How to Fix PC Shuts Down While Playing Games?

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Fix PC Shuts Down While Playing Games

It is really frustrating if your PC shuts down while you are playing games. However, there are quite a few easy ways to fix this issue. And also, there are a few more long-drawn and complicated processes for it as well.

You will find all the possible fixes to the issue of a PC shutting down while playing games clearly explained for you in this article, along with the factors that contribute to such an event. So, continue reading.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • If the graphics card of your PC has a higher voltage or power requirement than the PSU can provide, replacing the PSU will resolve the issue.
  • Checking the dried thermal paste and installing a proper cooling system and fans may also prevent the PC from shutting down while playing games.
  • You may also prevent overheating of the system by removing the CPU cover, lowering the game settings, or increasing the RPM of the fans.
  • Installing a strong antivirus to scan and remove malware, adware, and viruses from your PC will also prevent it from shutting down while gaming.
  • Updating the software and driver on a regular basis will keep your PC up and running always, even when you play games on it.

Why Does Your PC Shut Down While Playing Games?

Primarily, if there are technical or incompatibility issues with the hardware installed on your PC and the gaming requirements, it may shut down, apart from creating other problems, while playing games on it.

There are a few other reasons for such an event to occur, such as:

  • There may be a deficiency in the power supply and voltage requirements of the graphics card that you have installed on your PC.
  • The GPU may be overclocked to the maximum, which may also cause your PC to shut down while gaming.
  • If there are any loose connections creating electrical shorts or if the cables are damaged, there is a possibility of your system shutting down as well.
  • The cooling system of your PC may not be enough for proper temperature control, which may cause it to shut down while gaming.
  • If you are into playing online games especially, your system may be infected with viruses and malware, which may also cause this issue.
  • The drivers for the hardware installed on your PC, along with the software, may both need an update.
  • The VRM or Voltage Regulator Module of the motherboard may also be faulty and cause the system to overheat and shut down while gaming.
  • If the capacitors are weak or damaged, then your computer will shut down as well when you play games.
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However, you will not need to worry or encounter such a frustrating situation if you try the following fixes.

Ways to Fix PC Shuts Down While Playing Games

Fix PC Shuts Down While Playing Games

Replacing the Power Supply Unit (PSU) is a feasible move to fix the issue of a PC shutting down while playing games, especially if it is old and underpowered and therefore unable to provide an adequate power supply.

Another basic fix is to ensure that all the hardware and graphics card drivers, including the operating system, are updated.

Running suitable temperature monitoring software on your PC is also recommended.

This will not only monitor the temperature of the system but will also help you put controlled stress on the PC.

When the temperature is under control, the PC will not shut down while gaming.

Moreover, most users update their software and the drivers on their system but do not change the settings as required.

Therefore, ensuring that both are done simultaneously will prevent the PC from shutting down while playing games.

You may try the following simple fixes for this issue as well:

  • Reset the BIOS settings back to factory settings and remove the GPU overclock, especially.
  • If swapping or replacing the PSU does not fix the issue, try swapping the GPU of lower power as well to check.
  • Also ensure that the CPU cooler is not touching or covering the capacitors on the motherboard.
  • You may also unplug all the cables, check them, and plug them in again, simply to ensure that there are no damaged cables or loose connections.
  • Always try to keep your system clean and dust free to ensure proper thermal management and airflow to prevent shutting down while gaming.
  • Use the Command Prompt and run the System File Checker scan command sfc /scannow to fix the missing or corrupted system files.
  • Check the Random Access Memory (RAM) for damaged pins and even try switching the slots. This often solves the issue.

Expert tip:

Before you jump into the solutions, make sure that you create some sort of reference point, which can be a specific game or a benchmark, when your PC shuts off.

This will allow you to have an unswerving baseline when your computer always shuts off and will help you a lot when you apply the fixes.

This is because everything will be done on the basis of the stress test done on your computer components, especially the CPU and the GPU.

Method 1: Check and Update the Graphics Card Driver

Since gaming is primarily about graphics, starting with checking the graphics card and making some changes may fix your issue, provided you have already tried swapping it with a different one.

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STEPS TO FIX:

  • Go to the Device Manager by right-clicking on the Start menu.
  • Find display adapters in the list, and then click on the small arrow next to the icon to expand it.
  • Choose your graphics driver.
  • Right-click on it.
  • Click on Properties from the drop-down menu.

Graphics card properties

  • Go to the Driver tab in the new window.

Now try each of the following things one by one and follow the on-screen instructions:

  • Update Driver.
  • Roll Back Driver, if you have recently updated it.
  • Uninstall Device and restart the system so that it reinstalls the driver.

Update Graphics Card Driver

This should resolve the problem. If it does not, remove the graphics card and try it on another system if you have one. If it works fine, try the next solution.

If you see it creating the same problem on the other device, it is time to visit the service center to get it repaired or replace it with a new one.

Method 2: Check the CPU and GPU Temperatures and Performance

You should check the performance and temperatures of both the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and then repair or replace them if you find any anomaly.

You may check the CPU temperature by using specific temperature monitoring software from a third party, as said earlier. For the GPU, you can use the built-in Task Manager tool, as explained below.

STEPS TO FIX:

  • Open the Task Manager by right-clicking on an empty space on the taskbar and selecting it from the window.

(If it opens in a compact view with fewer details, click on the More details button at the bottom.)

  • Go to the Performance tab.
  • Scroll down to check the temperature of the GPU from the window.

Task Manager Performance tab

If you find any of these temperatures to be higher than normal, you should get them both repaired or replaced to resolve the issue of your PC shutting down while gaming.

Method 3: Check the Power Usage and Remove the Power Hungry Apps

You may be running different apps that are using quite a lot of power, along with the hardware components of the PC. If all these combined power requirements cannot be met with the PSU, your system will shut down while gaming.

So, check the power usage and remove the ones that are using a lot of power.

STEPS TO FIX:

  • Once again, go to the Task Manager as above.
  • This time, go to the Processes tab.
  • Go to the Power usage and Power usage trend columns on the right side of the Task Manager window.

Task Manager Processes tab

Usually, anything between very low and moderate is good enough. If you find that a few apps and extensions are using a lot of power, then disable them. Also, close the tabs that you are not using currently.

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If you find that everything is proper but your PC is still shutting down while gaming and you cannot identify the problematic app, go to the Event Viewer.

Check for the Error ID in there along with other information, and search for the type of error that might have occurred and where you can go to fix it.

This, however, is a long-drawn process, and the steps to follow for it are:

  • Go to the search box next to the Start Menu.
  • Type event viewer in the box.
  • Hit enter.

event viewer app

  • In the Event Viewer window, click on the small arrow next to Custom Views to expand it.
  • Select Administrative Events.
  • Now take a look at all the events and right-click on each of them, especially those showing Errors.
  • Select Event Properties from the drop-down menu.

Administrative Events Error Properties

(You can also double-click on each of them to open them a bit more quickly.)

In the new window, look for the Event ID under the General tab for that specific error, as shown in the image below:

Event ID

You can also find the problematic apps in an alternative way and end the process. For this, you will have to first restart the browser.

You can do this by:

  • Typing chrome:restart in the address bar, assuming that you are using Google Chrome
  • Pressing and holding Command + Shift + Delete keys, clearing cache, pressing and holding the Shift key and clicking the reload icon beside the URL bar in Mac

Now, open the Task Manager tool of the browser by pressing the Shift + Esc keys together or by:

  • Clicking on the three dots at the top-right corner of the screen
  • Clicking on More tools from the drop-down window
  • Selecting the Task manager tool from the new submenu

Selecting the Task manager tool from the new submenu

Now, use this tool to find the culprit and click on the End process button at the bottom of the window for each.

click on the End process

You may also update the browser after that with its latest version.

Now check whether the issue has been rectified.

Conclusion

So, if the easy fixes do not do the trick for you, the other solutions described above in this article will surely fix the issue of your PC shutting down while playing games.

Still, it is advised that you know well about the gaming necessities so that you can deal with the hardware shortcomings more effectively.

About Taylor

AvatarTaylor S. Irwin is a freelance technology writer with in-depth knowledge about computers. She has an understanding of hardware and technology gained through over 10 years of experience.

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