You’re about to queue up with your squad, hit Play… and then boom—“UE-MistfallHunter Game has crashed and will close” flashes across your screen.
Yeah, that’s been happening to a lot of Mistfall Hunter players, and it’s easily one of the most frustrating launch issues the game has right now. The good news? This isn’t some mysterious hardware failure or a bug with no solution. Bellring Games has already acknowledged the problem, and players across Steam have been testing fixes that actually work.
After digging through the official developer responses and community reports, I’ve gathered every confirmed cause and every fix that’s worth trying. If you’re stuck on the Fatal Error screen, this guide should help you get back into the game as quickly as possible.
Fatal errors and crash screens aren’t unique to Mistfall Hunter either, and players dealing with a similar wall on PC can check How to Fix Windrose Fatal Error on PC (2026)
Why Is Mistfall Hunter Crashing With a Fatal Error?
Based on official developer replies and community troubleshooting, the launch crash usually comes down to a handful of common issues rather than faulty hardware.
Shader Compilation Failures
One of the most common crash logs references PipelineStateCache.cpp, which means Unreal Engine failed while compiling shaders before the game could render properly.
Many players see an error similar to:
Fatal error: [File:…PipelineStateCache.cpp] [Line: 611] Shader compilation failures are Fatal.
If this appears on your screen, the problem is usually connected to shader compilation, graphics drivers, Windows security settings, or DirectX compatibility—not a damaged GPU.
Windows Mandatory ASLR
This has become the biggest confirmed culprit.
Bellring Games has confirmed that Force Randomization for Images (Mandatory ASLR) inside Windows Exploit Protection can prevent Mistfall Hunter from launching, particularly on systems using Intel processors and NVIDIA graphics cards.
Outdated or Unstable GPU Drivers
Older graphics drivers—or even newer NVIDIA drivers with certain features enabled—can interrupt shader compilation and trigger the Fatal Error before the game loads.
Intel AI Boost Conflicts
Players using newer Intel chipsets have also reported launch crashes caused by Intel AI Boost, which the developers themselves recommend disabling temporarily.
Antivirus or Anti-Cheat Interference
Security software occasionally mistakes Unreal Engine processes for suspicious activity, preventing the game from launching correctly.
Corrupted Game Files
Interrupted downloads or incomplete updates can also leave damaged files behind, causing the game to crash immediately after launch.
Non-ASCII Windows Usernames
A smaller number of players have traced their crashes to their Windows username itself—accented or non-ASCII characters in the account name have been linked to launch failures on the same reports where the Fatal Error appears.
![A player character in the rain with the onscreen error message reading [10] Abnormal account information. Please try logging in again.](https://i0.wp.com/backyarddrunkard.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/dwad.webp?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1)
Corrupted or missing files can easily cause launch crashes. Account and file verification snags pop up across other live titles too, as detailed in Where Winds Meet Abnormal Account Information Error.
9 Fixes That Actually Work
These are the solutions that players—and the developers themselves—recommend trying.
1. Disable Mandatory ASLR (The Fix That Helps Most Players)
If you’re only going to try one solution first, make it this one.
According to Bellring Games and numerous Steam reports, disabling Mandatory ASLR resolves the Fatal Error for a huge number of affected players.
Here’s how:
- Open Windows Security
- Select App & browser control
- Open Exploit protection settings
- Under System settings, locate Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR)
- Change it to Off by default
- Click Apply
- Restart your PC
Important: Leave Randomize memory allocations (Bottom-up ASLR) set to On by default. Only disable Mandatory ASLR, as recommended by the developers.
2. Update Your Graphics Driver
Shader compilation errors are often caused by outdated or incompatible graphics drivers.
Instead of relying on Windows Update, download the newest driver directly from your GPU manufacturer, install it, restart your computer, and launch the game again.
3. Force Mistfall Hunter to Use DirectX 11
If your crash specifically mentions PipelineStateCache.cpp or shader compilation failures, switching to DirectX 11 has helped many players.
To enable it:
- Open Steam
- Right-click Mistfall Hunter
- Select Properties
- Under General, find Launch Options
- Type:
-dx11
Close the window and launch the game normally.
connection quota errors have hit other online shooters too, as shown in Battlefield 6 PC Fix: How to Solve “Global Game Quota Exceeded” Error.
4. Turn Off NVIDIA Smooth Motion
Another official workaround is disabling NVIDIA Smooth Motion.
Open the NVIDIA App or GeForce Experience, locate your Mistfall Hunter profile, switch Smooth Motion off, and then try launching the game again.
5. Disable Intel AI Boost
If your system supports Intel AI Boost, it may be interfering with the game.
To disable it:
- Open Device Manager
- Expand the relevant Intel processing device category
- Right-click Intel(R) AI Boost
- Select Disable device
You can safely re-enable it after the developers release a permanent fix
6. Verify Steam Game Files
Corrupted or missing files can easily cause launch crashes.
To verify your installation:
- Right-click Mistfall Hunter
- Open Properties
- Go to Installed Files
- Select Verify integrity of game files
Steam will automatically replace anything that’s damaged or missing.
Squading up in a community while waiting on a patch is easier said than done, though guides like How to Join a Group in Roblox: The Complete Guide to Communities show how other player bases organize around shared troubleshooting.
7. Add the Game to Your Antivirus Exclusions
Some antivirus programs can block Unreal Engine games during launch.
Instead of excluding only the executable, add the entire Mistfall Hunter installation folder to your antivirus exclusion list.
Bellring Games specifically mentioned software such as Kaspersky as a possible source of launch problems, although similar conflicts can happen with other antivirus programs as well.
8. Disable Background Overlays
Overlays aren’t the cause for everyone, but they’ve been linked to Unreal Engine launch problems in multiple games—including Mistfall Hunter.
Before launching the game, temporarily disable:
- Steam Overlay
- Discord Overlay
- NVIDIA Overlay
- MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner overlays
If the game starts successfully afterward, re-enable them one at a time until you identify the one causing the issue.
9. Run the Game as Administrator
Another quick fix worth testing is changing administrator permissions.
Right-click the Mistfall Hunter executable (or Steam shortcut), open:
Properties → Compatibility
Then enable:
Run this program as an administrator
Interestingly, some players have found the opposite works better—launching Steam without administrator privileges before opening the game. If one approach doesn’t help, try the other.
A Few Extra Things Worth Trying
If the Fatal Error still refuses to disappear, these additional checks have solved launch problems for some players:
- Restart Steam after changing ASLR settings, updating graphics drivers, or adding launch options.
- Install the game on an SSD instead of a mechanical hard drive if possible.
- Restart your PC after changing Windows Security settings or updating GPU drivers before launching again.
- Reinstall the latest Visual C++ Redistributables, which is a common fix for Unreal Engine titles that fail during shader compilation.
- Clear the game’s shader cache, since a corrupted cache can trigger the same PipelineStateCache errors.
- Create a new local Windows account using a plain ASCII username if your current one contains accented characters, then launch the game from that account.
They’re not guaranteed fixes, but they’re quick to try and have resolved the issue in certain edge cases.
Which Fix Should You Try First?
Based on developer recommendations and community troubleshooting reports, here’s the order that’s produced the best results.
| Fix | Success Rate | Time Needed |
| Disable Mandatory ASLR | Highest | 2 minutes |
| Update GPU Driver | High | 5–10 minutes |
| Launch with -dx11 | High | 1 minute |
| Verify Steam Files | Medium-High | 5–15 minutes |
| Disable NVIDIA Smooth Motion | Medium | 2 minutes |
| Disable Intel AI Boost | Medium | 2 minutes |
| Disable Overlays | Medium | 2 minutes |
| Add Antivirus Folder Exclusion | Medium | 3 minutes |
| Run as Administrator | Low-Medium | 1 minute |
While waiting things out, there’s plenty else brewing in gaming worth keeping an eye on, like All eyes on August 7 as GTA 6 trailer 3 speculation reaches fever pitch
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Mistfall Hunter Fatal Error caused by bad hardware?
No. Nearly every reported case points toward a software or configuration conflict rather than failing hardware. Common causes include Mandatory ASLR, outdated graphics drivers, shader compilation failures, corrupted game files, or antivirus interference.
Have the developers acknowledged the problem?
Yes.
Bellring Games has publicly responded to players on the official Steam discussion boards, confirming they’re aware of the Fatal Error. The team currently recommends updating GPU drivers, disabling NVIDIA Smooth Motion, turning off Intel AI Boost, and disabling Mandatory ASLR while a permanent fix is being worked on.
If none of those solutions help, the developers recommend opening a support ticket through the official Mistfall Hunter Discord server for one-on-one assistance.
I only have a couple of minutes. What’s the first thing I should try?
Disable Mandatory ASLR by going to:
Windows Security → App & browser control → Exploit protection settings
It’s the fastest solution to test and remains the workaround most strongly recommended by the developers.
What if my crash mentions PipelineStateCache.cpp?
That usually means Unreal Engine failed while compiling shaders.
In that case, start by updating your graphics driver, then launch the game using the -dx11 Steam launch option. Many players have reported success with this combination.
For anyone craving a bigger numbers-driven distraction in the meantime, How Many Floors Does Echoes of Aincrad Actually Have? is worth a look.
Final Thoughts
Right now, the Mistfall Hunter Fatal Error looks intimidating, but it’s thankfully one of those launch issues with several proven fixes. For most players, simply disabling Mandatory ASLR or switching to DirectX 11 is enough to get past the crash screen. If not, working through the remaining fixes—updating GPU drivers, verifying game files, disabling overlays, and checking antivirus settings—covers nearly every confirmed cause reported by both the community and Bellring Games.
Until an official patch arrives, these workarounds remain the best way to get back into the hunt instead of staring at another Unreal Engine error pop-up.
Official Source: Developer’s comment on Twitch
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