League of Legends Crashing on PC: How to Fix It

League of Legends crashing on PC usually means something on your system is older than the patch: Riot’s own crash guide starts with updating the graphics driver, DirectX and Windows, then removing overlays and driver profiles that interfere with the game. That covers crash-to-desktop, the crash-report window, a black screen at launch and full freezes. Work down the fixes below in order and test each one in a custom game, not ranked.

Match the crash to the fix

Riot lists four crash symptoms on Windows. Each one points at a different starting fix:

What you see	Most likely cause	Start with
The game closes to desktop mid-match	Outdated driver, DirectX or Windows; an overlay	Fix 1, then Fix 3
The game closes and shows a crash report	Same as above, or a graphics setting your PC can’t hold	Fix 1, then Fix 5
Black screen when the game launches	Permissions, Windows, or a damaged install	Fix 7
The game freezes completely without closing	Driver profile or overlay interference	Fix 4, then Fix 3
A Vanguard or VAN error, not a crash	Riot Vanguard anti-cheat	League Vanguard error fix

Fix 1 — Update the graphics driver, DirectX and Windows

Riot’s explanation is simple: League keeps adding champions, effects and graphics updates built on the newest driver and Windows software, so an older system crashes on newer content.

1. Check the minimum system requirements on Riot’s support site before anything else.
2. Update the graphics driver. Find your card with Windows + R → dxdiag → Display tab, then get the current driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel. If crashes started right after a driver update, do a clean install instead: how to clean install GPU drivers with DDU.
3. Update DirectX. Riot removed DirectX 9 support from League of Legends and Teamfight Tactics with Patch 14.9 (1 May 2024). An out-of-date DirectX can cause driver crashes, mouse and keyboard inputs not registering, and sound cutting out. The highest DirectX you can get depends on your Windows version.
4. Install every Windows update under Settings → Windows Update → Check for updates. Riot’s broader tech-help guide also says to update your CPU, motherboard/BIOS, mouse, keyboard, monitor and network drivers.

Fix 2 — Install .NET Framework 3.5

League of Legends depends on .NET Framework 3.5. Riot notes that even with .NET 4 installed, you may still need 3.5. On Windows 10 and 11, open Turn Windows features on or off, tick .NET Framework 3.5 (includes .NET 2.0 and 3.0), and click OK.

Fix 3 — Clean boot to remove overlays

Programs with an overlay (Riot names Discord, OBS, Steam, Skype and TeamSpeak) can make League crash. Close them and play a custom game to test. To rule out every background program, clean boot Windows:

1. Press Windows + R, type msconfig and press Enter.
2. On the Services tab, tick Hide all Microsoft services first, then click Disable all.
3. If you also play VALORANT, find the vgc service in that list and re-tick it — Riot says VALORANT needs it.
4. On the Startup tab, click Disable all (on Windows 10 and 11 this opens Task Manager, where you disable startup apps).
5. Click Apply, then OK, and restart.

If League stops crashing, turn programs back on a few at a time until you find the one that causes it.

Fix 4 — Reset your NVIDIA or AMD control panel

Driver control panels can force graphics settings that override League’s own, which Riot says can interfere with the game. Reset them to defaults:

• NVIDIA: right-click the desktop → NVIDIA Control Panel → Manage 3D settings → Restore Defaults.
• AMD: Riot’s article still names the old Catalyst Control Center (Preferences → Restore Factory Defaults). On current AMD drivers, reset the per-game profile for League in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.

Fix 5 — Lower video settings or turn on Low Spec Mode

Fewer effects on screen means less load and, per Riot, fewer crashes. As a starting point, press Esc in game → Video and use Riot’s crash-test settings:

Setting	Riot’s crash-test value
Resolution	Match desktop resolution
Character Quality	Very Low
Environment Quality	Very Low
Shadows	No Shadow
Effects Quality	Very Low
Frame Rate Cap	60 FPS
Wait for Vertical Sync	Off
Anti-Aliasing	Off

Under Esc → Interface, Riot also suggests turning off HUD animations, Show Target Frame on attack, line missile display and Show Attack Range.

Low Spec Mode does most of this in one click: in the League client (not in game), click the Settings gear → General tab → tick Enable Low Spec Mode. These settings are for finding a crash, not for daily play; once League is stable, raise them again with the best League of Legends settings for FPS.

Fix 6 — Turn off the debug version of DirectX

Some players switch on the DirectX debug runtime for development work and forget it. Riot lists it as a cause of problems in League, such as the whole map covered in Fog of War or no animations. To switch back:

1. Press the Windows key and search for DirectX Control Panel (open the 32-bit one, not the 64-bit one).
2. On the Direct3D 9 tab, select Use Retail Version of Direct3D 9.
3. Click Apply, then OK.

You only have the DirectX Control Panel if a developer SDK installed it; if Windows can’t find it, skip this fix.

Fix 7 — Black, loading or lobby screen

If League never gets past a black screen, the loading screen or the lobby, Riot’s fixes are, in order:

1. Run League as administrator. Right-click the game shortcut → Properties → Compatibility → tick Run this program as an administrator → Apply.
2. Update Windows (Fix 1).
3. Clean boot (Fix 3).
4. Reinstall League. The Riot Repair Tool can re-patch or reinstall the game automatically. To do it by hand: uninstall League in Settings → Apps, delete the C:\Riot Games folder, open %localappdata% in File Explorer and delete Riot Games\League of Legends (or the whole Riot Games folder if League is your only Riot game), restart, then download League again and run the installer as administrator.

Fix 8 — Send Riot the logs

If none of that works, submit a ticket to Riot Player Support. Riot asks for three things so it can diagnose the crash quickly:

• the r3d log,
• a DirectX Diagnostic report (dxdiag → Save All Information),
• a process list of what was running.

If it isn’t a crash

• Vanguard errors (VAN codes, “Vanguard session is initializing”) are an anti-cheat problem with their own steps: League of Legends Vanguard error fix.
• Freezes and FPS drops that don’t close the game are a performance problem: start with the League of Legends FPS drops and stuttering fix.
• Random crashes in every game, not just League, point at the PC, not the game. The 0xc0000005 access violation crash fix covers memory and CPU stability, including Intel’s 13th/14th Gen BIOS fix.

Related guides

• League of Legends Vanguard error fix
• League of Legends FPS drops and stuttering fix
• Best League of Legends settings for FPS
• How to clean install GPU drivers with DDU
• Roblox crashing fix
• Valorant crashing fix