PEAK How to Fix Freezing & Crashing Issues
If PEAK is freezing or crashing, especially after the first campfire or near the Tropics biome, you’re not alone. Crashes have been affecting many players since launch, but there are a few workarounds and fixes that can help you get back to climbing.
Main Fixes for PEAK Crashing
Force DirectX 12
Some crashes are caused by PEAK defaulting to Vulkan, even when DX12 is selected. To fix this:
Right-click PEAK in your Steam Library
Select Properties
Under Launch Options, type:
-force-d3d12
Close and restart Steam before launching the game
This forces PEAK to use DirectX 12 every time it runs.
Cap your FPS or enable V-Sync
Uncapped frame rates are causing instability for many players.
Turn on V-Sync in-game
Or manually cap your framerate to match your monitor’s refresh rate
This helps stabilize the game, especially near biomes like Tropics.
Look down when entering Tropics
It sounds odd, but many players report fewer crashes when they look down at the ground while entering the Tropics. It reduces how much the game tries to load at once.
Try this just before or as you leave the first campfire.
General Troubleshooting Tips
Restart Steam to trigger updates
A crash patch was released recently. Restarting Steam may prompt the game to update automatically.
Update your GPU drivers
Check for the latest AMD or NVIDIA graphics drivers. Crashes on Radeon GPUs have been more common, so make sure you are fully up to date.
Switch between Vulkan and DX12 (if needed)
Some players reported that switching from Vulkan to DX12 helped, or vice versa. You can change this under in-game settings or by using launch options in Steam.
Reinstall the game (last resort)
If none of the above helps, try uninstalling PEAK and reinstalling it from a clean folder. Restart your PC before launching it again.
Final Blurb
PEAK is a fun game, but right now it’s also a bit fragile. Until the devs release a full fix, these tips should help you stop the crashes and get back to climbing.
And yes... looking down actually works.
FAQ
Q: Why does PEAK crash after the first campfire?
It often happens due to a bug when entering the Tropics biome, especially with certain GPUs or if the game uses Vulkan.
Q: How do I force PEAK to use DX12?
Use the launch option -force-d3d12 in the Steam properties menu.
Q: Does turning on V-Sync help?
Yes, it helps prevent crashes caused by high or unstable frame rates.
Q: Why does looking down reduce crashes?
It lowers how much the game renders, which can prevent overload crashes in buggy areas like Tropics.
Q: Where do I send crash logs for PEAK?
Send the “Player” log file from the Peak folder in AppData to support@landfall.se.
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