[2022] UNMODDED Constant game crashing, usually upon load, bricks Steam

Has the game ever worked for you on this machine, or never yet?

Do HOI4 and CK2 work for you on it?


DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/settings.txt and pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/Stellaris/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log .  

[16:08:34][empire_design.cpp:840]: Failed to migrate government type [gov_despotic_empire] to authority for empire design. Mods?

You are sure there are no mods in use? What version and checksum do you see in the main game menu (NOT in the launcher)?

From that dxdiag we might try a clean reinstall of nVidia:

- uninstall their drver and all other nVidia software
- reboot
- install May 2022 https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
- reboot again

Then test with a new galaxy. Any better?  

ButNuster said: here's a snippet of the version number from the main menu, idk how to find the checksum.

That's not the game's main menu, that's the launcher - a completely separate app. Click HOME there then PLAY, to start the game itself.  

That version and checksum are fine, so we don't really have any clues what is wrong on this machine to crash our game.

I see there's a new nVidia driver out today, so please try that.

If no good, right click on stellaris.exe , properties . compatibility. Tick "disable fullScreen optimisations", untick everything else in that dialog, Apply, and exit. Then in the launcher Game Settings menu, set display mode to fullScreen, Vsync off, refresh rate 60. Any better?  

That sounds like the cursor is off registration. Can I get new copies of those files mentioned in post #2 please?  

I must be misunderstanding something. How can you still be playing the game when you can't click on anything in the main menu?

And those files do not reflect the settings I suggested in post #8 ... ?