How to resolve crashing in Control game?

No matter how much you like a game or how interesting it seems to be, if its application continues to crash, those failures will eventually dampen your spirit and weaken your resolve to play the game. If you want to enjoy Control from Remedy Entertainment, you have to get the game app to stop crashing somehow.

Why is the Control app crashing in Windows?

The Control application leaves a lot to be desired due to its frequent crashes. It seems the app code is poor or ridden with inconsistencies. There is a good chance that the game crashes because its operations or processes are not compatible with your current GPU software, especially if you are sure your device components match or better the recommended system requirements for Control.

The crashes might also have something to do with the settings for various features, functionalities, and setups being used on your computer. Overclocking is a good example. In some cases, the Control app crashes are down to events or operations that you (the user) have no knowledge about in Windows.

First, you might want to check and confirm that your PC specs match or better the minimum system requirements for Control:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 / AMD FX-4350 or better
• CPU SPEED: Info
• RAM: 8 GB
• OS: Windows 7, 64-bit
• VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce GTX 780 / AMD Radeon R9 280x or better
• PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
• VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
• DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 3072 MB

However, we know too well that the recommended requirements give a better idea of things, so here you go:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K / AMD Ryzen 5 1600x or better
• CPU SPEED: Info
• RAM: 16 GB
• OS: Windows 10, 64-bit
• VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580 or better (RTX 2060 for Ray-Tracing)
• PIXEL SHADER: 5.1
• VERTEX SHADER: 5.1
• DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 3072 MB

You must understand that you are hardly the only gamer who is experiencing issues with the Control application. A lot of users have made the same complaints on online forums, in gaming communities, and so on. From their reports, we figured out that some gamers are out to learn how to fix Control crashing on startup in Windows 10 while others are looking to resolve a similar issue where the game application goes down during gameplay.

How to get rid of crashes in Control on Windows 10

It is time we described the most effective procedures and workarounds used by gamers all over the world to stop the Control application from crashing. You are advised to go through the solutions on the list in the order they have been outlined below.

1. Use lower settings for graphics features:

Your PC meeting or bettering the recommended requirements for a title does not guarantee that the game application will not crash on your system. That fact more or less means that your computer should be able to support the game operations (using good settings) without complications.

If you are struggling with crashes, however, then it makes sense for you to modify the game settings to make the game run on even lower settings. By forcing the game to run on low settings, you reduce the chances of faults or failures occurring, and the reduction in probability for the bad events should translate into fewer crashes (or no crashes at all).  If your computer does not meet the recommended system requirements, then it is even more important for you to get the game to function on low settings.

In any case, getting the application to run without crashing is your top priority, and not playing the title at maximum settings with all the available effects. To this end, you follow the instructions below to modify the game settings to fix things:

• Open the Control application and then go to its Options menu quickly.

• Assuming you are under the Display tab, you have to set Display Mode to Borderless. Check the options in the drop-down menu for Resolution and then choose the minimum one.

Do the same thing for Render Resolution.

• Click on the checkbox for Vsync to deselect this parameter.

• Click on the drop-down menu for Quality Preset to see the available options. Choose Low.

• Choose the Low or Medium options for these parameters too: Far Object Detail (FOD), Texture Resolution, Texture Filtering, Shadow Resolution, and the other functions or features that matter.

• You must set Ray Tracing Preset to Off.

• Save the changes you just made. Try to play the game on the new settings.

If the game application crashes again, then you will do well to restart it and then check again for improvements.

2. Modify the settings for your graphics card:

If the game app continues to go down with crashes even after you’ve modified its settings to force it to use the lowest values or parameters for its graphics operations, then you have to do some work on the settings for your graphics card. The improvements obtained from changes here should do enough to stop the crashes where the previous ones failed to succeed.

If your computer is equipped with an NVIDIA graphics card as its dedicated GPU – which you use to run the game – then here are the instructions you must follow to modify the graphics settings:

• Launch the Run application quickly through the Windows logo button + letter R shortcut. Once the small Run program window shows up, you have to fill the text box on it with Control.

• Hit the Enter button on your machine’s keyboard to force Windows to run the code (or click on OK on the Run window).

• Assuming the Control Panel application has been brought up, you have to click on the drop-down menu for View by to see the available options. Select Large icons.

• Go through the items on the main menu screen and then click on NVIDIA Control Panel.

Your system will launch the NVIDIA Control Panel application now.

• Check the items listed close to the left-pane area of the window and then click on 3D Settings. Once 3D Settings expands out, you should see the Adjust image settings with preview parameter, which you have to click on to continue.

• On the pane close to the right border of the window, you must check for the Use my preference emphasizing parameter and then click on its radio button to get it selected.

• Drag the slider to the left (close to Performance).

• Save the changes you just made to the graphics configuration and then close the application window.

If your PC is equipped with an AMD graphics card as its dedicated GPU, which you use to run the Control application, then these are the instructions you must follow to modify the graphics settings:

• Launch the Run application quickly through the Windows logo button + letter R shortcut. Once the small Run application window shows up, you have to fill the text box on it with Control.

• Hit the Enter button on your machine’s keyboard to force Windows to run the code (or click on OK on the Run window).

• Assuming the Control Panel application has been brought up, you have to click on the drop-down menu for View by to see the available options. Select Large icons.

• Go through the items on the main menu screen and then click on AMD Radeon settings.

Your computer will launch the AMD Radeon application now.

• Click on Gaming and then select Global Settings.

• Assuming you are on the Global Graphics tab or screen, you must set the parameters there this way:

• Anti-aliasing Mode should be set to Use application settings
• Anti-aliasing Method should be set Multisampling
• Morphological Filtering should be set to Off
• Anisotropic Filtering Mode should be set to Use applications settings
• Texture Filtering Quality should be set to Performance
• Surface Format Optimization should be set to On
• Wait for Vertical Refresh should be set to Off, unless application specifies…
• OpenGL Triple Buffering should be set to Off
• Shader Cache should be set to AMD optimized
• Tessellation Mode should be set to AMD optimized
• Save the changes you just made to the graphics configuration and then exit the program window.

If your device is equipped with an Intel graphics card as its only GPU (integrated), which Windows employs to run the Control application, then you must go through these steps to modify the graphics settings:

• Launch the Run application quickly through the Windows logo button + letter R shortcut. Once the small Run application window shows up, you have to fill the text box on it with Control.

• Hit the Enter button on your machine’s keyboard to force Windows to run the code (or click on OK on the Run window).

• Assuming the Control Panel application has been brought up, you have to click on the drop-down menu for View by to see the available options. Select Large icons.

• Go through the items on the main menu screen and then click on Intel Graphics Settings.

The Intel graphics control application window will be brought up now.

• Click on 3D to enter the 3D graphics settings menu. On the following screen, under Select application, you have to click on the Scan button.

Add Control to the application list.

• At this point, you have to modify the game settings this way:

• Conservative Morphological Anti-Aliasing should be set to Turn Off
• Multi-Sample Anti-Aliasing should be set to Use Application Default Settings
• Anisotropic Filtering should be set to Use Application Default Settings

• Click on the Apply button to save the changes you just made to the configuration for Intel graphics.

Regardless of the graphics card you use to run the game and how you went about making the required modifications to the graphics settings, after everything is done, you have to run Control and watch how the game now plays.

3. Update the drivers for your graphics card:

The fixes we described earlier were focused on making changes to the graphics settings to reduce the crashes. Well, it happened for good reasons. The vast majority of game crashes (or situations where graphics-intensive applications go down with crashes) are down to issues with graphics operations.

Since we have addressed inconsistencies or shortcomings in settings through the previous two procedures, it is time we paid attention to your graphics card program (driver), which might very well be the cause of your problems. Your graphics card driver is the program that handles or manages operations or interactions between the hardware (GPU) device and software (games or Windows itself, for example).

If the driver becomes corrupted or starts showing its age, then your computer will suffer a lot of problems. To make things right, you have to update the driver (download and install a new driver). You can go about the task here through different means.

• The easiest and most straightforward path will require you to download Auslogics Driver Updater and then install it. The application will subsequently scan your computer to figure out the troubled or problematic drivers. After the identification phase, the program will proceed to fetch the latest manufacturer-recommended versions of those drivers and install them as replacements for the bad drivers.

If you go with this automatic method where a program gets to assist you with all the operations, then your computer will be provided with a new stable driver for its graphics card in no time. You also will not have to deal with the complications or risks that play out in the manual driver updating process, which we intend to describe next.

• If you decided not to use the program we recommended earlier, then you must make do with the manual driver updating method where you (on your own) have to perform all the tasks that the recommended application would have done on your behalf. Here, you must find a way to correctly identify your driver by its name, exact driver version or release, and other details that matter. Most of the information you need should be on the Drivers tab on the driver window for your GPU device.

Once you acquire the necessary details, you have to use them to run search operations on Google using the relevant queries until you find a link to the download page for a new driver version. Alternatively, you can head directly to your graphics card manufacturer’s site and then specify your device model, Windows version and build, and other parameters that define your driver to see the items available for download.

We cannot continue without warning you of the potential danger that lies ahead. In your quest to get a new updated driver for your GPU device, you must be mindful of the websites you navigate to search for stuff. If you download software from a malicious or harmful site, then you might end up infecting your computer with malware. You must also check and double-check the driver package you get. It must be the precise and correct version designed for use on your computer, and not one meant for a similar device or close model. If you force your computer to use the wrong or incompatible software for its graphics device, then your current problems might become aggravated.

Invariably, once you find the webpage that has what you need, you will have to click on the Download button there to get the driver package. You must then click or double-click on the downloaded file to get Windows to run it. At this point, since we have taken you as far as we should, you are better off following the instructions on the driver installation (or driver wizard) window to complete the installation tasks.

In any case, once you finish with the installation operations for the new driver – and regardless of how you went about the update process – you have to restart your computer so that the changes can take effect. There and then only must you run the Control app, try to play the game and see what comes of your gameplay this time.

4. Delete the render.ini file:

If the Control application crashes you experience play out in an event where your screen goes black and the “game_rmdwin7_f.exe is not responding” error message comes up, then you might be able to fix things by deleting the render.ini file. A good number of users have had some success with this move, so you might want to try it too.

Follow these instructions:

• Close the Control application – if the game is currently running.

You might want to launch the Task Manager program (using the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keyboard shortcut) to check and confirm that no process or service associated with the game is active. If you find anything that should not be running, you will have to right-click on it to see the context menu available and then choose the End task button.

• Once the necessary verifications have been made, you must launch the File Explorer application (using the Windows logo button + letter E keyboard shortcut) and then go to the game’s installation folder.
• Find the render.ini file, click on it to get it highlighted, right-click on it to see some options and then choose Delete.

If you cannot find the required file, then you have to instruct Windows to make all the items in your current location (folder) visible this way: Look to the top of the File Explorer window, click on View there, and then click on the checkbox for Hidden and File extensions.

• Close the File Explorer window and then run the Control app.
• Test the game for as long as necessary to verify that the crash issue has been resolved for good.

5. Verify the integrity of the game files:

Verifying the integrity of game files is a standard process used to repair or resolve inconsistencies in game programs or their packages. The operation is usually initiated from the parent application or library app for the game.

Once you instruct Epic Game Launcher to verify the integrity of the game files for Control, your computer will run checks on the files or entries used by the game and compare them to standard copies of the same data online. Discrepancies or mismatches will be eliminated. Well, it all works out in your favor. If Control was going down with crashes because its files were missing or corrupted, then the move we are recommending here will prove to be the ideal fix to your problems.

These are the steps you must go through to verify the integrity of the game files for Control:

• Fire up Epic Game Launcher. Once the program window shows, you have to navigate to your Library.

• Assuming Control is now visible, you have to click on the cog icon in the lower-right corner.

• On the following screen (under Settings), you must click on the Verify button.

Epic Game Launcher will initiate the verification processes now.

• Ideally, you should pay attention to the progress of the operations being executed.

• Once the verification processes reach completion, you have to fire up Control again and watch for improvements in its gameplay runtime.

If the game app crashes again, then you must restart your computer and then check things again.

6. Run the game in the compatibility mode for Windows 7:

If the “game_rmdwin7_f.exe” term appears in the error message that comes up when the Control application crashes on your computer, then it is very likely that you can get the game to function without issues by instructing Windows to run it in the compatibility mode for Windows 7. This way, the game operations get executed in an environment (or platform) that mirrors (or imitates) the one Windows 7 provides.

It seems the game developers are yet to optimize the game code and performance tendencies for relatively new versions of the Windows operating system (Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10). The game comes into its own on Windows 7, however, so it makes sense that the crashes become a nonissue in that OS environment.

Anyway, here are the instructions you must follow to run Control in compatibility mode for Windows 7:

• Check for the Control launcher or the game shortcut on your desktop. Right-click on it to see the context menu available and then choose Properties.

The Properties window for the selected item will be brought up now.

• Click on the Compatibility tab to navigate there. Click on the checkbox for Run this program in compatibility mode for (under the Compatibility mode menu).

• Click on the drop-down menu to see the available operating system environments. Select Windows 7.

• Click on the Apply button and then click on the OK button to save the changes you just made to the launch configuration for Control.

• Now, you must double-click on the game launcher or shortcut to run it. Try to play your game and see how long you can go before the application crashes (if it even crashes at all).

Other things you can do to stop the Control game application from crashing on a Windows 10 device

If you are still struggling to get the game to run for long without crashing, then you have to try the fixes and workarounds on our final list of solutions to the issues that cause Control to crash in Windows.

7. Stop overclocking:

If your computer is configured to use any overclocking feature or function, then you must disable it to get some reprieve from the constant crashes involving the Control app. There is no point in you trying to turbo-boost your processor or your graphics card for better performance or to gain more FFS if you cannot play a game long enough to enjoy it.

In other words, whatever boost in performance or increase in capabilities you get by overclocking is not worth it. Ideally, you should reset your CPU and GPU settings and functions to their defaults. If you use an application – such as MSI Afterburner or Zotac Firestorm – to acquire the overclocking attributes, then you have to disable or even uninstall it. Things should get better once you make the right changes.

8. Install the latest Control patch:

There is a good chance that Remedy Entertainer (the firm responsible for Control) learned of the issues that users were facing and then worked to release a game patch to fix things. Well, game developers generally roll out patches to fix inconsistencies or bugs in their games and also improve the overall performance of their products.

If a recent Control patch is available, then you will do well to download and install it on your computer. It might just be the remedy to the crash issue you have been struggling to resolve.

9. Add an exception or exclusion rule for Control in your antivirus; Disable or uninstall your antivirus:

It is time you considered the possibility where your antivirus is involved in causing issues that result in the Control application crashing. Control is known to consume a considerable proportion of the computer resources on which it is running, so your antivirus might have misconstrued its intents and recognized it as a threat and then dealt with it to keep your PC safe.

You can try adding Control in the exception or exclusion column – if one is available – and then run Control to see if the runtime improves. Otherwise, you will have to disable your antivirus to test things. You are better off uninstalling it to find out the truth.

Perhaps, your antivirus was interfering with important processes it has no business disturbing in the first place, which means the software conflicts translated into Control crashes. If our assumptions hold true, then the crashes will subside once you make the necessary moves against your antivirus.

10. Uninstall DirectX 12; Install DirectX 11, restart your computer, and then run

11. Close or uninstall the Nahimic application on your computer.

12. Check for Windows updates; Download and install all the updates available for your computer.

13. Download and install all Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributables.

14. Reinstall the game.