New game Crash - Keeps crashing reaching the roof or opening Hangar gates (first quest) | Channel37 | Page 1

azure sorrel Dec 16, 2025, 11:47 PM

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First mission (initial hangar), the game consistently crashes when I reach the top of the stairs and attempt to exit onto the deck. The issue only occurs at the summit—there are no problems inside the hangar. The crash happens both with and without the -noraytracing option enabled. Tried graphics from High to Low.

I started a fresh playthrough after the latest update to ensure no remnants from the first version were affecting the game.
No Mods, No 3rd-party tools, No shader file, PC fully updated
(I tried to open the hangar door to get out, but it crashed too)

PC Specs :
-CPU: Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor
-GPU: Asus ROG STRIX GAMING OC GeForce RTX 4080 16 GB
-MB: Asus ROG STRIX Z790-E GAMING WIFI
-RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 64 GB (4 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600
-HDD: Samsung 980 Pro 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
-OS Windows 11 x64 - 25H2
-GeForce driver 591.44, DirectX 12 (FL 12.1), driver version 32.0.15.91.44
-Display : 3440x1440 with G-SYNC

---Early Access - 0.6.0.606471---

GPU Crash dump Triggered

VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
VoyageSteam_Win64_Shipping
kernel32
ntdll

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Here’s my save file in case it helps. It’s pretty straightforward since the very beginning.
Let me know if any dmp file is required, I will share.

📎 76561198104196758_7.sav

azure sorrel Dec 17, 2025, 11:33 PM

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New game Crash - Keeps crashing reaching the roof or opening Hangar gates (first quest)

naive ruin Dec 17, 2025, 11:44 PM

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I just loaded up your save and had no issue. Here is a pic with me on the roof. Can you copy/paste the full crash that pops up? Yours is shortened. Just would like to see it to see it if anything stands out...

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Your video card is better than mine so the -noraytracing thing shouldn't be needed.

azure sorrel Dec 17, 2025, 11:49 PM

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Thanks for looking at it.
Here's a crash I just generated by getting at the top floor. I did provide a more recent saved file.
I whish I could see the outside 🥹

📎 D3D12.0.2025.12.17-18.46.39.nv-gpudmp 📎 UEMinidump.dmp 📎 CrashContext.runtime-xml 📎 CrashReportClient.ini 📎 76561198104196758_7.sav

naive ruin Dec 17, 2025, 11:53 PM

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Just for a quick 'something' to try. You already know where your save files are so its easy. Can you exit game and then delete the Voyage_PCD3D_SM6.upipelinecache file in the Saved folder and then give it shot? That's your cache... Don't worry about deleting it as it will be rebuilt upon loading.

azure sorrel Dec 17, 2025, 11:57 PM

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one sec, will do. Currently the file does not exit

naive ruin Dec 17, 2025, 11:58 PM

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its not the same folder with your saves. go a folder up.

azure sorrel Dec 17, 2025, 11:58 PM

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Got it, The file did not exist since I never exit properly 🙂

📎 Voyage_PCD3D_SM6.upipelinecache

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:00 AM

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thats is the one. its weird that is was not there....
well lets try this. make sure its gone and then load up. do a quick save at the terminal and then exit the game properly. then check to see if it created.

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i wonder if it was never created because you were using the -noraytracing thing.

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:03 AM

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Here you go. I deleted the previous file, load the game, quick save and exit properly.
BTW, I still have the -noraytracing option enabled

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:03 AM

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no no.... don't upload it lol. i just need you to delete from the folder lol. also, remove the -noraytracing augment you added.

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:04 AM

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heheh oups. got it

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done, deleted the cache, booted the game without the -noraytracing, quick save and exit.
I now have a new smalelr cache file created.

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:07 AM

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did you still crash on the stair? now check...

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:08 AM

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sadly yes 🙁

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:09 AM

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ok... we've eliminated the cache building incorrectly.

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:09 AM

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Cache file does not get created when crashing. That's probably the reason why that file never existed on my system..

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:19 AM

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i have a thought, but its not an easy thing to test. just looking at differences between our pc's and it sticks out to me. i do want to add that i'm not dev or anything. i'm more of normal player that just tries to help folks. if that doesn't bother you, here is what caught my eye.

i am using an older video card driver than you as i'm too lazy to update lol. yours is the most recent (4 Dec) and mine is from 14 Oct which is ver 581.57. are you up to trying an older video card driver? totally understand if you're not...

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:26 AM

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I appreciate the help! I really like this game and I’m eager to play. I’d prefer not to downgrade my video driver for the moment, with NVIDIA, 4Dec is already old lol, I am guessing a new one will probably release soon.
If no update in short time, I migth consider it.

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:30 AM

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understandable 🙂 i loaded your save without issues so there is 'something' on your pc that is causing the crashes. Oh.... a random thought occurred to me, and it doesn't involved the video card driver lol. have you overclocked or using some overclocking software of sorts? Basically, anything that might 'tune' your graphic settings...

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:34 AM

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Yeah, that might be a good hint, I am not OC crazy but I might have turn XMP for RAM, not sure if I did something for my GPU, will check.

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:36 AM

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won't hurt to check... i'm basically running straight factory settings of sorts for all my parts lol

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 12:39 AM

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🙂 it avoid a lot of issue

drowsy escarp Dec 18, 2025, 1:31 AM

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Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0xffffffffffffffff
AMD RX 7600 -noraytracing

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 1:35 AM

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drowsy escarp Unhandled Exception: EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION reading address 0xffffffffffffff...

@drowsy escarp can you please make a separate support post? i don't want to get things mixed up right now as this thread is me working with a single person and we've done a good bit of stuff together.

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 1:38 AM

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azure sorrel 🙂 it avoid a lot of issue

so you got my curiosity up @azure sorrel . i went into my BIOS and checked. i never turned on the XMP profiles. it's all set to Auto.

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 2:15 AM

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I am currently making sure all my driver and firmware are up to date... Notice some were requried, hoping this could be my issue... 🤞
Auto XMP is usually perfect, it simplifies the exercise by using pre-built profile to make it easier and less prone to crash 🙂

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 2:18 AM

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Sounds good. I'm following the thread so if I'm out for the night, I'll see anything you post in the morning. 🙂

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 5:50 AM

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https://tenor.com/view/nic-cage-nicolas-cage-con-air-freedom-sunshine-gif-11101284117173771733

Tenor

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**I'm finally out! ** 😅
Long story short, my PC BIOS was way overdue for an update (about two years). I also updated the GPU BIOS, but that didn’t fix the issue....the game kept crashing.
So, I dumped all my crash dump files into Gemini for analysis, I tried the solutions it suggested, and thankfully, it worked. 😁

TLDR answer

Set "Prefer Maximum Performance" : [ NVIDIA Control Panel > 3D Settings > Program Settings > VoyageSteam-Win64-Shipping.exe ]
Set "Shader Cache Size" : [ NVIDIA Control Panel > 3D Settings > Global Settings > 10GB ] (needs NVIDIA driver 496.13 or newer)
Clear Old NVIDIA Cache : [ %localappdata%\NVIDIA\DXCache\* && %localappdata%\NVIDIA\GLCache* ] (skip any files in use)

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---- Gemini's analysis ---- (trimmed to fit post)

Crash reports show a GPU error in Unreal Engine 5, common even on high-end cards like the RTX 4080.
It happens in Mission 1 at the hangar stairs, likely tied to rendering tasks or UE5 features (Lumen/Nanite) causing TDR errors.

1. Identify the Specific Trigger
Location-Based: Crash occurs at hangar exit, suggesting rendering load.
Hardware: Even powerful CPUs/GPUs can hit TDR if frames take too long.

2. Recommended Troubleshooting Steps

Disable/adjust DLSS (switch to Quality mode).
Set NVIDIA power mode to “Prefer maximum performance.” and adjust Shader Cache Size <----Solution for me 😁
Verify game files in Steam to clear shader cache issues.

3. Why it works elsewhere
Your save data is fine—the crash is environmental, tied to your hardware/driver setup.

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---- Detailed STEPS ----

1. Set "Prefer Maximum Performance"

This prevents the card from "downclocking" to save power during scene transitions, which often triggers the GPU crash you are seeing.

Right-click your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel.
On the left sidebar, click Manage 3D Settings.
Look for two tabs in the main window: Global Settings and Program Settings.

Recommendation: Go to Program Settings so this only applies to your game.

Click Add and find the game's executable (likely VoyageSteam-Win64-Shipping.exe). If you don't see it, click Browse and navigate to your Steam folder: steamapps\common\The Last Caretaker\Voyage\Binaries\Win64.
In the list of settings below, scroll down to Power management mode.
Click the dropdown next to it and select Prefer maximum performance.
Click Apply at the bottom right.

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2. Set "Shader Cache Size"

Unreal Engine 5 games generate a massive amount of shader data. If the cache is too small (the default is often only 1GB-4GB), the driver will delete old shaders to make room for new ones, causing the "stutter-crash" you're experiencing.

Stay in the Manage 3D Settings menu (either Global or Program settings).
Scroll down the list until you find Shader Cache Size.
Click the dropdown and change it from "Driver Default" to 10 GB (or Unlimited if you have plenty of SSD space).
Click Apply.

[!TIP] If you don't see Shader Cache Size: You may be on an older NVIDIA driver. Please ensure you are on version 496.13 or newer, as this is when NVIDIA added the specific "Size" toggle to the control panel.

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3. Clear the Old (Corrupted) Cache

Since the game has already crashed several times, there might be a "bad" shader saved in your current cache. Let's wipe it so the new settings can start fresh:

Press the Windows Key + R, type %localappdata%, and hit Enter.
Navigate to the NVIDIA folder.
Open the DXCache folder.
Delete everything inside this folder (skip any files that say they are "in use").
Go back one folder and do the same for the GLCache folder if it exists.

azure sorrel Dec 18, 2025, 6:39 AM

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naive ruin so you got my curiosity up <@337397955030155264> . i went into my BIOS and chec...

It’s worth checking if your hardware supports XMP. Once I enabled it (XMP1), my RAM jumped from 4300 MT/s to 6200 MT/s using the vendor’s rated spec profile.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help. 😀

naive ruin Dec 18, 2025, 12:39 PM

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I'm freaking STOKED dude! I'm super glad you got it sorted. 🙂 Sail on, Caretaker! May the seas be forever in your favor.

#New game Crash - Keeps crashing reaching the roof or opening Hangar gates (first quest)