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Freedom251 › Blog › DirectX

The Outlast Trials Won’t Launch or Keeps Crashing: PC Fixes to Try

By Freedom251 Team · · 4 min read

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If The Outlast Trials will not launch, closes during startup, or crashes while you play, start with reversible checks: restart your PC and Steam, update Windows and your graphics driver, verify the game files, and close nonessential background software. If you see a specific DirectX error, use the matching DirectX step below. These checks can rule out common problems, but they do not identify one cause for every crash.

Try these general fixes first

Steam recommends restarting, updating Windows and drivers, verifying game files, closing nonessential software, and checking system requirements when a game fails immediately after launch. Work through the checks in order, retrying the game after each one so you can tell whether anything changed.

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  1. Restart your PC and Steam. Close Steam, restart Windows, then open Steam and try launching the game again.
  2. Install pending Windows updates and update your drivers. Get graphics and other device drivers from the relevant hardware vendor’s official channel.
  3. Compare your PC with the game’s published requirements. Steam’s listing is a useful compatibility baseline, not a guarantee that the game will run without crashes.
  4. Verify the game files in Steam. Follow the steps below.
  5. Close nonessential programs and overlays temporarily. Restart and retry. This is a general troubleshooting check, not evidence that a particular overlay causes this game’s crashes.

Steam notes that launch failures can have different causes across systems. If the game still fails, use the symptom-specific guidance rather than assuming the first check identifies the cause. Steam’s troubleshooting guidance for games that fail to launch

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Check whether your PC meets The Outlast Trials requirements

The following are the requirements and targets Steam listed for the game when accessed on October 7, 2026. They are published specifications, not independent performance-test results; game requirements can change.

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Steam listing Minimum Recommended
Operating system 64-bit Windows 10 64-bit Windows 10
Processor Intel Core i7-3770 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 Intel Core i7-6700K or AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
Memory 8 GB RAM 16 GB RAM
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti with 2 GB, AMD Radeon R7 360 with 2 GB, or Intel Arc A310 with 4 GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with 6 GB, AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 with 8 GB, or Intel Arc A580 with 8 GB
DirectX Version 11 Version 12
Network Broadband internet Broadband internet
Available storage 40 GB 40 GB
Listed target Low, 720p at 30 FPS, DX11, ray tracing off High, 1080p at 60 FPS, DX12, ray tracing off

Compare your actual processor, graphics card, memory, and free storage with Steam’s game-specific listing. Falling below the minimum can mean compatibility or performance trouble, but the listing alone cannot show which part of a particular PC is responsible. Do not assume a graphics-card purchase is necessary without checking the full system and the specific failure.

Verify The Outlast Trials files through Steam

  1. Open Steam and go to Library.
  2. Right-click The Outlast Trials and select Properties.
  3. Choose Installed Files.
  4. Select Verify integrity of game files and let the check finish before launching the game.

Steam says verification can take several minutes and should not run alongside other system-intensive work. A message that one or more files failed to verify can be normal: Steam notes that local configuration files may not be replaced. Steam’s file verification instructions

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If The Outlast Trials appears in Task Manager but no window opens

A game process visible in Task Manager while its window never appears is a launch symptom, not a diagnosis. It may mean the game did not complete startup, but that observation by itself does not establish whether the cause is the installation, a driver, a system requirement, or something else. Try the restart, update, requirements, file-verification, and background-software checks above. If you see an error message, use its exact wording to choose the relevant step below.

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If you see “DX12 is not supported on your system”

Red Barrels’ beta-era Steam troubleshooting announcement advises verifying the game files for this exact message. Use the Steam file-verification steps above, then retry. This advice is tied to an older beta-period announcement; it is not a diagnosis for other launch failures. Red Barrels’ Steam troubleshooting announcement

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If The Outlast Trials crashes with DirectX 12

For a crash specifically associated with DX12, Red Barrels’ older beta-period guidance suggests testing -dx11 as a Steam launch option. It warns that performance may be slightly slower. Treat this as a reversible test for a matching DirectX symptom—not a universal fix for crashes.

  1. Open Steam Library, right-click The Outlast Trials, and choose Properties.
  2. In the General section, find Launch Options.
  3. Enter -dx11, close Properties, and launch the game.
  4. If it does not help or causes another problem, remove -dx11 from Launch Options to return to the previous setting.

The instruction comes from a beta-period announcement, so it may not apply to every current build or every crash. Red Barrels’ Steam troubleshooting announcement

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If the problem is connectivity rather than startup

If the game opens but you cannot connect, Red Barrels’ older Steam guidance says to check whether firewall or antivirus rules are blocking the game. Inspect the relevant rule narrowly rather than turning off security protections broadly. This connectivity advice does not explain a crash that occurs before the game opens. Red Barrels’ Steam troubleshooting announcement

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Report repeatable crashes to Red Barrels

If the Unreal crash reporter appears, complete it. Red Barrels’ Steam guidance specifically asks players to fill out the Unreal Crash Window after a crash. If the general checks do not resolve the problem, Steam recommends contacting the developer; the game’s Steam support listing gives [email protected].

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Include the Windows version, CPU, GPU, installed RAM, exact error text, when the crash occurs, and the steps you have already tried. That information describes the failure clearly without guessing at its cause. Steam’s current game-specific support contact is listed on The Outlast Trials Steam page.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

DirectXgame crashesPC gamingSteam troubleshootingThe Outlast Trials

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