Fix 0xc0000005 Access Violation Crash in Games

Error 0xc0000005 is an access violation: the game tried to use a memory address it wasn’t allowed to, so Windows shut it down. If one game crashes with it, the cause is usually corrupted files, a mod or an overlay. If every game crashes with it, the cause is almost always unstable RAM, an overclock or a CPU stability problem. Work out which case you’re in first, because it decides which fixes are worth your time.

You’ll see the code in one of two places:

• A dialog at launch: The application was unable to start correctly (0xc0000005). Click OK to close the application.
• A crash report or log mid-game: Exception code: 0xc0000005, EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION, or Access violation (0xc0000005).

Both are the same Windows status code, STATUS_ACCESS_VIOLATION. The code itself doesn’t tell you the cause. The two checks below do.

Step 1: One game or every game?

This is the most useful question for 0xc0000005, and most guides skip it.

Pattern	Most likely cause	Start with
One game crashes, everything else is fine	Corrupted game files, a mod, an overlay or injector, a bad shader cache, or a driver bug that only that game hits	Verify files → remove mods/overlays → clean driver install
Every game (or games plus browsers/apps) crashes	System instability corrupting memory: XMP/EXPO, a CPU/RAM overclock or undervolt, faulty RAM, Intel 13th/14th Gen instability	Stock memory speed → remove overclocks → BIOS/microcode → RAM test
Crashes right after a Windows or driver update	A driver or system-file regression	Clean driver install → roll back → sfc / DISM
Won’t start at all (the dialog at launch)	Antivirus blocking or corrupting the exe, damaged install, missing runtimes	Antivirus exclusion → verify/reinstall → runtimes

Step 2: Read the faulting module in Event Viewer

Windows records which file was running when the access violation happened. That file is your best clue.

1. Press Win + X → Event Viewer.
2. Open Windows Logs → Application.
3. Find the Error entry with Event ID 1000 (“Application Error”) at the time of the crash.
4. Read Faulting application name (the game’s exe), Exception code (0xc0000005) and Faulting module name.

How to read the faulting module:

Faulting module looks like…	What it points to
A GPU driver DLL (NVIDIA’s start with nv, AMD’s with amd or ati)	Graphics driver — clean reinstall or try a different driver version
An overlay or hook (gameoverlayrenderer64.dll, RTSSHooks64.dll, Discord, recording or RGB software)	That add-on — disable it and test
A mod, ReShade or injected DLL in the game folder	The mod — remove it and test
The game’s own exe or its engine DLL	Corrupted game files or a game bug — verify files, check for a patch
ntdll.dll, KERNELBASE.dll, or something different each time	Nothing specific — the memory was already corrupt. Test hardware stability (Step 5 onward)

A different faulting module on every crash is itself a strong hint at hardware instability. Software bugs tend to crash in the same place.

Fix 1: Verify or repair the game files

A damaged exe or data file is the most common cause when only one game crashes.

• Steam: right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.
• Epic Games Launcher: Library → the three dots on the game → Manage → Verify.
• Xbox app / Microsoft Store: Settings → Apps → Installed apps → the game → Advanced options → Repair.

If verification finds nothing and the crash persists, do a full uninstall and reinstall. That also clears leftover files verification doesn’t check.

Fix 2: Remove mods, overlays and injectors

Anything that injects code into the game process can cause an access violation, and the faulting module often names it.

• Disable in-game overlays: Steam, Discord, NVIDIA App/GeForce overlay, Xbox Game Bar.
• Close RivaTuner/MSI Afterburner, recording software, RGB and fan-control utilities, and any “FPS booster” tools.
• Remove ReShade, DLL-based mods and script extenders. Test the game vanilla first, then add them back one at a time.

Fix 3: Clean-install your GPU driver

Driver bugs and leftovers from old installs cause many access violations. A normal “update” over the top doesn’t always clear them.

1. Download the latest driver for your GPU (or the previous version if the crash started after an update).
2. Use Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode to remove the old driver completely.
3. Install the new driver and reboot.

If the crash began right after a driver update, rolling back one version is a legitimate fix. Keep it until a newer release notes the issue as fixed.

Fix 4: Antivirus, missing runtimes and system files

These mainly apply when the game won’t start at all.

• Antivirus: third-party antivirus can block or quarantine part of a game’s exe or anti-cheat. Check its quarantine, then add the game folder as an exclusion. If Windows Security’s Controlled folder access is on, allow the game through it.
• Runtimes: reinstall the latest Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable (x64 and x86) and the DirectX End-User Runtime. Many games ship these in a _CommonRedist or Redist folder.
• System files: open an elevated Command Prompt and run sfc /scannow, then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. Our DISM and SFC guide walks through both.

Fix 5: Set memory to stock speed (disable XMP/EXPO)

If every game crashes with 0xc0000005, check memory stability first. It’s free and fully reversible.

An XMP or EXPO profile is a factory overclock. A kit that’s “stable” in a quick test can still throw rare memory errors under hours of gaming load. Every memory error is a chance for a program to follow a corrupted pointer, which is exactly what an access violation is.

1. Enter your BIOS and set the memory profile to Disabled / Auto (JEDEC). See how XMP and EXPO work for where the setting lives.
2. Play normally for a few sessions.
3. If the crashes stop, your XMP/EXPO profile wasn’t stable. Try the next-lower memory speed, or slightly more DRAM/SoC voltage within your kit’s rated range, instead of running at JEDEC forever.

Fix 6: Remove CPU and GPU overclocks and undervolts

The same logic applies to any overclock or undervolt: CPU multipliers, curve optimizer or undervolt offsets, and GPU overclocks. That includes “auto-overclock” features in motherboard software. Reset them to stock and test. An undervolt that passes a benchmark can still be unstable during the light, spiky loads of a game menu or loading screen.

Fix 7: Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen — update the BIOS

If you have an Intel Core i7 or i9 13th or 14th Gen desktop CPU (for example a 13900K or 14700K) and crashes with 0xc0000005 are spreading across more and more games, you may be affected by Intel’s Vmin Shift instability. Elevated voltage requests degrade the chip over time, so it slowly stops computing reliably at its stock voltage. Memory-access crashes like this one are a common symptom.

1. Update your motherboard BIOS to a version with Intel microcode 0x12B or newer. Intel shipped 0x12B as the mitigation and later released 0x12F as a supplement.
2. Load the Intel Default Settings profile in the BIOS instead of the board’s unlimited-power defaults.
3. If crashes continue on the updated microcode, the chip may already be degraded. Microcode stops further damage but doesn’t reverse it. Contact Intel support about a replacement, because Intel extended the warranty on affected desktop processors.

The same Intel issue is behind many “out of video memory” crashes in Unreal Engine games, so if you’ve seen both errors, this fix is the likely one.

Fix 8: Test your RAM

If stock memory speed didn’t help, test the RAM itself.

• Windows Memory Diagnostic: press Win + R, run mdsched.exe and choose Restart now and check for problems. It’s quick but not exhaustive.
• MemTest86: boot it from a USB stick and let it run at least four full passes. Any error at all means unstable or faulty RAM.

If errors appear, test one stick at a time to find the bad module. Also try reseating the sticks in the slots your motherboard manual recommends.

Fixes that usually don’t help

• Disabling DEP for the game. Windows doesn’t allow Data Execution Prevention exceptions for 64-bit programs; you’ll get “This program must run with DEP enabled”. Almost every modern game is 64-bit, so this old tip only applies to legacy 32-bit software.
• Registry cleaners and “PC repair” tools. They don’t fix access violations and can break other things.
• Raising the pagefile or adding RAM. An access violation isn’t an out-of-memory error. More RAM won’t help if the RAM you have is unstable.

Related crash fixes

The 0xc0000005 code is one of several crash errors with a specific meaning. If your crash shows a different code, these guides cover it:

• Fix DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG (0x887A0006): the GPU timed out and the driver was reset.
• Fix DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED (0x887A0005): Windows lost the GPU entirely.
• Unreal Engine “exiting due to D3D device being lost”: the UE wrapper around those DXGI codes.
• Fix “out of video memory trying to allocate a rendering resource”: VRAM, driver and Intel 13th/14th Gen causes.

Once the crashes stop, a stable system is also a smooth one. For frame pacing and input delay after the fix, see how to minimize input delay and the timer resolution guide.