VRChat (desktop mode) keeps crashing after 5-15 minutes in-game

Help!
1

GPU: RTX 3080, Ryzen 5 5600, 32 GB RAM

No matter what I do, this game always crashes for me after 5-15 or so minutes in any world. Before it crashes, performance is subpar at times, with stuttering pretty common. When it crashes, it will either just shut off VRChat, black out the windows for 1-2 minutes, or pop up with a generic Unity error that when researched online, has no answers to why it actually happens.

I have tried

  • Reinstalling
  • Restarting Windows
  • Re-verifying game files through Steam
  • Cleaning any sort of cache or config files (EVERY SINGLE ONE)
  • Trying a different account

and nothing works. I have tried running desktop mode on a 11+ year old laptop with much weaker specs than my main rig, and it runs the game flawlessly. What could be the issue? I have tried asking this on Steam and Reddit and I cannot get a single answer.

2

Can you post that Unity error message? Even if it seems generic, the exact wording matters.

Also, when it crashes next time:

These are generic, but can help:

  • Windows + X → Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application
  • Look for errors around the crash time (VRChat, Unity, or graphics-related like nvlddmkm)
  • Windows + R → dxdiag → Hit enter, let it run then Save All Information, this can be relevant later, so save it for now. You can’t upload files here so we can deal with that later if is needed.

VRChat logs:

  • Windows + R → %userprofile%\appdata\locallow\vrchat\VRChat
  • Open the most recent output_log file (Sort by date)
  • Scroll to the bottom and grab the last ~20 lines (or if there’s an error/exception, grab ~10 lines above and below it)

Quick checks:

  • Have you done a clean GPU driver install? (Use DDU to fully wipe old drivers, then fresh install from Nvidia. Do it from safe mode for best effect.)
  • What’s your GPU/CPU temps and usage when it crashes?
  • Running any overlays? (Discord, MSI Afterburner, etc.) Try disabling them
  • Is only Desktop mode that crashes? Does it happen in VR?

We have to start very generic troubleshooting, since this could be a driver conflict, something corrupted in Windows, or hardware instability under load on your PC.

I’d also be happy to assist on Discord if need be. (You can add Hardtokidnap)

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