DirectX 12 and Vulkan offer lower CPU overhead and better multi-threading, but they place more responsibility on the game and driver to handle errors correctly. Older or poorly optimised titles can crash, stutter, or produce graphical glitches under DX12 that simply disappear when you switch to DX11.
Forcing DX11 is a workaround, not a permanent fix. Keep an eye on GPU driver updates and game patches — a future update may resolve the DX12 issues, at which point you can remove the override.
Method 1 — Steam launch options (most common)
- 1Open Steam and go to your Library.
- 2Right-click the game and choose Properties.
- 3In the General tab, find the Launch Options field.
- 4
Enter the appropriate flag for your game (see the table below) and close the window.
- 5Launch the game normally from Steam.
Common DX11 launch flags by engine
| Engine / Game type | Flag |
|---|---|
| Unreal Engine 4/5 | -dx11 or -d3d11 |
| Unity | -force-d3d11 |
| Frostbite (EA games) | -d3d11 |
Not sure which engine your game uses? Check its PCGamingWiki page — it lists the engine and known launch options.
Method 2 — In-game graphics settings
Many games expose the graphics API directly in their settings:
- Open the game and go to Settings → Graphics (or Video).
- Look for a Rendering API, Graphics API, or DirectX Version option.
- Set it to DirectX 11 or DX11 and apply.
- The game will restart or prompt you to restart.
Method 3 — Epic Games Launcher
- 1Open the Epic Games Launcher and find the game in your Library.
- 2Click the three-dot menu (⋯) on the game tile and choose Manage.
- 3
Under Launch Options, enable the Additional Command Line Arguments toggle.
- 4Type
-dx11(or the flag for your specific game) in the field.
When DX11 doesn't help
If switching to DX11 does not resolve your issue, the crash is probably not API-related. Try:
- Updating your GPU drivers
- Verifying game file integrity
- Adding the game folder to antivirus exclusions
- Lowering in-game graphical settings (shadows, ray tracing, VRAM-heavy options)
