Phantom Blade Zero Crash Fixes: 0xc0000005 and Launch Errors

Despite its strong launch, players of Phantom Blade Zero are still running into various errors and technical issues. On PC, these include crashes at startup or during cutscenes, error 0xc0000005, freezing, and graphics problems. Some issues may be driver-related, while others require verifying game files or adjusting specific Windows settings. In this guide, we'll go through the known problems and explain what to check in each case, without putting your save files at risk.

First, work out exactly when the problem occurs. Does the game close right after the logo, crash during the same cutscene every time, or run but suffer from low FPS and stuttering? Make a note of when it happens and take a screenshot of any error message. If you contact support, it also helps to have your graphics card model, driver version, and amount of RAM ready.

Install any available game updates. S-GAME prepared a launch patch of around 5 GB containing fixes and improvements to ray tracing. If you preloaded the game, make sure the update has not only downloaded but also finished installing. Then restart the store client and your PC.

Back up your saves before reinstalling the game or changing save files. In Steam, open the game's Properties, go to Installed Files, and select Browse. Inside the game folder, look for:

Inside, you'll find a folder named after your account's numerical ID. Close the game, wait for Steam Cloud to finish syncing, and copy the save folder to another location. Note that this path applies to the Steam version; don't assume it is the same for other stores.

For minimum settings, the developers list the following requirements:

The minimum configuration targets 1080p at 30 FPS with image upscaling. If your PC is around that level, start with Low settings and ray tracing turned off, then increase graphics quality only after testing performance.

We also recommend moving the game from a hard drive to an SSD if that's where you installed it. In Steam, open Settings, then Storage, select the game, and choose an available SSD to move it to. On a laptop, plug in the power adapter and make sure the game isn't running in a power-saving mode.

Unlike with most games, the usual advice to install the newest driver doesn't currently apply here. Before release, S-GAME warned that version 621.01 could be unstable and recommended a clean installation of version 617.42 instead. If your crashes began after updating to 621.01, we recommend checking this advice first.

Open the official NVIDIA driver download page and select your graphics card model and Windows version. Look for 617.42 among older releases, provided it supports your card. Run the installer, choose Custom installation, and select the option to perform a clean installation. Once it's finished, restart your PC and try launching the game again.

We don't recommend installing a driver package intended for a different graphics card or an unsupported operating system. If 617.42 isn't listed as compatible with your card, use a release that is available for your hardware, but read its release notes first. Keep in mind that a game appearing on the supported-games list doesn't guarantee that every crash has been fixed.

Start by verifying the integrity of the game files. In Steam, right-click Phantom Blade Zero and go to Properties, then Installed Files, then Verify integrity of game files. Wait for the process to finish; Steam will redownload any damaged or missing files. If it restores anything, try launching the game right away.

Also install the regular Windows updates available under Settings, then Windows Update, and complete any required restart. If the issue started immediately after a particular update, note its number in case you need to contact support.

Next, open the game's Steam properties and clear the Launch Options field if you've added commands from videos or older guides. Remove any mods, third-party loaders, and manually installed graphics filters. Verifying files can restore the originals, but it won't necessarily delete extra DLLs or mod folders you've added yourself.

If the game still won't open, try running its executable directly from the installation folder. Sometimes this reveals a missing-component error that Steam doesn't display. Running it as administrator once may be useful if you get an access-denied error, but we don't recommend making that the default for every launch.

0xc0000005 is a memory access violation error. It doesn't automatically mean your RAM is faulty or that you urgently need to disable Windows security features. Players on various platforms have also reported PBZ.exe closing immediately with this exception. To narrow down the cause, start by checking the game files, driver, and whether the game runs without overlays.

If no error message appears, press Win+R, type eventvwr.msc, and open Windows Logs, then Application. Find the error corresponding to your most recent launch attempt. Save the faulting application name, module name, and exception code; these details may be useful if the usual fixes don't help.

These days, many players overclock their graphics cards, RAM, and processors, but that isn't always a good idea with newly released games. We recommend resetting any manual GPU overclock or undervolt to stock settings. Close monitoring and recording software, then try launching the game again. If other games also crash, check your CPU and memory stability.

Some players who experienced crashes immediately after launching Phantom Blade Zero found that disabling Memory integrity helped. This is a user-reported workaround, not a confirmed fix for every PC. It reduces Windows security, so we recommend verifying game files and checking the graphics driver first.

Open Windows Security, then Device security, then Core isolation details. Note whether Memory integrity is currently on or off, temporarily disable it, and restart your PC. After testing, restore the original setting and restart your computer again.

Remember that toggling Memory integrity and disabling all virtualization-based security aren't the same thing. You can check VBS status by pressing Win+R, entering msinfo32, and looking in System Information. Commands from online discussions that disable the hypervisor or modify the registry affect broader Windows functionality, including virtual machines and WSL2. S-GAME has not confirmed a universal fix involving those changes, so there's no reason to perform them after every crash.

If Windows explicitly reports a missing Visual C++ library when you launch the game, visit Microsoft's Visual C++ Redistributable download page. For a 64-bit game, install the current x64 package.

Run the installer and select Install, or Repair if the package is already installed. Restart your PC when it finishes. We don't recommend downloading individual DLL files from third-party sites: the official package installs the required dependencies.

Mainly because Phantom Blade Zero lists DirectX 12 in its system requirements, and a working DirectX 11 mode has not been confirmed for the release version.

If you're getting an unsupported DirectX version message, check your graphics card model and installed driver. Press Win+R and run dxdiag to view your system and display information. Installing additional libraries won't give your graphics card hardware features it doesn't support. However, if your hardware is compatible and the error persists, save a dxdiag report for technical support.

Press Alt+Enter to try switching the display mode. If the picture appears, choose your monitor's native resolution and borderless windowed mode in the game settings, then try launching it again. If you have multiple monitors, check which display the game is using. For troubleshooting, you can temporarily leave just one monitor connected.

On a laptop, open Settings, then System, Display, and Graphics. Add the game's executable and select High performance to use your dedicated graphics card. You don't need to disable integrated graphics in Device Manager: on some laptops, the built-in display depends on it.

If the black screen started specifically after a driver change, revisit the NVIDIA section or try the previous driver that worked with your card. Close recording applications and disable their overlays as well. Once the picture is back, re-enable those features one by one to find out which caused the problem.

Players are increasingly reporting crashes that consistently occur during particular scenes, including just before entering Panzhen. These issues aren't necessarily caused by an underpowered PC, since they can also happen on high-end systems. If the game closes at the same point every time, don't rush to delete your entire playthrough. Instead, load the nearest save and, before the troublesome scene, disable ray tracing and path tracing. Temporarily lower hair quality, shadows, and textures, turn off frame generation, and cap the frame rate at 60 FPS or lower.

If this helps, wait for the game to save and make a separate manual save as well. If the crash happens again with the same settings, verify the files and try an earlier save in a different slot.

Shader preparation can take longer after the first launch, a game update, or a driver change. Be sure to let it finish. Don't force-close the game every few minutes if it's still processing shaders.

If shader compilation crashes every time, check the game files, available disk space, and driver stability. Also make sure the paging file isn't disabled. If the problem continues after these checks, you can try clearing the DirectX Shader Cache once.

Press Win+R, type cleanmgr, and select your system drive. Uncheck everything else and leave only DirectX Shader Cache selected, then confirm the cleanup. The shaders will need to be prepared again the next time you launch the game. That is why you shouldn't constantly delete the cache whenever you notice a little stuttering.

We recommend turning off path tracing first, then testing the game with ray tracing disabled as well. Repeat the same section where you experienced frame drops. If performance improves noticeably, focus on tuning the non-ray-traced settings rather than immediately lowering everything to the minimum.

Next, we recommend working through these steps in order:

AMD has acknowledged distorted skies and hair in Phantom Blade Zero on Radeon RX 9000 cards. The issue appears among the known problems in the Adrenalin 26.10.2 release notes dated October 30. For hair distortion, AMD recommends disabling high-quality hair rendering in the game. Start with that setting, then replay the affected section.

That doesn't mean the same setting will necessarily fix the sky. Check for updates on AMD's official driver page and read the release notes for your card. If the distortion started immediately after an update, you can also try the previous compatible driver release.

If thin details are flickering, compare the available anti-aliasing and upscaling modes as well. Temporarily disable extra sharpening and any graphics overrides in your AMD profile. If artifacts appear in other games too, check your graphics card's stock clock speeds and temperatures.

Open the upscaling settings and check whether you've selected the most aggressive performance mode with a low internal rendering resolution. Try Quality mode or temporarily turn off upscaling to compare the picture. If dynamic resolution is enabled, see how the game looks without it. If you need more performance, start by lowering demanding effects while keeping the image sharper.

Check motion ghosting separately from general blurriness. Turn off frame generation, compare another available anti-aliasing mode, and disable motion blur. Restore the options one at a time so you can identify which one is responsible for the specific visual defect.

Start with the basics:

To check the paging file, press Win + R and enter sysdm.cpl. Open Advanced, then under Performance choose Settings, followed by Advanced, Virtual memory, and Change. Enable Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, save your changes, and restart your PC.

In Steam, open the game's Properties, then General, and disable the Steam Overlay. Temporarily turn off the Discord, NVIDIA, and AMD in-game overlays, then fully exit RivaTuner and any software that displays on-screen performance statistics. Test the same launch or scene again. If the crash disappears, re-enable the applications one at a time and repeat the test after each one.

If simply closing applications doesn't help, try a clean boot of Windows. Press Win+R, enter msconfig, and on the Services tab first check Hide all Microsoft services. Make a note of the original settings or take a screenshot, then temporarily disable third-party services. On the Startup tab, open Task Manager and disable unnecessary startup applications.

Restart the computer and test the game. If the store client won't start because one of its services was disabled, restore that service and try again. Once you've finished troubleshooting, return services and startup apps to their original states. If a clean boot resolves the issue, re-enable the disabled items one by one to identify the conflicting application.

Open Windows Security, then Virus & threat protection, then Protection history. Check for an event involving a Phantom Blade Zero file path at the time of the failed launch. If there's no sign of a block, don't add the entire game folder to your antivirus exclusions just in case.

If a file from the officially installed game has been blocked, verify its origin and run a file integrity check through the store client. There's no need to disable your antivirus or firewall entirely just to launch the game, as players on Reddit and Steam have also pointed out.

If the game can't write a save file, check available disk space and any Controlled folder access events. If Windows explicitly shows that the game's executable has been blocked, allow that specific program through the ransomware protection settings. Then create a test manual save in a new slot and check whether you can load it.

Start by making a copy of the local save folder described at the beginning of this guide. Don't delete the entire ProjectPBZ directory or start a new game over your only save. In this Steam version, save files are located inside the installation folder, so advice telling you to delete an AppData folder may not apply at all.

If there's a Steam Cloud conflict, compare the dates, times, and the progress you recognize in the local and cloud copies. If you want to test the game without synchronization, disable Steam Cloud in the game's properties only after backing up your files. Before turning it back on, close the game and make sure you know which copy you want to keep.

If one save slot won't load, try a different manual save or an autosave. Keep a copy of the broken save for support: it may help the developers investigate the problem, and you won't lose the chance to return to it after an update.

Connect your controller before launching the game, and check whether Steam recognizes it in the controller settings. For your first test, use USB and disconnect other gamepads, steering wheels, and virtual input devices. If you're running DS4Windows or a similar tool, avoid combining it with another remapping system unless necessary, since the game may receive duplicate inputs.

In Phantom Blade Zero's Steam properties, open Controller and compare the game with Steam Input enabled and disabled. Restart the game after changing the setting. Devices connected through Steam Input may show prompts for a different controller type; different button icons alone don't mean the game isn't registering your inputs.

If a particular button combination doesn't work, restore the default layout first and test it during the tutorial.

Check the selected audio output device in Windows: after connecting a controller or monitor, sound may have switched to that device. Open the volume mixer and make sure Phantom Blade Zero hasn't been muted separately at the system level. Then check the music, effects, and dialogue levels in the game itself.

If some sounds are missing, verify the game files. If you hear crackling during playback, temporarily disable spatial audio and any audio enhancements in the device's Windows properties, then restart the game.

If a download has stopped, first check whether Steam is still unpacking files. Even when network speed shows zero, it may still be working on the disk. Also check the free space on the drive where the game is installed.

If the download error keeps returning, open Steam, then Settings, then Downloads, and select Clear Download Cache. Try downloading the update again, then verify the files.