Once Human is free to play on Steam, but on some PCs it closes during shader compilation, freezes on the loading screen, or crashes after a few minutes in the world. Most of these problems come from a handful of causes, and most of them take five minutes to fix. Find your problem below, then follow the fixes in order.
Quick answer: first verify the game files on Steam and update your graphics driver. If the game crashes while it compiles shaders and you have an Intel Core i7 or i9 from the 13th or 14th generation, update your motherboard BIOS: that is the official fix. If it crashes in the world, close overlays, lower textures and shadows, cap the game at 60 FPS, and make sure Once Human is installed on an SSD.
Find your problem first
| What happens | Most likely cause | Go to |
|---|---|---|
| Game closes at startup or during "compiling shaders" | Intel 13th / 14th gen CPU instability, broken shader cache | Fix 3, Fix 4 |
| Black screen or nothing happens when you press Play | Corrupted files, old driver, antivirus | Fix 1, Fix 2, Fix 7 |
| Crash after a few minutes in the world | Graphics driver, overlays, settings too high | Fix 2, Fix 5 |
| Freezes and long loading screens | Hard drive instead of SSD, low RAM | Fix 6, Fix 8 |
| Stutter in towns and big fights | Video memory, CPU, background apps | Fix 8 |
Pick your hardware and we compare it with the official Once Human requirements.
Official Once Human PC requirements
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10 (64-bit) | Windows 10 (64-bit) |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 | Intel Core i7-7700 |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti / AMD Radeon R9 270 (4 GB) | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 / AMD Radeon RX 580 (6 GB) |
| Storage | 60 GB | 70 GB |
Source: official Once Human website. Results are estimates based on relative hardware performance.
Before anything else, check that your PC meets the minimum: an Intel Core i5-4460, 8 GB of RAM and a GeForce GTX 750 Ti or Radeon R9 270 with 4 GB, on Windows 10 (64-bit). Below that, crashes are expected. The full list is on Can I Run Once Human?.
Fix 1: Verify the game files
A failed update or an interrupted download leaves broken files that make the game close without an error.
- Open Steam and go to your Library.
- Right-click Once Human and choose Properties.
- Open Installed Files and click Verify integrity of game files.
Steam replaces only the files that are broken, so it is much faster than a full reinstall. Restart your PC after it finishes.
Fix 2: Update (or reinstall) your graphics driver
Old drivers are the most common cause of crashes in the open world.
- NVIDIA: update from the NVIDIA app.
- AMD: update from AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.
- Intel Arc: update from Intel's driver page.
If the crashes started right after a driver update, do a clean install of the driver (both installers have the option), or go back one version.
Fix 3: Intel 13th and 14th gen processors (official fix)
If your PC has an Intel Core i7-13700K, i9-13900K, i7-14700K, i9-14900K or a similar 13th or 14th gen chip, Once Human may crash while it compiles shaders at startup. This comes from a known instability in those processors, and it also affects other games.
The developers' recommended fixes:
- Update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version from your motherboard maker's website (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock...). This is the fix Intel recommends.
- If you cannot update the BIOS right now: install Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) and lower the Performance Core Ratio from 55x to 54x.
Updating the BIOS also protects the processor itself, so do it even if you only play Once Human now and then.
Fix 4: Stuck or crashing on "compiling shaders"
On the first launch after an update, Once Human builds its shaders. This can take several minutes, and the CPU is at 100% the whole time. That is normal: let it finish.
If it always crashes at the same point:
- Close every other app (browser, Discord, recording software).
- Verify the game files (Fix 1).
- Players also report that deleting the game's shader cache helps: in the Once Human install folder, delete the baking_ppk folder, then verify the files again so Steam rebuilds anything missing. Make a copy of the folder first if you want to be safe.
Fix 5: Crashes in the world
If the game runs but crashes after a few minutes:
- Close overlays: Steam overlay, Discord overlay, NVIDIA / AMD overlays, MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner. Test without them.
- Lower the heaviest settings: textures one step (especially with 4 GB of video memory), shadows, and volumetric / fog effects.
- Cap your frame rate at 60 FPS (or 120 on a strong PC). An uncapped frame rate pushes the CPU and GPU to 100% all the time, which brings out unstable overclocks.
- Remove overclocks: reset any GPU or CPU overclock to default and test again.
- Some players fix DirectX 12 crashes with the Steam launch option -dx12, or by removing it if they had added it before. To try it: Steam > Once Human > Properties > Launch Options.
Fix 6: Check your RAM and virtual memory
Once Human needs 8 GB of RAM at minimum and 16 GB is recommended. With 8 GB and a browser open, Windows runs out of memory and the game can close without a message.
- Close everything you don't need before you play.
- Make sure virtual memory is on: search Windows for "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows", open Advanced > Virtual memory > Change, and tick Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.
- If you play a lot, 16 GB is the upgrade that makes the biggest difference. See Is 16 GB of RAM Enough for Gaming?
Fix 7: Antivirus and Windows
- Add the Once Human folder to your antivirus exclusions. Some antivirus programs block the game's files or its anticheat.
- Install the latest Windows updates, and make sure you are on 64-bit Windows 10 or 11.
- Run Steam as administrator once to rule out permission problems.
Fix 8: Freezes, long loading screens and stutter
- Install the game on an SSD. The developers recommend it for lag and long loading times, and it is the single biggest fix for freezes on a hard drive.
- Keep at least 20 GB free on that drive.
- On a laptop, plug it in and choose the Best performance power mode, or the CPU and GPU will slow down.
- If FPS drops in towns and big fights while your graphics card is not at 100%, your processor is the limit. Lower view distance and effects. Our guide CPU Bottleneck Explained shows how to check.
More fixes that work in every game are in How to Increase FPS on PC.
Still crashing?
If nothing above works, contact Once Human support from the official website or the in-game customer service, and include your PC specs (processor, graphics card, RAM, Windows version) and the time of the crash. If a crash report window appears, send it: it helps the developers find the cause.
More Once Human on FpsGen
- Can I Run Once Human?: official requirements and results for popular graphics cards
- Once Human Best PC Settings: the best settings for every PC
- Once Human Beginner's Guide: survive, build and beat the grind
- How to Increase FPS on PC
FAQ
Why does Once Human crash when compiling shaders?
On Intel 13th and 14th gen Core i7 and i9 processors, it is usually the known instability of those chips: update your BIOS. On other PCs, verify the game files and close background apps while the shaders compile.
Why does Once Human close with no error message?
The usual causes are broken game files, an old graphics driver, an overlay, or running out of memory with 8 GB of RAM. Verify the files, update the driver, close overlays and turn on automatic virtual memory.
Does Once Human need an SSD?
It is not required, but the developers recommend it. On a hard drive, loading screens are much longer and the game can freeze while it loads new areas.
How much RAM does Once Human need?
8 GB is the minimum and 16 GB is recommended. With 8 GB, close your browser and other apps before you play.
Can I run Once Human on a GTX 750 Ti?
Yes, the GTX 750 Ti is the official minimum graphics card. Use the lowest settings and cap the game at 30 to 60 FPS.
Intel 13th and 14th gen fix and SSD recommendation from the developers' troubleshooting notice. System requirements from the Steam store page. Fixes marked as reported by players come from the Steam community and DigiStatement; they are not official. Last checked November 6, 2026.
Gaming writer at FpsGen. Guides and reviews are built on official sources, patch notes and real player data.
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