Fix: Cyberpunk 2077 - Patch 2.3 & higher - Startup & InGame crashes, DLSS crahes, driver re-install loop and more!

Cyberpunk 20772k views28 favorites5 min readby Chris P. NuttsUpdated Jun 8View on Steam ↗

Hardware Info:

I'd also like to point out that I've noticed that Nvidia GPUs with 8GB of VRAM and DLSS have been crashing more frequently over the past few months, so if you have one, it might be time for an upgrade. But this affects many games with high load after the changes to the GPU drivers & DLSS.

Also, especially for Windows 11 users, 16GB of Sytem-RAM isn't enough anymore with the current version 25H2. Windows tends to reserve up to 50% of the 16GB-RAM, and then 8GB for drivers + needed background software + gameing and eventually mods ... is clearly not enoug and often results in crashes and/or Black/Blue-Screens. This problem particularly affects notebook users first place. (Another reason to get a desktop PC.)

In either case, this guide probably won't help you, but you can still try, maybe you'll get lucky.

New problems with Patch 2.31

Oh dear dev team, I don't know what's wrong with you, but instead of solving the problems of 2.3, you've simply created more of them... Honestly, roll back to 2.2 and then leave the game alone. Just as an example... the Auto Drive mod on Nexus was never perfect but it worked better than the crap you patch the game with. It's really just ridiculous what's going on.

Nvidia GPU only starts with FSR (which theoretically works)
AMD GPU only starts with DLSS (instant crash)

For those of you who the workaround suggested below is not working anymore, just go back to version 2.3! Right-click on the game in your library and select Properties / Betas / Top right, then the latest 2_30old - Patch 2.3.

Or if you couldn't start that, you can also rollback to 2.21. Important to modders, check first there are 2.2 versions of your most needed mods. Many mods on Nexus still have 2.2 versions because 2.2 was really good and caused less problems for many users running the game with older hardware.

Follow this "exact order" and the game should work again.

This "sometimes" helps also against mod conflicts in few cases, caused by dumb files.

Update 2.3 to 2.31

Just a reminder: This worked reliably up until patch 2.3, but since the update to 2.31, that's no longer guaranteed. As I described, I have three computers; for two of them the clean up works witch Patch 2.31, but for the third it doesn't while having 1 to 1 the same hardware installed as one of the other two PCs and that makes no sense. Honestly, I'm so fed up with the RED Engine 4, which is why I'm glad that The Witcher 4 is being developed in the Unreal Engine. That would have avoided the problems that CP2077 had at launch.

If this is the case for you, let the Nvidia app or AMD Adrenaline adjust the game settings automatically. The problem is, you have to do this after every system restart because the game apparently doesn't even save the settings anymore. It's really crazy.

Game:

Navigate to: YOUR-DRIVE:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Cyberpunk 2077 Delete: r6, mods, (if exists) V2077
Navigate to: YOUR-DRIVE:\Steam\SteamApps\common\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins Delete: Everything exept the folder "adress libary"
This one is important!
... and also mostly the reason for crashes if you don't use mods at all, for example the game settings.ini files are stored here! Press: [Windows]+[R] Type: %localappdata% Delete folders: CD Projekt Red & REDEngine

Steam:

"This step is theoretically optional"
Open your Steam settings, navigate to downloads, and scroll down to the bottom. Search for and disable: Enable Shader Pre-Caching. This is supposed to make games launch a litte bit faster, which is actually a good thing, but with a reasonably modern system and a SATA or M.2 SSD, you won't really notice a difference. You can also get error-free Shader via a GPU driver update. Alternatively, you can leave it on, but we're talking about maybe 1-3 seconds, and only in a few games where you really notice it. There are also various games where the forced shader updates cause problems. This usually starts with receiving new micro-patches very frequently, sometimes even daily and that's the first indicator that there's a problem with your game. So, delete the shaders any time if this begins or simply deactivate the nonsense and you'll be fine. "My personal opinion is that it's not worth the hassle but; please decide for yourself!"

Windows:

Now we delete all old or defective shaders:
Right click on your C:\ drive: Choose properties, then (bottom right) cleanup. Check mark: DirextX-Shadercache and then run cleanup with Admin. If CP2077 starts cashing again at some point, especially if you haven't deactivated the shader download on Steam... the first thing you should do is delete the shader cache again.
At next, you'll need to clean install the GPU driver, it's important!: Nvidia & AMD have made some major changes to their driver structure since July 2025. Important to Nvidia users: do not use the Express feature!!
After all of this => Clean Boot <= your system it's also important! Unfortunately there are always problems understanding that, this is a clean boot: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows-da2f9573-6eec-00ad-2f8a-a97a1807f3dd And this step is just like the clean install of your GPU driver, not just optional, you must make sure that all system processes and all drivers are freshly loaded now.

The final steps and don't install any mods yet!!

The next time you start the game, Steam should reload the missing data you've deleted before. If this doesn't happen, you just need to run the integrity check via Steam (validate your files).

If the game runs without issues, I recommend restarting your system. Steam may then load some more data, which is normal at this point. Sometimes it takes up to the next day, but no worries about this.

From now on, you can also install mods again.

And if this worked for you just like it did for me or my real-life friends, then you know what you can do with just 1 or 2 clicks... thanks^^

Patch 2.3 // If it doesn't work for you, the problem isn't with the game. Check your hardware drivers and Windows updates. I've used the procedure described above on my three own PCs and on eight other PCs in my circle of friends, and all 11 systems have no issues that aren't related to mods.

With that in mind, good luck!