Age of Wonders 4 crash and performance issues – how to fix

For those wondering how to fix crashing and performance issues in Age of Wonders 4, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place.

Age of Wonders 4 is the latest Age of Wonders game, released on May 2, 2023. It is a x4 (explore, expand, exploit, exterminate) strategy game that combines roleplay with traditional strategy gameplay. Age of Wonders 4 lets you develop empires in whatever form you want, whether a favourite fantasy trope, or something a bit more left-field like a “clan of cannibal halflings” as the game suggests. Furthermore, a morale system has been added to make each battle exciting and unique. With all that on offer, it’s no wonder that many gamers are looking for ways to fix the crashing and performance issues that some have experienced.

Let’s get into what we found.

How to fix crashing and performance issues in Age of Wonders 4

The good news is that the developers know of the issues and have confirmed that they are working on a patch. In the meantime, they have requested that gamers report the data of their specific issues with gameplay that they have encountered to assist in fixing the problem. You can do so here.

The developers also suggested a few work arounds and we also found a few “hacks” that reportedly worked for some players on Steam. We’ve collated these here so you don’t have to go scouring the internet for them.

1. Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements
2. Check your graphics drivers are up-to-date
3. Switch to “hotfix” beta
4. Turn off VSync
5. Lower the graphics settings
6. Cap frame rate at 60FPS
7. Uninstall and reinstall

Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements

The number one thing to do if you’re experiencing crashing and gameplay issues in Age of Wonders 4 is to check that your system meets the minimum system requirements. The minimum system requirements for Age of Wonders 4 are:

• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor:
  • Intel Core i5-2500K
  • AMD Ryzen 5 1600X
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Graphics:
  • Nvidia GeForce GTX 670 (2GB)
  • AMD Radeon HD 7870 (2GB)
  • Intel Arc A380 (6GB)
  • Intel Iris Xe G7 (Tiger Lake)
  • AMD Radeon Vega 8
• Storage: 20GB available space
• Visuals: 1080p @ 30FPS

Check your graphics drivers are up-to-date

The second-best thing to do is to check that your graphics drivers are up-to-date. If any are out-of-date or corrupted then it can affect gameplay of the whole game. Fortunately, checking is an easy process.

In Windows:

1. Open up Windows Start, and type “device manager” into the search section at the bottom left of your screen.
2. Hit the drop-down option next to Display adapters.
3. Right-click your graphics card.
4. Hit Properties.
5. In the pop-up box hit select the Driver tab.
6. Jot down the GPU model and Driver Version number.
7. Now open up your GPU brand’s official page.
8. Navigate to the Drivers page.
9. Fill in your GPU specs and hit Search or Submit.
10. Check the latest driver against the information you jotted down.
11. If there is an update available, check the download is compatible, then hit Download, and Download again when prompted.
12. Once the download is complete open up the .exe file to launch and follow the prompts.

Switch to “hotfix” beta

If your system meets the requirements and your graphics drivers are all up-to-date, but you are still experiencing this issue, it is recommended that Steam players switch to the “hotfix” beta branch. This is an easy process. Here’s how:

1. Right-click Age of Wonders 4.
2. Hit Properties > Betas.
3. Select hotfix.

Turn off VSync

Another work-around that has been helping some gamers is to switch off VSync. All you have to do is hit Settings > Graphics > VSync in-game.

Lower the graphics settings

If switching off VSync didn’t work, some gamers have been combining this tactic with lowering their graphics settings. The developers recommend lowering the Shadow Quality and Quality Mode options until they can release a patch to solve the problem. To access both of these, simply open up Settings > Graphics in-game.

Cap frame rate at 60FPS

In line with the above strategies, some gamers have found that capping the frame rate at 60FPS has helped them resolve the crashing and performance issues they were experiencing. You can do this by:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select the Nividia Control Panel from the pop-up context menu.
2. Select Manage 3D settings > Program settings > Age of Wonders 4.
3. Turn Max Frame Rate on.
4. Enter 60 FPS.
5. Hit Apply.

Uninstall and reinstall

Our last suggestion if all the above have failed to resolve the issue, is uninstalling and reinstalling the game.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this and updating the page regularly as new information comes in on this topic. Make sure to check back in periodically to stay up to date.

Frequently Asked Questions

We know that many gamers have questions that they want answers to with an issue like this, so we’ve done our best here to answer some of your most pressing queries.

Will there be an Age of Wonders 4 patch?

Yes, the developers have confirmed that they are currently working on fixing some bugs players have reported and hope to publish a patch soon.

How much storage do you need to play Age of Wonders 4 without it crashing?

The minimum memory requirement to play Age of Wonders 4 is 20GB available space.