Have you ever received the 'Unreal Engine is exiting due to D3D device being lost' error message? According to the creators of Unreal Engine, this issue commonly occurs when there is a lack of synchronisation between a computer's hardware or graphics and Unreal Engine itself, resulting in an inability to function smoothly with D3D devices. 

Whilst each error message you receive, may contain various numbers and signatures, we have put together some general solutions which may help to resolve each of them.
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Update your graphics drivers

It is easy to forget to keep your drivers updated when your system is running just fine, but it is important.

Driver updates fix security and compatibility problems, errors, and broken code. Sometimes, depending on the manufacturer, they even add features to the hardware

For steps on how to do this, please see the following articles:

Change default graphics card

It's not uncommon for PC owners to have multiple graphics cards installed. This typically consists of an onboard card and a dedicated one. Firstly, make sure at least one of your  graphics cards meets the minimum requirements for the game you are attempting to play. Then, you need to make sure that is graphics card is the one selected to run the game.

  1. Type Settings in Windows Search and press Enter
  2. Click on System
  3. Under the Display tab, scroll down to the end and click on Graphics Settings
  4. Select Desktop App and click on Browse
  5. Find the game's location, select the .exe file and click on Add
  6. Click on Options, select High Performance and Save

Verify your game files

We would also recommend checking your game installation to make sure that there are no corrupted files that may be causing this error message.

For Steam:

  1. Right-click on the game in your Steam Library, choose Properties, switch to the Local Files tab and press Verify integrity of game files...
  2. Attempt to run the game to see if the issue is resolved

For Epic:

  1. Go to your Library and click the three dots (...) icon next to the game
  2. Choose 'Manage'
  3. Choose 'Verify'

Then attempt to run the game to see if the issue is resolved.

Disable NVIDIA Experience settings

Please ensure that no 'enhancement' features are enabled in NVIDIA's GeForce Experience. While these functions can modify settings and potentially enhance performance, they are notorious for causing various issues.

Please note: this only works for people with NVIDIA GPU's

  1. Run NVIDIA Geforce Experience
  2. Click Games and then disable Battery Boost. Other functions that may cause this error are things like Game Booster, Battery Optimizer, etc. So please make sure these are completely disabled.

You can also temporarily disable the GeForce Experience altogether and see if this works. Once you are absolutely sure that the issue isn’t because of these features, you can reactivate the settings should you choose to.

Check your hardware

In certain instances, computer hardware can be the root cause of problems. It is worth examining the hardware components of your PC - occasionally, faulty RAM sticks have responsible for the issue and game crashes for example.

If you encounter any hardware issues (such as a faulty RAM stick), we recommend reaching out to your PC manufacturer for assistance.

Perform a clean install of your graphics card drivers

It may be beneficial at this stage to perform a clean install of your graphics drivers. For this, you are going to need to download software called DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller). For steps on how to do this, please see the following article:

Simple Solutions:

  • Minimum Requirements: please make sure your PC meets the minimum requirements for the game you are attempting to play.
  • Turn off any Overclocking:  While overclocking can provide a performance boost to your PC, it is notorious for generating problems or clashes with applications. Disabling overclocking could be the solution you need to resolve these issues. 
  • Disable SLI: SLI serves the purpose of connecting two graphics cards to harness their combined power. Similar to conventional overclocking, Unreal Engine encounters difficulties when SLI is enabled. Therefore, it is advisable to disable SLI on your computer and observe if this resolves the issue.
  • Check your Anti-Virus: There is a possibility of interference between your antivirus program and Unreal Engine. Hence, consider disabling your antivirus before launching the game to determine if the error persists. If this resolves the issue, you may want to consider switching to a different antivirus software. Alternatively, you can seek assistance from the developer of your current antivirus program.