How to Fix DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED Game Crashes

Quick Fix

Update your GPU drivers first, then disable overlays. Most cases are fixed by a clean graphics driver update plus turning off recording/overlay software:

1. Update or roll back your GPU driver. Use NVIDIA GeForce Experience, the AMD Adrenalin app, or Intel Driver & Support Assistant to install the latest driver. If the crash started right after a driver update, roll back to the previous version instead.
2. Disable in-game overlays. Turn off the Steam Overlay, NVIDIA ShadowPlay/In-Game Overlay, Discord overlay, and the EA/Origin overlay, since these frequently conflict with the game's rendering pipeline.
3. Undo any overclocking on your CPU, GPU, or RAM (including XMP/EXPO profiles) and test again at stock settings.

Step-by-Step Guide

What this error means

The DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED is a DirectX error that happens when your graphics card loses contact with your computer, and DXGI stands for DirectX Graphics Infrastructure, a core component of Windows that manages graphics tasks. This error occurs when the graphics driver encounters a severe problem, and to protect your system from instability or data corruption, Windows's safety mechanism steps in and purposely stops the connection to the graphics card, effectively telling the game or application that the device has been removed.

This is different from a device hung error, where the card simply freezes for a moment - a removed error is more serious because it signifies a full driver crash and restart. The game then tries to render the next frame, can't find the GPU, and crashes to desktop. It can be triggered by an unstable overclock, a buggy or outdated driver, a background overlay conflicting with the rendering pipeline, running out of VRAM, or occasionally faulty hardware (RAM, GPU, or motherboard).

Fix 1: Update or roll back your graphics driver

1. Check for the latest driver. Outdated drivers can force your system to display the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error. Open GeForce Experience, AMD Adrenalin, or Intel's driver tool and install any available update.
2. Roll back if the crash started after an update. If the updated driver isn't compatible with your gaming software, remove the update and get back the initial version, which will solve the error. In Device Manager, right-click your GPU under Display adapters, open Properties, go to the Driver tab, and select Roll Back Driver.
3. Do a clean reinstall using the driver manufacturer's clean-install option if problems continue after updating.

Fix 2: Disable overlays and background recording tools

1. Turn off the Steam Overlay. Right-click on your game title and select Properties, then in the General tab, toggle off the option Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game.
2. Disable NVIDIA ShadowPlay/overlay. Right-click the GeForce Experience shortcut and select Run as administrator, then go to the General tab from the left panel and toggle off the In-Game Overlay or Share feature.
3. Disable the EA app overlay if you play an EA/Frostbite title, and close Discord, OBS, or other overlay/recording software before launching the game.

Fix 3: Undo overclocking (CPU, GPU, and RAM)

1. Reset GPU/CPU clocks to stock. If you have done any GPU or processor overclocking, that overclocking could have caused the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error, so undo the overclocking with the software you applied it with, or reset the BIOS.
2. Disable RAM XMP/EXPO profiles. Restart your PC, enter BIOS (usually Delete or F2 at boot), locate the memory settings, and turn off the XMP/EXPO profile so RAM runs at its default JEDEC speed. High RAM frequencies can cause instabilities that show up as DXGI crashes when the CPU can't feed data to the GPU fast enough.

Fix 4: Adjust the Windows TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) registry setting

1. Understand what TDR does. This fix targets the Timeout Detection and Recovery feature — when Windows detects your graphics card is frozen for more than a few seconds, it resets the driver to prevent a full system crash, which triggers the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error, and the steps below tell Windows to skip or delay this recovery process.
2. Open the Registry Editor. Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
3. Navigate to the GraphicsDrivers key. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetControlGraphicsDrivers.
4. Add or adjust TdrDelay. Modifying the GraphicsDriver registry key is the most widely confirmed potential fix for the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error, and this involves adding a TDR DWORD to the GraphicsDrivers key. Increasing the TdrDelay value (in seconds) gives the GPU more time before Windows assumes it has hung.
5. Try deleting TdrDelay instead if you already have one. A few users also confirm deleting a TdrDelay QWORD in the same key can work; right-click the TdrDelay QWORD, select Delete, and confirm.
6. Restart your PC after any registry change. This is an advanced step — only do it if simpler fixes fail, since it changes how Windows recovers from a genuine driver crash rather than fixing the underlying cause.

Fix 5: Turn off in-game graphics settings that stress the GPU

1. Disable DLSS. Some players confirm disabling DLSS graphics settings in games fixes the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error — if the affected game doesn't always crash when you start it, try turning off its DLSS option, usually found within a game's video or graphics tab.
2. Turn off Antialiasing. Antialiasing can sometimes cause crashing issues like this error; in the NVIDIA Control Panel, go to Manage 3D settings, the Global Settings tab, click the Antialiasing – Mode option, and select Off.
3. Lower resolution/VRAM-heavy settings. If you play Capcom or other VRAM-intensive titles, lowering resolution, texture quality, or disabling upscaling like DSR can prevent running out of Video RAM, which is a common trigger for this error.

Fix 6: Repair or verify your game files

1. Verify game integrity on Steam. Verifying the integrity of your game files is a quick way to check for and fix this problem — open Steam, go to Library, right-click your game, select Properties, go to the Installed Files tab, and click Verify integrity of game files, which may take several minutes.
2. Repair through the EA app if applicable. Launch the EA app, go to Installed games, find your game, then click MANAGE and Repair.
3. Clear the DirectX shader cache if you're on a Frostbite-engine game (Battlefield, EA FC): open Disk Cleanup, select your C drive, check DirectX Shader Cache, and run the cleanup to force the game to rebuild shaders.

Fix 7: Rule out hardware problems

1. Close resource-heavy background apps. Unnecessary applications running in the background can consume valuable resources and impact stability — press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager, and in the Processes tab, end resource-hogging apps.
2. Test your RAM. According to user reports from the NVidia forum, faulty RAM can lead to the DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error, so it's recommended to test the RAM and check if it's damaged. Use Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86 overnight.
3. Suspect the motherboard or storage if the crash follows you across multiple GPUs and games. Some users report replacing the GPU entirely and still hitting the same error, later tracing it to the motherboard, RAM, or drive the game is installed on — try moving the game to a different drive.
4. Contact official support if hardware is suspected. If the error persists after driver, software, and registry fixes across multiple games, and a memory/stress test shows problems, this points to failing hardware. In that case, contact your GPU or motherboard manufacturer's support, or a repair technician, rather than continuing to chase software fixes.

This fix applies to Windows 10 and 11 PCs only; it is not applicable to consoles, which handle GPU driver recovery differently.