The Sinking City 2 Crash Fixes

The official steps, in order

1. Verify game files. In Steam: right-click the game → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.
2. Add the launch parameter -clearPSODriverCache. In Steam this goes in Properties → General → Launch Options.
3. Update graphics drivers, preferably as a clean installation.
4. Reinstall the game if crashes continue.
5. File a report at frogwares.com/support, attaching your dxdiag.txt and screenshots. The studio asks for exactly this.

The black screen that is not a crash

Known issueRamming a pier or object with the boat can cause a black screen or softlock. Frogwares lists it directly, with the guidance to avoid ramming things and to reload the last save if it happens.

This catches people in A New Day, where boat traversal is introduced. Steer, do not barge.

Every known issue Frogwares has published

• Changing settings mid-gameplay can cause visual bugs — restart or reload instead.
• The Low preset may show visual artefacts on low-end graphics cards.
• DLSS Performance and Ultra Performance modes are unstable — use Balanced or higher.
• Level of detail issues appear with varying frequency depending on hardware.
• The Night Shade mask may twitch after cutscenes and QTEs.
• The Acheronian Juggernaut's shadow may remain after the body dissolves.
• Slither Pawns may fall through the floor.
• Enemies can get stuck in collision after a melee or stomp — reload.
• Getting stuck in collisions yourself — load the last save.
• Slow environment loading after entering a level, depending on your hardware.
• All audio routing to the DualSense speaker — switch Windows audio output away and back.

If the game will not launch at all

• If it won't launch at all, check the requirements. Windows 11 x64, DirectX 12, 70 GB on an SSD — full list.
• Update drivers with a clean install. Frogwares specifically suggests using Display Driver Uninstaller beforehand when the DLSS option is missing, and the same approach fixes a range of launch problems.
• Enable Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling in Windows if you intend to use frame generation.
• Verify files before reinstalling — it is faster and usually enough.

Saving around instability

The game saves at the conch record player in safe rooms plus autosaves at transitions. If you are experiencing crashes, save more deliberately: at the safe room before entering a new area rather than after clearing one.

Reloading is also the studio's recommended fix for several issues above, so a recent save is your main troubleshooting tool.

Crashes that are really something else

Three situations get reported as crashes but are not:

• The boat black screen. A collision softlock, fixed by reloading — and avoidable by not ramming piers.
• Stuck in geometry. Reload the last save; the studio says so directly.
• Long asset loading. Frogwares notes props and assets can take a moment to finish streaming in after entering a level. On slower storage this reads as a freeze.

Separating these from genuine crashes matters, because the fixes are different and because a report that mislabels the problem is harder for the studio to act on.

Reporting a bug usefully

The Sinking City 2 crash fix loop ends with a report. Frogwares asks for detailed information plus your dxdiag.txt and screenshots. A useful report includes what you were doing, whether it reproduces, your settings, and whether you had already verified files.

The studio has been patching actively since launch, and this wiki re-checks its solution pages after each significant update — see how that works.