Troubleshooting Guide

Having trouble getting the game to run correctly? Here's a list of common problems and fixes.

Game Client

Game doesn't start

A clean install of Vintage Story should simply work, on any supported hardware. (Exceptionally, additional steps may be needed to start the game on some Linux systems or on latest 'Apple silicon' Macs: if that's you, please see documentation or forum threads specifically for those systems.)

If Vintage Story used to work but stopped working after an update, it is worth checking four things first:

1. Did the installation/update process complete - it's best to let it install automatically, manually dragging files around or mixing folders could break something, if in doubt try a fresh clean installation in a new folder
2. Are you using mods, including possibly mods which are designed for an older version of the game but cannot (yet) work with the latest version of the game? For troubleshooting, clear out your %appdata%\VintagestoryData\Mods folder fully, or (if you can get as far as the Main Menu) disable all non-vanilla mods in the in-game Mod Manager. The "vanilla" mods by Tyron: Creative Mode, Essentials and Survival Mode, are all required, however, so do not disable those!
3. In Singleplayer, try Create New World instead of playing an existing world: a new world should always work
4. Check the News and General channels on Discord for suggestions of which update to use.

If double clicking the game's icon simply does nothing starting from v1.18.8 or v1.19 and later, your .Net7 Framework install might be broken and needs fixing. Try re-installing the .net7 desktop runtime. Running dotnet Vintagestory.dll from the command prompt might yield additional information.

I cannot login inside the game

If you get an "Unable to connect to auth server" error, here's some suggestions:

• Make sure you are connected to the internet
• Make sure your firewall does not block the game from connecting to the game
• Exit the game, delete the file %appdata%\VintagestoryData\clientsettings.json, start the game and try again (reinstalling the game does not delete this file)

Game is crashing

Did you recently update Vintage Story? Vintage Story releases new updates several times each year. Normally updates add new features and fix older bugs, but very occasionally something breaks in the process. You could try asking other players on Discord, or if all else fails, try re-installing a previous version of Vintage Story which was stable. If you are playing with mods and you update Vintage Story without also updating the mods, some of the mods may have issues: see the next question!

Do you have mods installed?
We encourage modding Vintage Story - see the amazing mods on the Mod DB. But using 3rd-party mods may possibly cause issues with the game, especially if the mod is not updated for the current Vintage Story game version you are playing. Generally if updating Vintage Story to a new version like 1.19, you should also update all of your mods at the same time (though, some mods are fine with game updates). Checking that mods aren't the source of the problem is a good place to start. See if an update for the mod is available, generally you should use the latest version. Check the Mod DB comments and forum page for the mod, or talk to other players using the mod. If disabling mods, you should keep the Vintage Story "vanilla" mods enabled, that's Creative Mode, Essentials and Survival Mode!

Tip: If there's a crash report and in the report the top line of the code ends with _patch0 or similar (look for the word patch!) then it's probably a mod issue.

Are you on the latest Graphics drivers?
Updating graphics drivers may help if there are visual issues or graphics (OpenGL) related crashes. Vintage Story uses many OpenGL features. Vintage Story also makes heavy use of shaders. Try an OpenGL test program (FurMark, OpenGLChecker, GpuTest etc) to make sure that OpenGL is generally working properly on your system.

Do you have enough hard disk space?
The game will crash if you run out of disk space during a save, and likely also corrupt your savegame. A Vintage Story savegame varies in size depending on how much of the map you have explored, it could be a few GB in size. It's best to have plenty of disk space free.
If you update game versions, and the 'remapping' dialog pops up asking if you want to make a backup and you choose to backup, make sure you have plenty of disk space free for the backup, the backup process will need a lot of space on the hard drive where your Temp files folder is located.

NullReferenceException in Entity*.FromBytes()
Load your savegame in repair mode, fly to the crashing spot, leave the world and run the game normally again.

System.MissingMethodException: Method not found: '!!0[]
This is relevant only to older (pre. 1.18.8) versions of Vintage Story. Please install the .net Runtime 4.6.2. On newer versions of Vintage Story you should be using the .Net 7 runtime from Microsoft.

System.DllNotFoundException: Unable to load DLL 'glfw'
Please install the C++ redistributables v16

Out of Memory crashes

Out of Memory exception
At minimum settings the game needs at least 4 GB of available (free) RAM to run smoothly, or more than that if you use integrated graphics (because integrated graphics uses system memory as GPU memory), we recommend ensuring you have at least 8-12GB free to play on normal settings, and 16GB-32GB to play on max settings, with multiple mods. You can try to free up memory by closing all other applications, including your browser and Discord if you have those open. If your computer does not have even 4 GB of free RAM, you can perhaps still play a Multiplayer game on absolute minimum settings, for example a view distance of 96 or less.

General tips for resolving memory issues

• Set the in-game viewing distance lower: view distance has the biggest impact on the memory requirements
• Play Multiplayer not single player games: Multiplayer uses much less RAM
• If you finish a game, then if you want to play again, fully Quit and re-start VintageStory, don't start a new game immediately from the main menu: starting a second game too quickly from the main menu (before the system had time to clear everything from the first game, it can need a few seconds) can have a high memory impact
• Disable or uninstall mods, or at least test things with mods disabled: every mod adds something to the memory requirement, some mods can add massively
• Check client-main log for reported errors: errors can affect the memory burden in various ways
• Set the music volume to 0 and restart: this disables the in-game music, can maybe save 50-100MB if the music is not loaded at all
• Set RAM optimization to "Aggressively optimize" in the game's graphics settings
• Close down all other applications
• In extreme cases try customising the world and disabling Lore - or try the Homo Sapiens game mode where it is disabled by default
• In extreme cases you can manually force the game to clear its RAM at times, using the Alt+F8 key in-game
• Considering installing more RAM in your computer (!) In 2024 it's not expensive and can be a good upgrade
• If you already tried everything else, ask for help on Discord...

A graphics card can also run out of memory, causing the game to crash. Possible causes include: lack of system memory (the graphics card sometimes checks that at least 2GB of system memory are free); other active games or processes on your computer which also use graphics card resources (including some webpages or video players); two copies of Vintage Story running at the same time; a previous hard crash of any game or application such that graphics resources were not properly freed (try re-starting your system!); ultra-high view distances; fancy shader mods; video recording while playing the game. If it happens repeatedly without any of these causes and even after re-starting your system, then try reducing graphics settings in Vintage Story: you can access the settings from the Main Menu before starting the game.

Pro tip: Some extreme gameplay actions and settings (e.g. fast travel across the map, with 1024 view distance and other settings maximised; huge modpacks; large-scale or very rapid WorldEdit actions; builds with very high numbers of complex blocks) could at times make the game run out of memory even on a powerful PC with plenty of RAM. If this is you, try setting up your game as a multiplayer server on a separate computer system either on your local network, or a hosted multiplayer server; and generally try all the other tips above, try turning some things down a little for better stability

Screen Freezes

If you sometimes experience screen freezes after playing for a few seconds or a few minutes (can be an issue with some Intel Iris or Intel HD integrated graphics, common on modern laptops) try switching off some of the visual effects like God Rays, SSAO, Bloom and Foam & Shiny Effect in the game's graphics settings - or generally just try easier graphics settings like "Low". The graphics settings are accessible through Settings in the main menu, before you start playing a game. There appears to be no specific cause for these screen freezes, just that the laptop's GPU is overwhelmed. The game is intended to run well and be fully playable on standard laptops, as long as the graphics settings are suitable. There is no shame in using "Low" or "Medium" graphics settings on a laptop, the game still looks great with these settings.

If your screen freezes but the mouse still works, you may still be able to exit the game by hitting the Esc key, then moving your mouse pointer to the center of the screen where the 'Save and Exit Game' button would normally be seen - try clicking around that area and listening for a button-click sound. You may then also need to exit the main menu by looking for the Quit button on the left side of the menu screen in the same way.

Game Runs Slow

• Lower the quality settings in the Graphics settings. Really. Lower them right down, make sure performance is OK at low settings, then increase / re-enable individual settings to see if the performance you want can be maintained.
• In the Graphics settings (expand them to see All available settings), the game can run slow if the resolution is higher then 100% (check that first!) High view distances, God Rays, SSAO and high quality shadows all have a big effect on framerate.
• The game might be using the wrong videocard. Make sure your monitor is connected to the dedicated graphics card on the back of your PC. The Ctrl+F3 debug screen shows in the top left corner which graphics card the game is using, this is also shown in the client-main log file.
• Use the latest version of the game! 1.19 and above are recommended, every new version of the game improves performance in some way.
• Modern laptops generally run everything faster if they are plugged in; if unplugged, they slow everything down to conserve the battery.
• On a laptop with both Integrated and High-performance GPU (e.g. Intel and Nvidia) make sure it is using the High-performance GPU. Follow your graphics card manufacturer's instructions to switch which card will be used for gaming, many cards have a desktop utility to control this for different applications. For example, there may be Nvidia Control Panel settings for this. See also NVIDIA Optimus Profile.
• On a Windows 10 laptop, make sure the Windows battery / power mode setting is set to 'Best performance'. Click the battery icon to see this. Especially do not use the 'best battery life' setting, this overrides most other settings on your computer and causes Vintage Story to run very slowly.
• Ensure your system meets the minimum requirements
• Windows Update or Windows Defender might be active in the background doing updates or scans
• You can control a lot of the (possibly unwanted?) background actions of Windows 10 using this tool OOSU10
• Antivirus/anti-malware/firewall programs may be affecting performance
• Close other programs to free up resources. Force unnecessary background programs to exit (or don't let them start at all...)
• Please ensure the system is sufficiently cooled as some systems slow down if they get too hot. Make sure air vents are not covered and cooling elements and fans are free from dust; if you have a laptop, raise it off the desk slightly so it has better airflow underneath it. Do not use a laptop for gaming on a bed or other soft furnishings which hinder cooling - or if you really must do this, place a tray or large book under your laptop!
• Please ensure a sufficiently rated power supply is used. Gaming on battery power is not recommended on laptops as they might choose to run slower in a lower power mode. If you need to play on battery mode, you can extend the playable battery life by reducing the Max FPS to 30 fps and using VSync mode 'On + Sleep' in Vintage Story's graphics settings.
• Mods can use additional resources: fancy shader mods really need a high-powered gaming rig.
• Check that the system is not overheating or thermal throttling - see Framerate and Performance.
• Please do not run the game from an external drive or network share.
• Running on a virtual machine (VM) may also cause performance issues.
• The game requires at minimum at least 4GB of 'free memory' (RAM) - or perhaps more like 6 GB if playing on a laptop with integrated graphics. You can look in Task Manager how much you have before you start the game. More RAM is better, especially at larger view distances. If your PC is severely RAM limited, try turning down the view distance substantially, or try playing multiplayer - in multiplayer, a lot of the heavy work in running the game is being done by the remote server, so that a running game can use as little as 1-2 GB of RAM depending on settings.
• Some people have reported that Windows 10 update version 2004 causes lag issues in games (especially in "Game Mode" in Windows Settings); if you have the choice, we recommend Windows 10 version 1903 as the most stable Windows 10 version for gaming.
• If you're playing multiplayer, it's best to be in the same geographic region as the server you are playing on. See next section below.
• If you are on Linux you can try using mesa_glthread

Multiplayer lag / Host not responding messages

• Vintage Story currently can have latency issues if players connect from a different continent to where the server is hosted
• If you are the server owner:
  • The Server might be struggling. Be sure to meet the server's minimum requirements. Many concurrent players requires extra hardware. You can also try adjusting the Magic Numbers on the server.
  • Also check out the Debugging page. You can use tick logging (logticks) to perhaps identify the specific cause of lag.
  • Auto-save every few minutes will cause 1-2 seconds of lag when it saves. That is unavoidable if you want to protect the game progression using auto-save (strongly recommended). A fast CPU and a fast solid state disk system can improve this but it will always take some time.
  • Generally use the latest version of the game available: Tyron and team continually make performance improvements and optimisations to Vintage Story, including specific optimisations for multiplayer servers.
• In game version 1.16.5 specifically, there were reports that a mod (we do not know which one!) can cause multiplayer connection issues or disconnects. If playing with a large mod list and you have connection issues and you have control over the mods on the server as well, try reducing the mod list (for both the server and the players) until the issue is fixed: as a start, test whether you can connect to the server with no mods except Vintage Story's "vanilla" mods Survival, Creative and Essential

Multiplayer connection issues

If you are the server owner:

• Make sure your Firewall does not block internet access for VintagestoryServer.exe
• Test whether another computer on your local network (Wifi or directly plugged in) can connect to the server
• If you are hosting yourself for public access - making a multiplayer server at home, for friends or others outside your home to access - you either need to set up port forwarding on your router or use a VPN, like hamachi

If you are the player:

• Make sure your Firewall does not block internet access for Vintagestory.exe
• Make sure your game version matches the server game version: you can download an update, or download an earlier version of the game, from the Client Area / Downloads at www.vintagestory.at
• The server might have a "whitelist" of allowed players: if you are a new player not on the list, try contacting the server owner
• Test whether you are able to connect to other multiplayer servers, for example the Official Public Test Server

AccessViolation (0xC0000005)

Access Violation error could be triggered for a variety of reasons. A few possible causes:

• Corrupt files
• Out-of-date drivers
• Conflict with anti-virus
• Overclocking processors

Game Servers on Linux

Error: Garbage collector could not allocate 16384u bytes of memory for major heap section.

If your server is on a Linux system, run sudo sysctl -w vm.max_map_count=262144

--- Original version of this page inspired by Staxels Troubleshooting guide.