Persistent crashes in Apex Legends can happen to anyone. You can have a high-end PC and enjoy beautiful graphics or a PC that barely meets the minimum game requirements. Even if your Internet is sufficient for playing online games, all of this is irrelevant when the game shuts off and you get sent to the desktop. And when you can’t play at all, you can’t get better at Apex Legends. But why does Apex Legends keep crashing? We can’t say for certain. That’s why we compiled the list of things that are the likely culprit. Any of them, or a combination of two or more, could turn out to be the answer.
Clarification
Our guide will focus on Windows 10. Consoles restrict your options to very basic troubleshooting steps, and your best option is waiting for an update. Also, we assume you restarted your computer and Apex Legends itself and that you reinstalled the game. Also, we assume your hardware isn’t decades old. Your CPU needs to support the required instruction set and your GPU should support DirectX 12.
1. Download the newest drivers
To start from a clean slate, download and use a tool such as Display Driver Uninstaller. Then, follow these steps based on the GPU you have:
- Visit the AMD Drivers & Support or Nvidia Drivers.
- Select your GPU from the list.
- Pick the latest driver, download, and install it.
2. Download a slightly older driver version
Even if it says it’s a Stable release, the newest available driver might refuse to play well. No problem – try the driver version before it, or roll back to an even older one. On AMD, you must’ve seen multiple versions of drivers offered already. For Nvidia, scroll down and click on Beta and Older Drivers. Don’t forget to run the DDU tool before installing a different version.
3. Run Apex Legends as Administrator
Sometimes a quick and easy fix might be all you need. Here’s how to make Apex Legends run with Administrator privileges:
- Find the folder Apex Legends is installed in.
- Right-click on r5apex.exe and select Properties.
- Switch over to the Compatibility tab.
- Put a checkmark in front of Run this program as an administrator.
- Optional. Put a checkmark in front of Disable fullscreen optimizations.
- Click on OK.
4. Repair Apex Legends
There’s a chance that an Apex Legends file wasn’t downloaded, got corrupted, or was accidentally deleted. Here are two ways to run a scan to check that necessary files are present:
Steam
If you are using Steam, do this to repair Apex Legends:
- Right-click on Apex Legends in the left-hand menu.
- Select Properties.
- Switch over to the Local Files tab.
- Click on Verify Integrity of the Game Files…
Origin
Here’s how to repair Apex Legends on Origin:
- Open the Game Library.
- Click on Apex Legends.
- Click on the cogwheel (gearbox) icon.
- Select Repair from the list of options.
5. Turn off all overlays
Having an overlay might be convenient, but could also be the source of constant crashes in Apex Legends. Since every program has a built-in on/off toggle, and we can’t cover them all, here are some of the program names to check on your PC and disable: Discord, TeamSpeak, MSI Afterburner, RivaTuner, EVGA Precision, Aura for ASUS, ASUS GPU Tweak II, GeForce Experience, Radeon ReLive, Fraps, OBS, Voicemeeter.
Origin
Even the necessary base app for gaming has overlay enabled by default. Here’s how to disable Origin overlay:
- Follow steps 1 through 3 above.
- Select Game Properties.
- Uncheck the box in front of Enable Origin In Game for Apex Legends.
- Click Save.
6. Limit FPS
Setting an optimal maximum FPS limit ensures your computer isn’t overtaxed and can provide stability and a crash-free experience. We recommend you set it slightly higher than your monitor refresh rate (60 Hz = 60 FPS, for example) and disable V-Sync (Method 8). Experiment with the number until you are satisfied with the performance and Apex Legends crashes disappear. Follow the same set of 4 steps above to open Game Properties, and then:
- Switch over to the Advanced Launch Options tab.
- In the Command line arguments text field, enter:
+fps_max 63 - Click Save.
7. Reduce graphical settings
A common source of constant Apex Legends crashes is graphical settings that are too high. Do this to check if you overestimated your computer and forced it to struggle in-game:
- In the lobby, click the cogwheel/gearbox icon in the bottom left corner.
- Click on Settings.
- Navigate to the Video tab.
- First, click on Restore Defaults, then Yes.
If crashes continue to occur, go back to the same screen, and change options from:
- On to Off
- Enabled to Disabled
- Medium/High to Low
Try again, and if the game is stable, start enabling settings one by one until you reach a breaking point. When it crashes, go back one step and you have your best playable settings.
8. Disable V-Sync and enable Adaptive Resolution
In the same Video tab, switch V-Sync to Disabled. At this point, you can experiment with the Adaptive Resolution FPS Target number. Find one that doesn’t cause crashing while being smooth enough for an FPS game. The number should be identical to your monitor refresh rate or slightly above, as mentioned in method 6.
9. Move away from Full Screen
In the Video tab, under Display Mode, switch Full Screen to Windowed or Borderless. The difference will be slight, but the non-stop crashing in Apex Legends might be gone for good.
10. Put Origin and Apex Legends on High Priority
Some gamers report this has freed them from Apex Legends errors and crashes. Here’s how to change the priority of Apex Legends in Task Manager:
- Right-click on the Start orb in the bottom left corner.
- Select Task Manager.
- Switch over to the Details tab.
- Find r5apex.com and right-click on it.
- Choose Set priority > High.
- Repeat the process for Origin.exe.
11. Put Easy Anti Cheat on Low Priority
Some people also recommend finding the .exe file for Easy Anti Cheat in the Details tab and setting its priority to Low. Try it with and without setting r5apex.exe and Origin.exe to High and see if it makes a difference.
12. Downclock RAM
Every motherboard series has a different BIOS UI. Luckily, in this case, motherboards that support both AMD and Intel CPUs share an option for RAM configurations titled XMP Profile. The common problem is this. You purchase a RAM stick rated at 3200 MHz, apply the overclock, the system boots, and Apex Legends runs. This, however, doesn’t always guarantee that RAM is stable at that frequency, especially when gaming. We suggest taking the RAM setting down a notch and seeing if it helps. For example, reduce it from 3200 MHz to 2933 MHz.
13. Disable Nvidia G-SYNC or AMD FreeSync
For these options to appear, your monitor needs to support one or both features. Here’s how to turn FreeSync and G-Sync off:
G-Sync
The Set up G-Sync option is located under Display in the NVIDIA Control Panel program. Simply uncheck the box in front of Enable G-Sync.
AMD FreeSync
Open AMD Radeon Software, and go to the Gaming tab. Click on Global Display and toggle the Radeon FreeSync option to Off.
14. Run a troubleshoot compatibility check
Right-click on the Apex Legends icon on your Desktop or the r5apex.exe file. Select Troubleshoot compatibility, then try both Try recommended settings and Troubleshoot program.
15. Change these Nvidia GPU values
Nvidia users claim this reduced the number of crashes in Apex Legends or eradicated them. Change these settings in the NVIDIA Control Panel under Manage 3D settings:
- Ambient Occlusion to Off.
- Power management mode from Optimal performance to Prefer maximum performance.
16. Don’t use ALT + TAB
Seriously! Although it may sound weird, many gamers who have this problem swear by this. They noticed that as soon they used ALT + TAB to switch to another window, crashes were inevitable down the road.
17. Try the New Desktop trick
Someone discovered this trick and people report it has worked for them. Maybe it will for you too? Here’s what to do:
- Open Apex Legends.
- Hold down the Windows key + Tab.
- Click on New desktop in the top left corner.
- Drag Apex Legends to Desktop 2.
- Optional. Some players also apply methods 10 and 11 at this point.
- Optional 2. Other players kill that r5apex.exe process in Task Manager instead. Then, they launch a new Apex Legends window which becomes crash-free somehow.
18. Check for corrupted pagefiles
Many players reported this to be the culprit. The only problem is – the scanning process might take a while. Here’s how to run a System File Checker:
- Press the Windows key + R.
- The Run tool will open – type cmd and click OK.
- Type this into the Command Prompt window:
sfc /scannow - Press Enter and wait.