In this article, you will learn the possible reasons and how to fix computer freezes when playing games on Windows 11 step by step in 6 simple and effective methods. Scroll down to learn more!
If you're a gamer, you know how annoying it is to experience computer freezes while playing games on Windows 11. Whether it’s in the middle of a fast-paced battle or while exploring a new world, a sudden freeze can completely ruin your experience. You might be left staring at a frozen screen or forced to restart your PC, which means losing progress or even damaging game files.
The frustration doesn’t stop there, it can be tough to figure out what's causing the issue and how to fix this issue. But don’t worry, we’ll look at the most common reasons and some easy and effective methods to help get you back to gaming without interruptions. Let’s see if that works!
Your game might freeze for a few reasons, from software conflicts to hardware issues, system settings, etc. Check out the common causes below to find out what's causing the problem.
Experiencing computer freezes while playing games on Windows 11 can be frustrating, but the good news is that most of the causes can be fixed easily with some tweaks and optimizations. Below are the steps to troubleshoot this issue and get your game experience back on track.
Outdated drivers like graphic can cause performance issues, including game freezes. Keeping your drivers up-to-date ensures compatibility and smoother gaming experience.
Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager to open it.
Step 2: Expand Display Adapters, right-click your graphics card, and select Update driver.
Step 3: Choose Search automatically for updated driver software. Let Windows find and install the latest driver.
Also, outdated Windows version can cause performance issues, including Windows 11 freezing issues. Be sure it’s updated.
Step 1. Go to Settings > Windows Update.
Step 2. Click on Check for Updates and install any available updates.
Running too many applications in the background can drain your system’s resources, causing freezes. Closing unnecessary apps can free up RAM and CPU usage for smoother gaming.
Step 1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Step 2. Under the Processes tab, identify apps taking up high CPU or memory. Right-click on these apps and select End Task.
Step 3. Switch to the Startup tab to find the programs that don’t need to run on startup. Then, right-click them and select Disable.
Overheating can cause your PC to throttle its performance or freeze. Proper cooling and regular cleaning of your hardware can help maintain stable performance.
Running games at settings too high for your hardware can cause freezes. Adjusting the in-game graphics and system settings to a balanced level can help improve performance.
Step1. Open your game’s graphics settings. Lower settings like resolution, texture quality, and shadow quality to medium or low.
Step 2. Look for an option labeled V-Sync (sometimes called Vertical Sync) and enable it. This can reduce screen tearing and improve stability.
Step 3. In addition, you can still set High performance for a dedicated GPU (if you have one).
A full disk can significantly impact your game’s performance. Freeing up space on your drive ensures smoother gameplay and avoids issues caused by a lack of virtual memory.
You may experience Steam games freezing on Windows 11and require a restart again soon or later if it’s a full disk, as freeing up disk space can only resolve this issue temporarily. To fix it completely, it’s suggested to upgrade hard drive to a larger drive using a dedicated disk cloning software - AOMEI Cloner. With it, you can:
Step 1. Connect the larger drive to your computer for the upgrade. Then, open AOMEI Cloner, click Clone > Disk Clone subsequently.
Step 2. Select the source disk and destination disk, respectively.
Step 3: By default, this software will resize partition size of larger drive automatically. Optionally, click Edit Partitions to confirm and convert disk partition style if you are cloning MBR to GPT or vice versa. At last, check your settings and click Start Clone.
Download AOMEI Cloner for a quick upgrade!
The computer freezes when playing games on Windows 11 can be caused by many reasons, e.g., insufficient system resources, full disk, etc., and you can fix it according to them. Here are 6 simple and effective methods for different situations.
