Horizon Zero Dawn — Common Errors & How to Fix Them
The errors Horizon Zero Dawn players actually hit on PC, what causes each one, and the fix that works.
Last updated 2026-09-25 · evergreen reference
These are the failures that Horizon Zero Dawn players report most often, with the cause behind each one rather than a list of things to try at random.
Errors, causes and fixes
Start from the symptom that matches yours.
Crash during the initial shader compilation
What is happening: Shader compilation is memory-hungry and the page file is too small, or the drive is nearly full.
Fix: Free space on the install drive, increase the page file, and let Windows manage its size. Restart the game after compilation finishes so it can release memory still held from the compile pass.
Textures flicker or look muddy after forcing anisotropic filtering
What is happening: The in-game anisotropic filtering setting does not function in the release build; forcing it in the driver requires a shader rebuild.
Fix: Force anisotropic filtering in the driver, then delete PSOCache.bin from LocalCacheDX12 and let shaders recompile.
Game crashes during optimisation or after the splash
What is happening: A corrupt shader cache — the classic fix is simply deleting it.
Fix: Delete PSOCache.bin (roughly 1.4 GB) from the game’s LocalCacheDX12 folder and relaunch. The game rebuilds and recompiles it.
"Save game failed"
What is happening: The game lacks write access to Documents, often due to Controlled folder access, or the Windows user profile contains non-Latin characters.
Fix: Run as administrator, use a profile without non-Latin characters, and toggle Controlled folder access off in Windows Security ransomware protection.
Intermittent crashes writing to memory address 0
What is happening: The game attempts to write to a nonexistent memory address. PCGamingWiki documents a hex-edit workaround, but results are mixed.
Fix: Be aware the community-reported hex patch is not universally effective and may make crashes more frequent for some users. Try the cache and page file fixes first.
The order to work in
Cheapest and most reversible first.
1. Rule out the universal causes
Verify game files, update the GPU driver with a clean install, and close overlays, recorders and RGB utilities. Across every engine, these three resolve the largest share of crashes before you touch anything game-specific.
2. Match the fix to the symptom
A crash that happens in the same place every time in Horizon Zero Dawn is usually asset or configuration damage — a cache, a config file or a mod. A crash that happens at random intervals is far more often a driver, an overlay, thermals or unstable memory tuning.
3. Change one thing, then retest
Load the same save, visit the same area and repeat the same action. If you change five settings at once you will never learn which one mattered, and you will end up reinstalling a game that did not need it.
Collecting evidence
What to gather before you ask anyone for help.
Logs beat descriptions
Most engines write a log you can attach: Warframe keeps EE.log in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Warframe, tModLoader writes client.log under Documents\My Games\Terraria\tModLoader\Logs, and Fallout 4 with Buffout 4 writes crash logs to My Games\Fallout4\F4SE. Find the equivalent for Horizon Zero Dawn before you post.
Note the trigger and the timing
Whether it crashes on launch, in a specific area, after a set number of minutes, or only online. That single distinction separates config damage from thermals from network faults, and it is the first thing any support agent will ask.
Related pages
Game hub
All guides for this title in one place.
Open →Common errors
Symptoms, causes and fixes.
Open →Tips & tricks
Settings and options worth knowing.
Open →Best settings
Recommended settings by VRAM tier.
Open →Fix "Black screen and shader compilation crash"
A dedicated page for the Black screen and shader compilation crash error.
Open →This is an independent player reference and is not official documentation for Horizon Zero Dawn. GameRulePro does not host or link to copyrighted assets. Modding guidance is for single-player use only — never use mods in online multiplayer. Verify current requirements, prices and policies with the publisher before acting.
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