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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallFix Company of Heroes 3 by matching the remedy to the symptom: crashes and launch failures need Windows, driver, file, mod and user-data checks; visible hitching needs a local performance diagnosis; lobby errors need Steam, server-status, firewall and port checks. Start with reversible steps, protect saved games before resetting the My Games folder, and send Relic a detailed Bugsplat report when the fault persists.
Identify the problem before changing settings
A game that freezes for a second, a match that disconnects, and a desktop crash can look similar but have different causes. Record what happens, when it happens, and whether other players are affected before you start troubleshooting.
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| Symptom | What you see | First direction |
|---|---|---|
| Crash or launch failure | The game closes, shows a Bugsplat dialog, hangs during startup, or never reaches the main menu. | Check requirements, Windows and GPU drivers, Steam files, mods and runtimes. |
| Local stutter | The picture hitches, frame pacing is uneven, or controls feel choppy while the game continues running. | Check hardware headroom, drivers, files, power settings and the game mode or workload that triggers it. |
| Connection or lobby error | Steam or the game cannot reach the lobby, matchmaking fails, or a session drops while your local frame rate is otherwise normal. | Check Steam connectivity, maintenance, security software, the required ports and Relic’s status endpoint. |
Test campaign or skirmish separately from multiplayer. A hitch that occurs in a solo battle points toward rendering or simulation load; a clean local game followed by lobby errors points toward connectivity. Do not treat an online delay as proof that the graphics card is too slow, or a frame-rate hitch as proof that the servers are down.
Check requirements and complete the low-risk baseline
Compare your PC with Relic’s published CoH 3 PC System Requirements page, which was updated February 20, 2025. The figures below are Relic’s listed examples, not a guarantee of a particular resolution, frame rate or match size. Check the current store listing as well because requirements and supporting software can change.
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| Component | Minimum listed by Relic | Recommended listed by Relic |
|---|---|---|
| System memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics example | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950 or AMD Radeon R9 370 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 or AMD Radeon RX 5600 |
| Storage | 40 GB | |
| Graphics API | DirectX 12 | |
If the computer is below the minimum, software troubleshooting cannot make it meet that specification. If it has less than the recommended 16 GB of RAM, an upgrade may reduce paging in memory-heavy workloads when the motherboard and operating system support it, but it is not a guaranteed cure for a crash or a network error.
Work through reversible checks first
- Confirm the installation and free space. Make sure the game is installed in the Steam library you are using and that the drive has room for updates and temporary files.
- Install pending Windows updates. Restart after the update rather than testing from a partially updated session.
- Update the graphics driver. Use the driver package intended for your exact GPU and restart Windows when the installer requests it.
- Verify the Steam installation. In Steam, open Library, right-click Company of Heroes 3, choose Properties, open Installed Files, and select Verify integrity of game files. Allow the process to finish before launching.
- Check power and security settings. SEGA’s General Troubleshooting guidance includes checking GPU power settings and ensuring security software is not blocking the game or its client. Test with the normal Windows power profile first; if a security product reports a block, create an appropriate exception rather than disabling protection permanently.
- Disable modifications. Turn off every active mod and reproduce the problem with the unmodified game. A mod can cause a crash after an update even when the base installation is healthy.
Keep a short record of each change and its result. That prevents you from undoing a successful fix or repeating a step that has already failed.
Fix a crash on startup or during a match
Relic’s Crash on Startup or In-game article and Game Fails to Launch Troubleshooting article describe an escalation path. Use it in order so that a reinstall or user-data reset is not your first move.
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When the game reaches the menu but crashes in play
- Confirm that the PC meets the published minimum specification and complete the Windows and GPU-driver updates described above.
- Deactivate all mods, then test the same mode and map without them. If the crash disappears, re-enable modifications one at a time to identify the conflict.
- Verify Steam files. Corrupted or incomplete files can affect one mode or asset set without preventing the game from opening.
- Compare the failure across campaign, skirmish and multiplayer. Note whether it happens at a specific action, map, unit effect or save rather than describing it only as an intermittent crash.
When the game will not launch
Relic says to verify Steam’s game files and to keep the Microsoft C++ runtime and operating system current. Steam installs the runtimes required by Company of Heroes 3; allowing that installation to complete and then restarting Windows can resolve an incomplete runtime setup. Do not download an unrelated runtime installer from an untrusted site.
Last-resort repair steps
If the preceding checks do not change the behavior, Relic lists reinstalling the game and clearing its My Games folder. Treat both as destructive or time-consuming operations:
- Back up saved-game files before clearing the folder. Relic warns that this cleanup can remove saves and progress.
- Use the Windows user-profile folder where the game’s My Games data is stored; move the folder to a temporary backup location rather than deleting it immediately.
- Launch once with the clean folder. If the problem is gone, restore only needed files in small groups so that a damaged configuration or save does not return unnoticed.
- Reinstall only after file verification, updates and mod removal have failed. A reinstall does not repair a blocked port, an unsupported PC or a server-side outage.
Use a Bugsplat report instead of guessing
When a Bugsplat window appears, use the comment box to provide as much useful detail as possible and submit the report, as requested in Relic’s Crash Report (Bugsplat) guidance. Include the game mode, the action immediately before the crash, whether mods were active, the Windows and GPU-driver versions, and whether the crash is reproducible. These details give support a way to distinguish a launch fault from a map, workload or configuration fault; they are helpful context rather than a published mandatory form.
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Diagnose and reduce visible stuttering
Stuttering is a local performance symptom until evidence shows otherwise. First establish whether the image itself hitches or whether units continue smoothly while the entire online session responds late.
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- Frame-time hitch: the camera or animation pauses briefly, frame pacing is uneven, and the delay is visible in a solo match or replay.
- Network lag: commands appear late, units snap or stop responding, and other players may report the same delay while your local frame rate remains stable.
Run a short campaign or skirmish test with the same graphics settings. Then compare a multiplayer session. Record whether the issue follows a particular map, large army, visual effect, number of AI teammates or opponents, or only an online lobby.
Apply the practical performance checks
- Confirm the PC is at or above the recommended hardware where possible, especially 16 GB of RAM, and close other programs that consume memory or GPU time.
- Use the current GPU driver and Windows build, then verify the game files. These checks remove common software and asset causes before you change visual quality.
- Check the GPU power profile as described by SEGA’s support guidance. A restrictive or battery-oriented profile can reduce clock speeds during a match.
- Test one graphics setting at a time, beginning with the settings that most affect GPU load. Keep a note of the original values so you can revert after the test.
- Repeat the same scenario after each change. If only one map or effect triggers the hitch, record that exact reproduction instead of lowering every setting blindly.
Use patch notes as context, not as a universal fix
Relic’s cumulative Company of Heroes 3 Patch Notes Archive documents targeted historical fixes. Version 1.6.6 addressed GPU-related crashes; version 1.6.9 reduced hitching or stuttering when playing with multiple AI teammates or opponents; another historical note addressed performance or frame-rate issues associated with flamethrowers. Those entries show that specific workloads have been fixed before, but they do not establish that an old fix resolves every current stutter.
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Check the live notes before tying a symptom to a version. The official Steam announcements listing at Company of Heroes 3 announcements showed a 2.5.5 hotfix dated September 8, with added crash logging and stability fixes, and a 2.5.6 hotfix dated September 16 whose visible excerpt concerned an exploit fix. That was a dated listing snapshot, not a claim that either hotfix remains the newest release. Update the game normally through Steam and read the current notes when a problem begins after a patch.
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Relic’s Connection Issues article says the game attempts to connect to the lobby server at boot and remains connected for the entire session. Follow its checks in this order.
Check the client and service path
- Confirm that a browser and other applications can reach the internet.
- Check that Steam is online, not in offline mode, and not waiting for a client update or restart.
- Look for scheduled maintenance or an incident affecting the game before changing router settings. A server problem can affect many players at once.
- Temporarily test whether firewall or antivirus rules are blocking Steam or the game. Keep protection enabled whenever possible and create a narrow, reversible allow rule instead of turning security off permanently.
Check the ports Relic specifies
Relic identifies network traffic on ports 27000–27300. Review outbound and inbound rules in Windows Firewall, any third-party security suite, and a managed router or network firewall. The exact interface differs by product, so record the rule you add and remove it if testing shows no benefit. On a work, school or hotel network, you may not have permission to change the upstream firewall; ask its administrator rather than repeatedly reinstalling the game.
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Use Relic’s status endpoint
Open https://coh3-api.reliclink.com/game/version/checkStatus in a browser on the affected PC. Relic says a reachable endpoint should return ok. If the response is different or the page cannot be reached, something between that PC and the service may be blocking the request. This test is evidence about reachability from your connection, not proof that every outage is local: a service incident, routing problem or other server condition can still be involved.
Interpret the result without conflating symptoms
- If the endpoint responds
okbut the lobby fails, check Steam state, maintenance notices and security rules, then retest after a client restart. - If the endpoint is unreachable and other websites work, inspect firewall, antivirus, router and managed-network rules before touching game files.
- If several players report the same outage or maintenance is posted, wait for service recovery and preserve your observations for support rather than repeatedly changing local settings.
Build an evidence package for Relic support
Escalate when the failure remains reproducible after the appropriate branch above. A concise timeline is more useful than a list of every setting you have ever changed.
Record these facts
- Exact symptom and wording of any error.
- Whether it occurs at startup, in one mode, in every mode, or only in multiplayer.
- The map, unit effect, AI count, action or menu sequence immediately before a crash or hitch.
- Windows version, GPU model and driver version, system RAM, and whether the PC meets Relic’s listed requirements.
- Active mods, the date they were installed, and whether the unmodified game was tested.
- When the issue began and whether it followed a game, Windows or driver update.
- For connection problems, Steam’s online state, maintenance observations, firewall changes, the port range checked, and the result of the status endpoint.
Protect data while testing
Keep the backup of saved games and the original My Games folder until the issue is resolved. Do not overwrite it with a clean folder before you know whether the reset changed the result. Restore files in small batches so a faulty configuration can be isolated without losing progress.
A safe decision order
Use this order whenever you are unsure what to try next:
- Classify: crash, local frame-time hitch or connection failure.
- Check scope: startup, one game mode, one workload or every session.
- Check timing: after a patch, driver change, mod installation or network change.
- Choose the least risky action: requirements and updates, file verification and mod removal before reinstalling or clearing user data.
- Validate: reproduce the same scenario and record the result.
- Escalate: submit Bugsplat details or a support request with the evidence package when the official checks do not resolve the fault.
There is no published success rate or current percentage of affected players for these steps. Relic’s support pages and patch notes describe checks and targeted historical fixes, not a single diagnosis that applies to every Windows PC.
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