How To Fix Baldur’s Gate 3 Keeps Freezing

Baldur’s Gate 3 brings the classic RPG series into the modern era with stunning graphics and deep tactical combat. However, some users experience annoying freezing and stuttering issues during gameplay. The immersive adventure grinding to a halt with constant freezing can be game-breaking.

If your Baldur’s Gate 3 keeps freezing randomly, this guide will help troubleshoot the causes and provide solutions to fix the problems.

What are the causes of Baldur’s Gate 3 freezing issues?

Freezing problems in games can have several possible causes. Let’s check each one.

GPU Driver Issues

Outdated or faulty graphics drivers are among the most common causes of game freezing. Baldur’s Gate 3 depends heavily on optimized GPU drivers for rendering performance. Old drivers or corrupt installs lead to freezing. Updating to the latest stable drivers from Nvidia or AMD prevents most graphics-related hangs.

Overheating Hardware

Excessive heat buildup causes components like the CPU and GPU to throttle performance to protect themselves. This directly translates to game freezes, stutters, and crashes. Ensure your PC, especially the graphics card, has proper cooling and airflow. Monitor temperatures.

Windows Updates Issues

Windows updates can sometimes break game compatibility or cause performance issues leading to hangs and stutters. Faulty Windows updates should be uninstalled to restore smooth gaming. 

Game File Corruption 

Corrupted game files or incomplete game data can cause intermittent freezing even on powerful hardware. Verifying and re-downloading any missing or damaged game files through Steam resolves file-related freezing issues.

Background Software Conflicts

Bloatware, overlays, and monitoring utilities running in the background often interfere with games. Closing unnecessary apps frees up valuable system resources and prevents software conflicts leading to hangs.

How to fix Baldur’s Gate 3 keeps freezing.

Experiencing freezing issues with Baldur’s Gate 3? Here are the steps to resolve them.:

Fix 1: Update GPU Drivers

Updating to the latest Nvidia or AMD graphics drivers optimized specifically for Baldur’s Gate 3 eliminates most game-freezing issues caused by driver problems.

1. Open Device Manager > Display adapters>Properties>Driver>Driver details and note the current driver version.

   Display adapters>Properties>Driver>Driver details and note the current driver version.” class=”wp-image-17116″>

2. Visit the manufacturer’s website to download the newest drivers.

   

3. Uninstall old drivers, then clean and install the new ones.
4. Relaunch the game to see if Baldur’s Gate 3 keeps freezing still.

With clean, up-to-date GPU drivers tailored for Baldur’s Gate 3, stability and performance see a noticeable improvement in most cases.

Fix 2: Improve Cooling and Airflow

During gameplay, monitor your CPU and GPU temperatures using a system monitor like HWInfo. If temperatures exceed 80°C, take steps to improve cooling and airflow:

1. Clean dust buildup from the PC case, intake fans, and CPU cooler.

   

2. Ensure case fans are properly configured for good ventilation.

   

3. Replace the stock CPU cooler with a better aftermarket option.

   

4. Adjust fan curves for more aggressive cooling. For this part, you need to consult your hardware documentation.

   

5. Repaste GPU with fresh thermal paste if overheating.

   

Controlling temperatures through cleaning and upgrading cooling ensures hardware stays within operating limits for smooth gameplay free of temperature-induced hangs.

Fix 3: Verify Game File Integrity

Use Steam’s built-in tool to verify and repair Baldur’s Gate 3’s game file integrity. This scans and re-downloads any corrupted data.

1. In Steam, right-click Baldur’s Gate 3 > Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files.
2. Let Steam complete the verification and re-download any missing files.
3. Restart after verification and test if freezing problems persist.

Verifying game files fixes file-related freezing by restoring any damaged or missing data needed for proper gameplay performance.

Fix 4: Uninstall Problematic Windows Updates

Determine if a recent Windows update aligns with the onset of freezing issues. Uninstall the suspected problematic updates in Settings.

1. Open Windows Update settings.
2. View Update history and uninstall updates from the past month.
3. Restart your PC and observe if freezes persist.
4. Reinstall updates one by one to isolate any faulty ones. 

Uninstalling Windows updates avoid compatibility issues introduced by patches that hurt gaming performance.

Fix 5: Disable Background Apps and Overlays 

Freeze issues are commonly caused by background apps needlessly consuming resources and interfering with gameplay.

1. Close unnecessary programs and processes via Task Manager.
2. Disable overlays like Discord, GeForce Experience, Xbox Game Bar.
3. Turn off monitoring utilities like MSI Afterburner, Fraps.
4. Disable unnecessary startup programs.

Freezing and stuttering improve by preventing extraneous processes from cluttering up the CPU and GPU while Baldur’s Gate 3 runs.

Fix 6: Add Game Folder Exclusions to Antivirus

Antivirus scanning game folders in real-time can detrimentally affect performance. Configure your antivirus to exclude Baldur’s Gate 3 folder from scanning.

1. Open antivirus settings and find the scan exclusions option
2. Add the entire Baldur’s Gate 3 folder to the exclusions list
3. This prevents the antivirus from interfering while the game runs

With your antivirus ignoring Baldur’s Gate 3 folder, the game can run unhindered without background scanning slowdowns.

Final Thoughts

Baldur’s Gate 3 randomly freezing mid-gameplay can ruin the experience. Still, troubleshooting steps like updating GPU drivers, monitoring temperatures, verifying game files, closing background apps, and improving system stability resolve most instances for smooth, uninterrupted adventuring. Isolating the specific trigger causing hangs allows you to establish a tailored fix.

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