Fix 'The game has crashed and will close' in Fortnite (Windows 10/11)

Quick answer: Update your GPU driver, then verify the Fortnite game files in Epic Games Launcher. If it still crashes, clear the WebCache folder in %localappdata%\FortniteGame. That fixes 9 out of 10 cases.

The "The game has crashed and will close" error in Fortnite is a catch-all. It can pop up at the main menu, mid-match, or right when you click Launch. The most common triggers are a broken GPU driver after a Windows update, a corrupt game cache left over from an old patch, or a TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) glitch where Windows thinks your graphics card froze. I've seen this on both NVIDIA and AMD setups, Windows 10 and 11. Don't waste time reinstalling the whole game—start with the simple stuff below.

Step 1: Update your GPU driver

1. Press Win + X and select Device Manager.
2. Expand Display adapters. You'll see your GPU (e.g., NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 6700).
3. Right-click it and choose Update driver > Search automatically for drivers. Windows may find an update—let it install.
4. If Windows says you're up to date but you're still crashing, go to the GPU maker's site directly:
• NVIDIA: Download the latest Game Ready Driver from nvidia.com/download
• AMD: Use the Adrenalin app or grab the newest driver from amd.com/en/support
5. Install the driver (choose "Clean Installation" if offered—this wipes old settings).
6. Restart your PC.

After restart: Launch Fortnite. If it still shows the crash error, move to step 2.

Step 2: Verify game files in Epic Games Launcher

1. Open the Epic Games Launcher.
2. Go to your Library tab.
3. Find Fortnite, click the three dots (…) next to it, then choose Manage.
4. Click Verify. This checks every file against Epic's server and replaces any that are corrupt.
5. Let it finish—it can take 5–10 minutes depending on your internet speed. You'll see a progress bar in the launcher.
6. Once it's done, launch the game.

What you should see: The launcher will show "Verification complete" and the Launch button will be clickable again. If the crash persists after this, the issue is probably in the local cache.

Step 3: Clear the Fortnite WebCache folder

Fortnite keeps a cache in your AppData folder. When it gets corrupted—common after a patch—the game freezes and crashes.

1. Close Fortnite and the Epic Games Launcher completely. Check your system tray (near the clock) and right-click the Epic icon to exit.
2. Press Win + R, type %localappdata%, and hit Enter.
3. Open the folder named FortniteGame.
4. Inside, find the Saved folder and open it.
5. Delete the folder named WebCache. Don't delete anything else—just WebCache.
6. Restart your PC.

After reboot: Launch Epic Launcher and start Fortnite. The game will rebuild the cache fresh. Most players see the error vanish here.

Step 4: Disable fullscreen optimizations (Windows 10 & 11)

Windows can mess with fullscreen games, especially after a feature update. This is a known issue with Unreal Engine 5 games like Fortnite.

1. Find the Fortnite executable. Usually at C:\Program Files\Epic Games\Fortnite\FortniteGame\Binaries\Win64 — look for FortniteClient-Win64-Shipping.exe.
2. Right-click it, choose Properties, then the Compatibility tab.
3. Check the box: Disable fullscreen optimizations.
4. Also check Run this program as an administrator.
5. Click Apply and OK.

Now launch Fortnite again through the Epic Launcher. The crash should stop.

Alternative fix: Increase TDR delay (advanced)

If you have a high-end GPU (RTX 3080 or RX 6800 and above) and the crash happens during intense scenes, your graphics card might be tripping Windows' TDR timeout. The default is 2 seconds—too short for demanding games. You can extend it.

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Confirm the UAC prompt.
2. Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers
3. Right-click in the right pane, choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.
4. Name it TdrDelay.
5. Double-click it, set Base to Decimal, and type 10 (this gives the GPU 10 seconds instead of 2).
6. Click OK and close Registry Editor.
7. Restart your PC.

Warning: This change affects all DirectX applications, not just Fortnite. Only do it if the other steps didn't work. You can delete the key later if you want to revert.

Prevention tip

Set your GPU driver to not auto-update. I've seen Windows Update push a bad driver that breaks Fortnite. On NVIDIA, open GeForce Experience, go to Settings, and turn off automatic driver updates. On AMD, open Adrenalin, click the gear icon, and disable automatic updates. Then manually check for new drivers once a month or before a big Fortnite season launch. Also, after every major Windows update, run Verify Files (Step 2) before you play—saves you the headache of a mid-match crash.