How to Fix Sons of the Forest Crashing or Freezing

As you embark on a mission to locate a wealthy individual who has gone missing on a remote island, you find yourself in a perilous situation surrounded by cannibals.

In this new open-world survival horror simulator, you must use your crafting skills, fight for your life, and overcome the challenges of the environment, whether on your own or with friends.

Make your own decisions and chart your own path.

You’ll encounter a variety of demons and mutated creatures, some with human-like features and others that are entirely new to you.

Arm yourself with various weapons like pistols, axes, stun batons, and others to defend yourself and those who are dear to you.

Whether you decide to build a small cabin or a compound by the seaside, the choice is entirely yours.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to fix Sons of the Forest freezing, crashing, not launching, or having a white/black screen.

• Fix 1: Update your graphics card
• Fix 2: Run Sons of the Forest as an administrator
• Fix 3: Allow Sons of the Forest in your antivirus
• Fix 4: Disable overlays/conflicting programs
• Fix 5: Repair/verify the game files
• Fix 6: Update Windows to the latest version

Fix 1: Update your graphics card

• For Nvidia: Visit https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/geforce-experience/download/ > Download Now > open the app > sign up or log in > Drivers > Download.
• For AMD: Visit https://www.amd.com/en/support > Download > open the app > follow the on-screen instructions to update your graphics card.

Fix 2: Run Sons of the Forest as an administrator

1. Navigate to your Steam library.
2. Right-click Sons of the Forest > Properties > Local Files > Browse.
3. Right-click Sons of the Forest > Properties > Compatibility > Run this program as an administrator > Enable > OK > Launch the game.

Fix 3: Allow Sons of the Forest Legacy in your antivirus

• Open the Windows settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage ransomware protection > Allow an app through Controlled folder access > Add an allowed app > Browse all apps > select Sons of the Forest app > Open.
• Open the Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall > Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall > Change settings > Allow another app… > Browse… > select Sons of the Forest app > Add.
• Turn off Real-time protection: Open the Windows settings > Privacy & Security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Manage settings > Real-time protection > Off.

Fix 4: Disable overlays/conflicting programs

• Navigate to your Steam library > right-click Sons of the Forest > Properties > Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game > Disable.
• Open Nvidia GeForce Experience > Settings > General > In-Game Overlay > Disable.
• Open Steam > Steam > Settings > Downloads > Clear Download Cache.
• Unplug the Logitech or Thrustmaster racing wheel.
• End the task for Razer Synapse or MSI Dragon Center.
• Close all of your tabs to free up RAM and relaunch the game.

Fix 5: Repair/verify the game files

1. Navigate to your Steam library.
2. Right-click Sons of the Forest > Properties > Local Files.
3. Click on “Verify integrity of game files”.
4. Launch Sons of the Forest.

Fix 6: Update Windows to the latest version

1. Search for “Check for updates” using Windows Search.
2. Update Windows to the latest version.
3. Launch Sons of the Forest.

Further reading

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How to Fix Dead Space Not Launching, Crashing, or Freezing

How to Fix Forspoken Not Launching, Crashing, or Freezing