If Apex Legends keeps crashing on your PC, the fix EA actually documents is rarely the one people try first. It is not a settings tweak and it is certainly not a Windows reinstall — in most of EA’s own troubleshooting, it is repairing the game files, closing whatever is running behind the game, or matching an error code to the specific cause EA has published for it.
This guide has been rebuilt from EA’s current documentation. The previous version of this page walked you through the Origin client, which no longer does that job.
Quick answer
- Repair the game files first — EA’s answer to almost every crash code.
- Close background apps, then try a clean boot if it persists.
- Find your error code below — EA publishes a separate cause for each one.
- Do not uninstall your antivirus. EA says so explicitly; add an exception instead.
- Reinstalling is safe — your progress is tied to your account, not the install.
- Repairs run through the EA app now, not Origin.
First: Repair the Game Files
This is the single most repeated instruction across EA’s Apex documentation, and it is the one to try before anything else. When Apex produces a crash log, EA’s own guidance is blunt: “Your game has crashed. Follow our steps on fixing crashing and freezing”, followed by a repair.
EA’s exact path is “Repair the game files by going to the EA app > Library > Apex Legends . Select the Manage icon and choose Repair”.
The same instruction appears on EA’s general crashing page — “Repair the game files in the EA app. Go to Library and find your game. Select the Manage icon, then choose Repair” — and again for games that will not load at all: “If a game isn’t loading in the EA app, try repairing your game file.”
A note on Origin. The older version of this guide told you to launch Origin and hit Repair there. EA’s current crashing and installation pages do not mention the Origin client at all — every repair route now runs through the EA app. The name has not vanished entirely, mind: EA’s antivirus-exception steps still point at the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Apex\r5apex.exe, because the install directory kept its old name. The client is what changed, not the path.
Second: Close What Is Running Behind the Game
EA’s first-listed step for crashing is not a graphics setting. It is “If your game keeps crashing or freezing, try closing background apps”.
If that is not enough, the documented escalation is “Learn how to perform a clean boot of your PC to disable background tasks that might be interfering with your game.”
This matters more than it sounds, because one of Apex’s named crash errors is caused by exactly that. EA documents “DXGI_ERROR_, DEVICE_HUNG Description: a background app is stuck. Solution: fully restart your system.”
Match the Error Code to EA’s Cause
EA publishes a distinct cause for each Apex error rather than one generic fix. The ones that matter for crashing on PC:
- Apex_crash.txt — a crash log was written. Repair the game files.
- DXGI_ERROR / DEVICE_HUNG — “a background app is stuck”, so fully restart the system.
- Error code 23 — EA says “This error can be caused by outdated graphics drivers or missing or damaged game files.”
- r5apex.exe — “This can be caused by an inconsistency with the game installation.” Repair, then update Windows.
- Out of Sync with server — EA’s fix is a video setting: “Under the Video tab, set Texture Streaming Budget to None”.
- Game version does not match host — “This happens when your game is running on an outdated patch.”
And a useful reassurance if your code is not on the list: EA notes that “Some bugs don’t have a code and can happen after important updates or server issues.” A crash with no code is not necessarily a broken PC.
Do Not Uninstall Your Antivirus
Worth stating plainly, because it is common advice on forums and EA rules it out. On the DirectX install error, EA writes: “We don’t recommend uninstalling your anti-virus software to fix this issue.”
The documented alternative is an exception. For the “Invalid game executable” error, EA’s steps for Avast and AVG both add r5apex.exe to the exclusions list and then repair the game — security software stays on.
Anti-Cheat Crashes Are Their Own Category
Some Apex crashes are the anti-cheat refusing to run, not the game failing. EA describes the integrity error as one where “This error happens when there’s an issue with Anti-Cheat integrity, which can be caused by a corrupted file.” The fix is the same repair.
Error 30005 is the other one — “This error happens when Anti-Cheat has failed to launch.”
⚠️ This section is changing. EA’s page currently documents the EasyAntiCheat route for 30005, but Apex is moving to EA’s own Javelin system, which brings a different set of errors and a published list of blocked software. If your crashes started after an anti-cheat update, read what changes with EA Javelin Anticheat before working through the steps above.
If It Still Crashes: Frame Rate, Then Reinstall
EA’s remaining PC step is a performance one — “Try capping your frame rate. You can also enable Vertical Sync (V-Sync), to match your frame rate to your display’s refresh rate.”
After that, reinstalling is the documented end of the line, and it costs you nothing: “Don’t worry, your game progress will be there when you reinstall the game.”
If you play Apex through Steam rather than the EA app, the equivalent of EA’s repair is verifying the local files — our guide to repairing Steam game files covers that properly.
One Thing That Looks Like a Crash and Is Not
If the game never gets far enough to crash because the download stalls, check the drive rather than the game. EA documents that “your hard drive might be formatted as FAT32, which can’t handle files larger than 4 GB”. EA also documents a cache clear: “clear your cache using App Recovery to see if that fixes your issue”.
What This Guide No Longer Tells You to Do
Being straight about it, because the earlier version of this page said otherwise.
It claimed Apex crashes came from “memory overload”, graphics options “set too high” and corrupt files, stated as established causes. EA publishes causes per error code, and they do not line up with that list, so the invented causes are gone.
It also promised every fix could be applied “in no more than half an hour”, and ended by telling readers to reinstall Apex “and even Windows”. Reinstalling Windows to fix one game crashing is disproportionate, and EA documents nothing of the kind. Both have been removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the single most likely fix?
Repairing the game files in the EA app. It is EA’s answer to the crash log, the anti-cheat integrity error and the r5apex.exe error alike.
Will reinstalling lose my skins and progress?
No. EA states your progress will be there when you reinstall.
Should I turn off my antivirus?
No — EA explicitly recommends against uninstalling it. Add Apex as an exception instead.
Do I still need Origin?
No. EA’s current crashing and installation documentation routes every repair through the EA app. You may still see an “Origin Games” folder in your install path; that is just the directory name.
My game crashes with no error code at all.
EA acknowledges that some bugs have no code and can follow an update or a server issue. Repair the files, close background apps, and check whether a patch is pending.
Does any of this apply on console?
The repair steps do not, but EA publishes a separate console procedure — see our guide to Apex Legends crashing on PS4.
Updated 28 September 2026. Rebuilt against EA’s current documentation; the previous version’s Origin client steps were removed because EA no longer documents that route. Everything attributed to EA here is quoted from the pages listed below.
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