What should I check next for a game crash to desktop after an hour?

[RileyHR]

I'm playing a popular open-world RPG on PC, and about an hour into every session, the game crashes to desktop without any error message. I've updated my graphics drivers, verified the game files through the launcher, and even lowered the graphics settings from ultra to high, but the crashes persist. For others who have solved similar issues, what are the next steps? Should I be looking at Windows event logs for specific errors, or is this more likely a problem with an overclock on my CPU or RAM? Are there any known conflicts with specific background applications or Windows services that can cause this type of consistent, timed crash?

[PaulLC]

Reply 1: Sounds frustrating. A practical way to start is to treat it like a mini-forensics case: reproduce the crash, note exactly what you were doing, capture temps, and collect logs. Then pull Windows Event Viewer entries for the time window you crashed (Application and System logs) and see if you can spot a common error around dxgi.dll, d3d12, or a driver timeout. Also enable crash dumps (System Properties → Startup and Recovery → Write debugging info: Kernel memory dump) and keep the Minidump folder handy for later analysis.

[Mia.J]

Reply 2: Event logs can be surprisingly telling. In Event Viewer, check Windows Logs -> Application for Error entries that line up with the crash. Look for the Faulting Application name (your game), Faulting Module (dxgi.dll or D3D-related), and any exception code. If you see a Display Driver or Time‑Triggered Recovery (TDRedriver) entry in System around the same time, that points to a GPU driver issue rather than the game itself.

[MatthewW]

Reply 3: If you’ve ruled out driver/game corruption, test the hardware angle. Reset all overclocks to stock and run stability tests: Prime95/Intel BurnTest for CPU, Memtest86 for RAM, and FurMark or Unigine Heaven for GPU. If the CTD stops when you’re running stock, your OC is the likely culprit. If it still crashes, you’ve got a hardware or driver baseline problem to chase.

[JohnVR]

Reply 4: Background software can also trigger CTDs. Do a clean boot (disable non‑Windows startup apps, services, and overlays like Steam, Discord, GeForce Experience). Temporarily uninstall or disable antivirus real-time protection and any screen capture overlays. If the crash disappears, re-enable items one by one to locate the offender.

[JonathanS]

Reply 5: Don’t forget the basics and game-specific quirks. Make sure DirectX is up to date, run a clean GPU driver install, and try running the game in a different mode (exclusive fullscreen vs borderless window). Some games also crash when Game Mode in Windows is on or when hardware-accelerated scheduling is on. Check patch notes or forums for known conflicts with your GPU model or CPU, and test with a different GPU if you have one handy.

[Tyler_S]

Reply 6: When you can’t pinpoint the cause, collect the crash dumps and use lightweight tools to interpret them. Tools like WhoCrashed or BlueScreenView can give quick hints; for a deeper dive you can load minidumps into WinDbg and look at the stack traces. If you’re comfortable sharing the crash time and your specs, I can outline a focused 1–2 hour diagnostic plan and helpful settings to try.