Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fixing THE FINALS depends on when the failure occurs. A crash at launch usually points to drivers, Windows, DirectX, or a damaged installation; a long “Preloading Shaders” screen is normally a one-time graphics-cache job; and “Connecting…”, high ping, or rubber-banding require network and matchmaking checks. Use the symptom-specific path below instead of applying every fix at random.
Identify the failure before changing anything
Note the exact point at which the game fails, because the same word—“lag” or “crash”—can describe different problems. The timing and visible indicators usually tell you which troubleshooting branch to follow.
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| What you see | When it happens | Most useful first checks |
|---|---|---|
| Desktop, freeze, or error before the main menu | Launch or shortly after starting a match | GPU and other hardware drivers, DirectX, Windows Update, and PC requirements |
| “Preloading Shaders 0–100%” or brief hitches after loading | First launch, an update, a driver change, a graphics-setting change, or a cleared cache | Let shader preparation finish; investigate only when progress and system activity stop for 10–20 minutes |
| “Connecting…” that never completes | Before matchmaking or while joining a session | Matchmaking region, platform-service status, router, Ethernet, and Windows network tools |
| High ping, delayed actions, warning icons, or rubber-banding | In a match, especially after joining a friend | Party leader’s region, Wi-Fi stability, background traffic, VPNs, and ISP routing |
| Console closes the game or fails to load | After wake-from-rest/sleep, during launch, or while loading | Full power-cycle, system and game updates, free storage, network status, and reinstall |
Keep track of any recent Windows, game, graphics-driver, BIOS, or peripheral change. That information is important if you need to contact Embark support and can distinguish a local configuration problem from a service or routing issue.
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Do not treat every interruption as a rendering problem. A low frame rate or hitch is produced locally, while a delayed hit, warning icon, or character snapping backward points toward the connection. A game that closes immediately after an update has a different starting point from one that reaches the menu but remains on “Connecting…”.
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Fix crashes on a Windows PC
Embark identifies outdated or incompatible drivers as common causes of PC crashes. The relevant drivers are broader than the graphics card: they can include the CPU platform and motherboard/BIOS, monitor, Wi-Fi adapter or network card, modem, and connected peripherals.
1. Identify your graphics hardware with DirectX Diagnostic Tool
- Press
Win+R. - Enter
dxdiagand pressEnter. - Allow the diagnostic check to complete, then open the Display (or similarly named graphics) tab to note the GPU model and driver information. The other tabs identify your Windows and audio hardware.
Write down the exact model instead of guessing from a product family. This prevents installing a laptop, integrated-graphics, or otherwise mismatched package. If the crash occurs only when joining a match, also note the network adapter and modem or router firmware changes, since an incompatible network driver can look like an online-game crash.
2. Update drivers from the hardware makers
Use the current driver utility or download page supplied by the manufacturer for your GPU. Also check the computer or motherboard manufacturer for chipset, BIOS, network, monitor, and peripheral updates when a crash began after a system change. Install the correct Windows version and hardware model rather than relying on a random third-party driver package. Restart after installations that request it.
Update one category at a time when possible and record what changed. That gives you a clear rollback point and makes a support report useful. Avoid repeatedly installing different versions without restarting; the game may still be using old components until Windows has restarted.
3. Refresh DirectX and Windows
Install Microsoft’s current DirectX package, then open Settings → Windows Update, install every available update, and restart Windows. A game can continue to crash when only the GPU driver was updated but the operating system or DirectX components remain behind.
4. Check whether the computer meets the official specification
Use the requirements table below as a hard baseline. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee a particular frame rate, but hardware below it can make crashes, severe hitching, or launch failures more likely and leaves fewer graphics options to reduce load.
5. Record the failure for support
If the crash continues, write down the exact error text or code, your Windows edition, the GPU and other relevant hardware, the approximate time, and any driver or Windows change immediately before the problem. State whether the crash occurs at launch, during shader preparation, while entering matchmaking, or in a match. Do not paraphrase an error that you can copy exactly.
Keep the report focused on reproducible behavior: what you clicked, how long the game ran, and whether the failure happened every time or only once. This is more useful than saying simply that the game is “broken.”
Fix crashes and launch failures on PlayStation or Xbox
A console that resumes a game from rest or sleep can retain a bad session state. Perform a complete shutdown rather than repeatedly reopening the suspended game.
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- Close THE FINALS completely from the console’s game menu.
- Shut the console down fully; do not select rest or sleep.
- Unplug its power cable for at least 60 seconds.
- Reconnect power, start the console, and launch the game again.
- Install all available console firmware and game updates.
- Check that the internal drive has adequate free storage.
- When the problem is “Connecting…” or another online loading failure, check PlayStation Network or Xbox Network status and restart the router.
- If crashes continue after those checks, uninstall and reinstall THE FINALS.
Avoid launching immediately after waking the console from rest or sleep while diagnosing the issue. If a reinstall is necessary, allow the download and any first-run shader preparation to finish before repeatedly testing launches.
Use the platform-status check before deleting the game. A service outage can produce a loading failure that no local reinstall will fix. Conversely, if other online games work and only this installation closes after a full power-cycle and update, reinstalling is a reasonable final local step.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsUnderstand shader preloading and startup stutter
The message “Preloading Shaders 0–100%” is normally expected. The game prepares shaders for lighting, shadows, particles, and destruction effects, then stores a local graphics cache. Because THE FINALS uses large-scale destruction and dynamic lighting, skipping this preparation can produce frame drops, texture problems, stuttering, or freezes later.
When waiting is the correct fix
Shader preparation can take several minutes after the first launch, a game update, a graphics-driver update, a graphics-setting change, or a cleared cache. Leave the game open and allow the percentage to advance. Closing and relaunching it repeatedly can restart the process, making the apparent wait longer.
A later driver or graphics-setting change can legitimately trigger the process again; that does not by itself indicate a damaged installation. Let the pass reach 100 percent before judging normal in-match performance.
When the process is actually stuck
Treat it as stuck only when the percentage has not changed for roughly 10–20 minutes, the computer shows no meaningful CPU or GPU activity from the game, or Windows reports that the application is not responding. At that point:
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →- Restart the game once.
- Close CPU- or GPU-heavy applications and overlays before launching again.
- Install the latest graphics driver and confirm that Windows and the game have finished updating.
- Allow the shader pass to run without switching repeatedly between launches.
Startup shader preparation and in-match stutter are related but not identical. If preloading completes and hitching remains only during play, record whether it happens during destruction, camera movement, or a particular map and include that timing in a support report rather than deleting caches repeatedly.
Do not confuse a shader pass with network lag: shader work can cause a local frame hitch, but it cannot create a high server ping or make your character rubber-band. Use the network branch when actions arrive late despite a stable frame display.
Resolve “Connecting…” and other connection errors on PC
Choose the correct matchmaking region
- Open the game’s Settings.
- Go to Gameplay → Region.
- Select the region that matches your physical location and apply the setting before searching for a match.
A party uses the party leader’s matchmaking location. Joining a friend who is far away can therefore put every member on a distant route even when their own region setting is correct.
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Use a stable local connection
Embark’s guidance is explicit: “A wired (Ethernet) connection is recommended over Wi-Fi.” Connect the gaming PC or console directly to the router when possible. A Cat6 Ethernet cable is an appropriate accessory for replacing an unstable Wi-Fi link, but it cannot repair a server outage, a failing router, or an ISP routing problem.
Remove common sources of packet loss and blocked traffic
- Disconnect VPNs and proxies while testing.
- Pause game downloads, cloud synchronization, video streaming, and other large transfers.
- In Windows, pause peer-to-peer delivery optimization while playing.
- Restart the router, then restart the game before beginning a new matchmaking search.
- Install pending Windows updates.
Run Windows’ network repair steps
- Open Settings → Network & internet → Network troubleshooter (the exact wording can vary by Windows release) and follow the detected-fault repair.
- If the problem remains, open Command Prompt and run
ipconfig /release. - Run
ipconfig /renew, thenipconfig /flushdns. - Restart Windows and try matchmaking again.
- If your normal DNS service is failing, test a reputable public DNS service using the DNS addresses supplied by that provider; record the original addresses so you can restore them.
These commands refresh the local address lease and DNS cache. They do not change the game’s server region and cannot correct an outage at the platform or game service.
Diagnose high ping, lag, and rubber-banding
High ping means your input reaches the game server late; rubber-banding is the visible snap back when the server corrects your position. Embark lists several possible causes: joining a friend in another region, unstable Wi-Fi, background streaming or downloads, VPN use, and ISP routing.
Separate local congestion from regional distance
- If every online game becomes unstable when another device streams or downloads, stop that traffic and test again.
- If only parties formed around a distant friend show high ping, leave the party and test as the leader in your own region.
- If the warning appears at the same time every device on your connection slows down, restart the router and contact your ISP if the pattern persists.
- If a wired connection is stable but Wi-Fi is not, the wireless link—not the game’s frame rendering—is the likely bottleneck.
Apply the region, Ethernet, VPN, traffic-pause, router, and Windows network steps in the preceding section in that order. Restart the game before matchmaking after changing the connection path so it does not retain the previous session.
Compare the result before and after each change. If changing from Wi-Fi to Ethernet removes the warning, keep the wired path for competitive sessions. If nothing changes while every other service is slow, the likely fault is outside the game client and belongs with the ISP or platform service.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOfficial PC requirements
These are Embark Studios AB’s listed configurations for 2026. Both tiers require DirectX 12 and Windows 10 64-bit or later with the latest update.
| Component | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Windows 10 64-bit or later, latest update | Windows 10 64-bit or later, latest update |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600 | Intel Core i5-9600K or AMD Ryzen 5 3600 |
| Memory | 12 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti or AMD RX 580 | NVIDIA RTX 2070 or AMD RX 5700 XT |
| DirectX | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
The requirements are a compatibility guide, not a promised FPS or latency result. If your system is below the minimum, bring it up to the listed baseline before spending time on advanced crash diagnosis. The recommended tier has 16 GB of RAM compared with 12 GB minimum, and a substantially stronger graphics class; it is not a guarantee that every graphics option will be smooth in every destruction-heavy scene.
Special case: crashes after Windows KB5121003
Embark’s notice dated 2026-08-17 links a particular crash pattern to a Windows update that changed inpoutx64.sys. Use the following procedure only when your crashes began in the timeframe associated with KB5121003 and the symptoms match Embark’s notice. Removing a system driver is not a general crash fix.
Document the change first
- Confirm that KB5121003 is installed and note the date the crashes began.
- Create a restore point or another verified recovery option before changing a driver or registry entry.
- Close the game and other programs, and make sure you can sign in to Windows with an administrator account.
Run Embark’s documented driver-removal commands
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Run
sc stop inpoutx64. - Run
sc delete inpoutx64. - In File Explorer, open
C:WindowsSystem32driversand deleteinpoutx64.sys. - Optionally remove the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMCurrentControlSetServicesinpoutx64registry key, but only if you are comfortable editing the registry and have a recovery point. - Restart Windows and test THE FINALS.
This workaround changes system configuration and its applicability can change as Windows and the game are updated. If the crash does not match the KB5121003 timing, or the commands report that the service or file is absent, stop and contact Embark support instead of deleting unrelated drivers.
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Use a symptom-based escalation checklist
When the platform-specific steps fail, send Embark support a complete report. Include:
- Platform: PC, PlayStation, or Xbox.
- Operating system and, on PC, GPU, CPU, RAM, and relevant driver versions.
- Country and selected matchmaking region.
- Approximate time of the failure and whether other players were affected.
- Exact error message, code, or the precise text shown on screen.
- Where it fails: launch, shader preload, matchmaking, loading, or in-match.
- Whether it started after a Windows, game, graphics-driver, BIOS, or peripheral update.
- Whether the issue is a crash, frame stutter, high ping, packet loss, or rubber-banding.
- Which steps you already tried and what changed after each one.
For console reports, add the console model, free-storage amount, whether the game was resumed from rest or sleep, and the result of the full power-cycle. For network reports, say whether Ethernet changed the result, whether a VPN was active, and whether the party leader was in another region. These details help support distinguish a local installation, platform service, routing, or game defect.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A practical order of operations
- Classify the symptom and note recent changes.
- For a PC crash, update hardware drivers, DirectX, and Windows, then restart.
- For a console crash, perform the 60-second power removal, update, check storage, and reinstall only if necessary.
- For shader preloading, wait for completion unless progress and system activity have stopped for 10–20 minutes.
- For “Connecting…” or high ping, set the correct region, use Ethernet if available, remove VPNs, pause competing traffic, restart the router, and run the Windows network commands when applicable.
- Use the KB5121003 workaround only for the matching Windows-specific crash pattern.
- Escalate with the full checklist when the failure survives the appropriate branch.
Frequently asked questions
Why does THE FINALS keep crashing on PC?
Start with incompatible or outdated GPU, CPU-platform, motherboard/BIOS, network, monitor, or peripheral drivers. Then install current DirectX and Windows updates, restart, and compare your hardware with the official minimum requirements. Capture the exact error and timing if the crash continues.
Is “Preloading Shaders” a problem?
Usually not. It is the normal preparation of lighting, shadows, particles, destruction effects, and a local cache. It can take several minutes after a first launch, update, driver change, graphics-setting change, or cleared cache. Investigate only after 10–20 minutes without progress or activity.
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Why is my ping high only when I play with a friend?
The party leader’s location determines the matchmaking region. Leave the party and test as leader in your own region. If that fixes the delay, the earlier session was using a distant route rather than indicating a frame-rendering problem.
Can a Cat6 cable fix every connection error?
No. Ethernet can replace an unstable Wi-Fi link and reduce local packet loss, but it cannot fix a game or platform outage, a failing router, or poor ISP routing.
Should I use a VPN to lower ping?
No. Embark lists VPNs and proxies as possible causes of connection trouble. Disconnect them while testing so the route is direct and easier to diagnose.
What should I do if “Connecting…” never finishes?
Check the selected region, platform-service status, router, and Ethernet connection. Pause downloads and streaming, disable VPNs, run the Windows network troubleshooter and the release/renew/flushdns commands, restart, and try again.
When should I use the inpoutx64.sys workaround?
Only when the crash matches the KB5121003 timing and Embark’s described symptoms. It removes a system driver and may involve the registry, so create a recovery option and contact official support when the match is uncertain.
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What information does support need?
Provide platform, operating system, country and region, exact message or code, approximate time, failure location, recent updates or driver changes, hardware details, network conditions, and every troubleshooting step already attempted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does THE FINALS keep crashing on PC?
Start with incompatible or outdated GPU, CPU-platform, motherboard/BIOS, network, monitor, or peripheral drivers. Install current DirectX and Windows updates, restart, and compare your hardware with the official minimum requirements. Capture the exact error and timing if the crash continues.
Is “Preloading Shaders” a problem?
Usually not. It prepares lighting, shadows, particles, destruction effects, and a local cache. Wait several minutes; investigate only after 10–20 minutes without progress or system activity.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Why is my ping high only when I play with a friend?
The party leader’s location determines the matchmaking region. Test as leader in your own region to see whether a distant route is causing the delay.
Can a Cat6 cable fix every connection error?
No. Ethernet can replace unstable Wi-Fi, but it cannot fix a service outage, failing router, or ISP routing problem.
Should I use a VPN to lower ping?
No. Disconnect VPNs and proxies while testing because they can add routing problems.
When should I use the inpoutx64.sys workaround?
Only for crashes matching the KB5121003 timing and symptoms. It changes system configuration, so create a recovery option and contact Embark when uncertain.
The Bottom Line
Match the remedy to the symptom: update PC drivers, DirectX, and Windows for crashes; fully power-cycle and update consoles; let shader preloading finish unless it is genuinely stalled; and use the correct region, Ethernet, traffic controls, router restart, and Windows network tools for connection problems. Reserve the inpoutx64.sys removal for the specific KB5121003 crash pattern, and give Embark precise timing, messages, hardware, and recent changes if the problem remains.
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