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How to troubleshoot crashing problems in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord

If you’re experiencing random crashes in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, the solutions in this article will show you how to end them.

Check your PC’s specifications against the game’s system requirements

It’s possible that your computer does not have what it takes to run the game. If you don’t upgrade your system where necessary, you will continue to experience the crashing issues no matter the tweaks you apply. Many gamers found this to be the issue and were able to resolve the problem by either changing their computer entirely or upgrading it.

You’ll find the minimum and recommended requirements of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord below. Also, there’s a guide that will walk you through the process of checking your computer’s specifications against the game’s requirements.

Minimum requirements

Operating System: Windows 7 (64-bit only)

CPU: Intel Core i3-8100; AMD Ryzen 3 1200

System Memory: 6 GB of RAM

GPU: Intel UHD Graphics 630; NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB; AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB

Storage: 60 GB of available space

Operating System: Windows 10 (64-bit only)

CPU: Intel Core i5-9600K; AMD Ryzen 5 3600X

System Memory: 8 GB of RAM

GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 3GB; AMD Radeon RX 580

Storage: 60 GB of available space

Follow the steps below to check your system’s specifications:

  1. Punch the Windows logo key and the R key together to launch the Run dialog box. You can also right-click the Start button and click on Run.
  2. After the dialog box appears, type “dxdiag” (without the quotes) into the text box and hit the Enter key or click on OK.
  3. Once the DirectX Diagnostic Tool shows up, go to the System Information section of the System tab to find your PC’s specifications, including your CPU make and model, system architecture (whether your OS is 64-bit or 32-bit), RAM size, and DirectX version, among others.
  4. Your GPU details can be found under the Display tab, while your sound card’s specs will be detailed under the Sound tab.
  5. To check your storage details, go through the File Explorer:
  • Press and hold the Windows logo key, then tap the E key or click on the folder icon in the taskbar to summon a File Explorer window.
  • After the File Explorer window opens, go to the left side of the screen and click on This PC.
  • Next, move to the right and check the available storage space of your drives under Devices and Drives.

After checking the game’s system requirements, the next step will be to follow the fixes in this article to resolve the issue.

Grant Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord administrator privileges

A lack of permissions is one of the common causes of crashing issues in PC video games. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord might not be running for long because, at some point, it will need to access certain system resources that Windows isn’t giving it permission to use. So, to resolve the problem here, you have to grant the game administrator privileges.

Before you do that, make sure you are logged into an admin user account. Once you have done that, follow the steps below to locate the game’s EXE file and adjust its properties to prompt Windows to grant it admin privileges whenever you launch it:

  1. Launch a File Explorer window by right-clicking the Start button and choosing File Explorer once the Quick Access menu shows up. You can also use the Windows + E shortcut or click on the folder icon on your taskbar to launch the app faster.
  2. Once you see the File Explorer window, go to the left sidebar and click on This PC.
  3. Switch to the right pane of the window and double-click on the volume where Windows is installed (this is usually the Local Disk C).
  4. Once the folder opens, go to the Program Files (x86) folder and double-click it.
  5. Open the Steam folder after the Program Files (x86) folder shows up.
  6. Now, locate the Steamapps folder and double-click it once you see the Steam folder.
  7. Open the Common folder once the contents of the Steamapps folder appear.
  8. Next, navigate to the installation folder of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and open it.
  9. The steps above will direct you to the game’s installation folder, as long as you installed it (and Steam) in the default directory. If you chose a different path while installing the game or Steam, Steps 1 to 8 won’t help you locate the game’s folder. If this applies to you, the steps below will show you how to get to the game’s folder:
  • Summon Steam by clicking on its shortcut on your desktop or by going through the Start menu if you don’t have a desktop shortcut for Steam.
  • Once the Steam client shows up, go to the top of the window and click on Library.
  • If a context menu slides down, click on Games.
  • Once the list of games attached to your Steam account opens, locate Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, right-click it, then select Properties.
  • Go to the Properties segment on the right side of the window and click on Local Files.
  • Click on the “Browse Local Files” button under the Local Files tab.
  • The game’s folder will now show up.
  1. After you see the folder, locate the game’s EXE file, right-click it, then choose Properties.
  2. After the game’s Properties dialog window opens, move over to the Compatibility tab.
  3. Next, check the box associated with “Run this program as an administrator,” then click on the OK button.
  4. Now, run Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and check if it crashes.

Prevent the antivirus program from blocking the game’s files

Games account for most cases of false positives, which are situations where legitimate files, folders, and applications are wrongly blocked by antivirus programs. This could be the reason you’re experiencing crashes when playing Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord. To resolve the problem, you have to add the game as an exception in your antivirus program.

Adding the game’s folder as an exception is the best way to go. It’s easy to locate the Exception feature and do the needful. The feature is mostly called Exceptions and Exclusions, but in certain cases, you’ll have to go for Safe List or Whitelist. If you don’t know how to locate the feature, go to the website of the app’s developer to find a guide that will walk you through the process.

However, if you use the Windows Security application, then the guide below will show you what to do:

  1. Launch the Settings application. You can do this by right-clicking the Start button and selecting Settings from the Quick Access menu or by pressing Windows + I.
  2. After the home screen of the app shows up, go to the bottom of the window and click on the Update & Security icon.
  3. Once the Update & Security interface opens, switch to the left pane and click on Windows Security.
  4. Under the Windows Security tab, you’ll see different options under Protection Areas; locate Virus & Threat Protection and click on it.
  5. The Virus & Threat Protection page of the Windows Security app will now appear.
  6. Now, scroll down to the Virus & Threat Protection Settings segment of the interface, then click on Manage Settings under it.
  7. Once the Virus & Threat Protection Settings interface opens, scroll down to the Exclusions area and click on “Add or remove exclusions.”
  8. Next, click on the Add an Exclusion icon once the Exclusions page opens, then click on Folder in the menu.
  9. Once you see the Select Folder dialog, navigate to the installation folder of Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, single-click on it, and then click on the Select Folder button in the bottom-right corner of the dialog window.
  10. Once you’ve added the game as an exclusion, open it and check for the crashing problem.

Verify the game’s installation files

Corrupt or missing game files can also cause the crashing issue. As you well know, whenever you download and install any game, you are fetching files from Steam’s servers and downloading them to your computer. These files are what your CPU and GPU render to produce the game on your screen. If any of them become corrupt or go missing, the game will crash whenever your computer tries to process it.

In this case, you have to use the Steam client to check for problematic game files and automatically replace them. The steps below will walk you through the entire process:

  1. Summon Steam by clicking on its shortcut on your desktop or by going through the Start menu if you don’t have a desktop shortcut for Steam.
  2. Once the Steam client shows up, go to the top of the window and click on Library.
  3. If a context menu slides down, click on Games.
  4. Once the list of games attached to your Steam account opens, locate Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, right-click it, then select Properties.
  5. Go to the Properties segment on the right side of the window and click on Local Files.
  6. Click on the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” button under the Local Files tab.
  7. Steam will now start to check the game’s files on your computer, comparing them with those on its servers. It will automatically replace any file that it finds to be problematic or missing.
  8. The number and size of the files that are being redownloaded will determine the duration of the verification process.
  9. Once the process completes, the Steam client will notify you via a dialog box.
  10. Restart Steam, then launch Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord and check for the problem.

Update your graphics card driver

If the driver that controls your GPU is obsolete, corrupt, or missing, then it doesn’t matter what kind of graphics card you have: the game will encounter problems. So, always make sure your graphics card driver isn’t facing any problems.

One of the major ways to ensure you have a working device driver is by installing its latest update. GPU manufacturers work with game developers to provide driver updates that enhance the performance of games and GPUs in general.

Before you begin the update process, we recommend that you uninstall your current GPU driver. This way, you can avoid cases where a previously corrupt driver interferes with the processes of the freshly installed one. The steps below will show you how to use Device Manager to uninstall the graphics card driver:

  1. On your keyboard, tap the Windows and S keys together or click on the magnifying glass icon in the taskbar to launch the search utility next to the Start button.
  2. After the search box shows up, type “device manager” (no quotes), then click on Device Manager once the results list appears.
  3. Once the Device Manager window comes up, navigate to the Display Adapters drop-down and click on the arrow beside it.
  4. Right-click on your graphics card under Display Adapters and click on Uninstall Device in the context menu.
  5. Once the Uninstall Device confirmation dialog comes up, click on the Uninstall button, but make sure you check the box that prompts the tool to remove the driver software.
  6. Allow Windows to remove the driver, then reboot your PC once the uninstallation process is complete.

You can also use the Display Driver Uninstaller to uninstall the driver and delete its leftover files. If you use an AMD card, the AMD Cleanup tool is another utility that will be helpful.

Once you remove the graphics card driver, follow appropriate steps to make sure you install the updated version correctly. There were many cases where the wrong driver was installed and the problem even escalated. If you don’t know what to do, we’ll show you different methods on how to download and install the right updated driver for your graphics card.

Using the Windows Update utility

Whenever you update your system, you are installing updates for Microsoft applications, the operating system’s components, and device drivers. The big advantage you have with using Windows Update to install the latest driver for your graphics card is that you are getting a driver update that has been verified by Microsoft.

The only downside to using the utility is that the card’s driver might not be readily available on Microsoft’s servers. This is due to the long process involved in vetting applications and Microsoft’s complicated release schedule. However, we still recommend that you start with Windows Update. Updating your system doesn’t just install your graphics card driver but also installs important software dependencies, such as the .NET framework.

The steps below will show you how to manually check for available updates for your computer and install them:

  1. Launch the Settings application. You can do this via the Start menu or by pressing Windows + I.
  2. After the home screen of the app shows up, go to the bottom and click on the Update & Security icon.
  3. Once the Update & Security interface appears, click on the Check for Updates button under the Windows Update tab.
  4. The Windows Update utility will now check for software updates that are available for your Windows 10 PC.
  5. If your PC is up to date, the utility will notify you. You’ll have to move on to the next guide in this case.
  6. If updates are available for download, however, the tool will notify you and will start downloading them automatically.
  7. Once the updates are successfully downloaded, click on the Restart Now button to allow Windows Update to restart your system and install the downloaded updates.
  8. Once your PC restarts, Windows will start installing the updates. During this process, your computer will reboot several times.
  9. After the installation process completes, your PC will boot up normally.
  10. You can now launch Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord to check for the crashing problem.

Using Device Manager

You can use Device Manager to search online for your GPU’s updated driver. The steps below will show you how to do that:

  1. On your keyboard, tap the Windows and S keys together or click on the magnifying glass icon in the taskbar to launch the search utility next to the Start button.
  2. After the search box shows up, type “device manager” (no quotes), then click on Device Manager once the results list appears.
  3. Once the Device Manager window comes up, navigate to the Display Adapters drop-down and click on the arrow beside it.
  4. Right-click on your graphics card under Display Adapters and click on Update Driver from the context menu.
  5. Click on the “Search automatically for updated driver software” option under “How do you want to search for drivers” once you see the Update Driver window.
  6. Your OS will now search for your latest video card driver on the Internet and automatically download and install it.
  7. After Windows successfully updates the driver, restart your PC and check if the crashing issue in Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord has been resolved.

Use a dedicated program

Windows Update and Device Manager come with downsides that you won’t have to deal with if you use a third-party application such as Auslogics Driver Updater. The tool is designed to scan your system for problematic drivers and update them automatically.

It only downloads and installs device drivers from the right source and makes sure you can roll back whenever you want to. To use the program, follow the steps below:

  1. Visit this webpage to download Auslogics Driver Updater.
  2. Run the setup file once your browser downloads it, then click on Yes in the User Account Control dialog.
  3. After the setup wizard shows up, choose your preferred language, specify the installation directory of your choice, and then enter other preferences, such as creating a desktop icon, allowing the program to launch after Windows starts, and sending anonymous reports to the app’s developers.
  4. Once you’ve entered your preferences, click on the “Click to install” button.
  5. After the installation process completes, start the tool and click on the Start Scan button.
  6. Once the scan is complete, you’ll find all the problematic drivers on your system. If your graphics card driver is on the list, click on the Update button to allow the tool to download and install its latest version.
  7. Restart your system once the process is complete and then check if the game crashes again.

Increase the size of your paging file

Windows normally creates virtual memory on your hard drive to support your system’s main memory. It’s called the Paging File or Page File. If the Paging File is inadequate, it could trigger random crashes in the game. Try increasing it and check if the problem will go away. The steps below will show you what to do:

  1. Double-click on any folder on your desktop or click on the folder icon in the taskbar to launch a File Explorer window. You can use the Windows + E keyboard combo to launch the program faster.
  2. After the File Explorer window shows up, go to the left pane, locate This PC, right-click on it, and then select Properties from the context menu.
  3. Once the System window shows up, go to the left pane and click on Advanced System Settings.
  4. Once you see the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog window, click on the Settings button under Performance.
  5. After the Performance Options dialog box appears, switch to the Advanced tab.
  6. Go to Virtual Memory and click on the Change button.
  7. Once the Virtual Memory dialog box pops up, uncheck the box beside “Automatically manage paging files size for all drives.”
  8. Next, highlight the volume where the paging file resides, then click on the radio button for “Custom Size”.
  9. Now, adjust the initial and maximum sizes to a higher value. It’s recommended that the size is double your system memory’s capacity.
  10. Click on Apply and OK in all the dialog boxes that are open, and then run the game to check for the issue.

Final Thoughts

If the game continues to crash after applying the fixes above, contact the developers for help. You can use the comments section below to ask questions or share your thoughts about the issue.