver bugs | Several users report success, but you must pick a version carefully and be aware of security/feature tradeoffs |
| Lower graphics settings and cap FPS, use borderless windowed | Reduces GPU and memory stress and avoids some timing related bugs | Often helpful and low risk, but reduces visual fidelity |
| Disable overlays and background utilities – e.g., Discord, Game Bar, RGB tools | Removes potential conflicts with rendering or hooking into the game | Mixed results, but generally recommended to test |
| Verify game files or reinstall the client | Fixes corrupted or missing files | Good baseline step, easy to perform |
| Run launcher as administrator or use compatibility settings | Solves certain permission or compatibility quirks | Low risk, may slow startup |
| BIOS and firmware updates for motherboard, GPU VBIOS where supported | Fixes low level compatibility and power management bugs | Higher risk, follow vendor instructions precisely and back up important data |
| Disable experimental frame generation or shader caching features | Avoids bleeding-edge systems that may not be stable on all hardware | Reported to help in specific cases, but may reduce performance |
Several community threads recommend a cautious, layered approach – try the low risk steps first, then progress to things like driver rollback or BIOS updates if needed. What helps one player may not help another, and in a minority of reported incidents system-level logging indicated kernel faults that require deeper diagnosis or vendor support.
Step-By-Step Troubleshooting Workflow You Can Follow
- Confirm system baseline, including Windows updates, GPU drivers, and whether other UE5 games run normally.
- Verify game files using your platform client, then restart the PC.
- Disable overlays and any background tools with hooks into games, then test.
- Lower graphics options, set borderless windowed mode, and cap FPS to a moderate limit, then test.
- If crashes began after a driver update, consider rolling back to the last stable driver, testing one version at a time. Create a restore point before making significant changes.
- If instability persists, collect crash logs and system event viewer entries and check community or official channels – sometimes developers release hotfixes targeted at specific causes.
- Only after other steps fail, and with careful backups, consider BIOS or firmware updates following manufacturer instructions.
This workflow balances low risk interventions with more invasive steps, and it is likely to help most users while minimizing potential harm.
Developer Response and Patch Status
The developer has acknowledged several PC issues, and a fix for certain freezes and GPU crash modes was indicated as deployed recently, focusing on interactions with frame generation features. The studio has also been communicating with distribution platforms about login and access issues at times, and they appear to be actively triaging reports from players. Because patches and driver releases continue to arrive, the overall stability picture may shift quickly, and it is sensible to check official patch notes and recent community posts before concluding on a definitive fix.
Final Thoughts and Safety Notes
Marvel Rivals crashing a PC appears to be a complex problem with multiple plausible causes, so a one size fits all fix is unlikely. It is reasonable to assume that driver compatibility, experimental performance features, and overlays are common contributors, but system firmware and rare hardware interactions may also be involved. Some experts in the community believe upcoming patches and driver updates will reduce crash frequency, while others caution that careful, stepwise troubleshooting is the safest strategy for users experiencing severe symptoms. If you notice repeated full system shutdowns or blue screens when running only this game, it may be best to stop playing until you can safely test fixes, because persistent kernel level faults could indicate real risk to system stability.
