Since the release of the DiRT 3, players have been reporting several issues. Some of these issues are the DiRT 3 crashing, and worse, the game crashes during startup. This makes DiRT 3 totally unplayable. Fortunately, there’s still a way to fix these crashing issues in DiRT 3. Below, you will find the most effective ways to fix these problems.
Check DiRT 3 System Requirements
Before we start with the actual troubleshooting, make sure that your PC meets the minimum requirements of DiRT 3.
Minimum Requirements
- OS: Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Windows 8
- Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 2.8GHz, Intel Pentium D 2.8Ghz
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 2000 256MB, NVIDIA GeForce 8000 Series 256MB
- DirectX: Version 9.0
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible soundcard
If you did not meet at least the DiRT 3 minimum system requirements, it’s not a surprise why DiRT 3 is crashing on your PC. Upgrading your hardware is the best option to make DiRT 3 playable.
Update Your Drivers
Assuming that your PC was able to handle the system requirements of DiRT 3, another reason why the game is crashing is due to the outdated drivers.
An outdated graphics driver, DirectX, and some unmonitored drivers are the reasons why DiRT 3 is crashing. It is highly recommended that you download the latest driver updates for your PC. If you don’t have enough time, patience, or skills to do a manual driver update, you can do it automatically with Driver Booster.
Driver Booster will automatically recognize your computer’s system and find the correct drivers for it. You don’t need to know exactly what your system is running as Driver Booster will handle all the technical stuff. Check the steps below on how to use this driver update tool.
Step 1: Download and install Driver Booster
Step 2: Run Driver Booster and click the “Scan” button. Driver Booster will then scan and detect any driver-related problems.
Step 3: Click the “Update Now” button to automatically download and install the correct drivers for your computer.
Step 4: Restart your PC for the update changes to take effect.
Step 5: Launch DiRT 3 and check if these crashing issues have been solved.
If the DiRT 3 crashing issue persists, you can try the next step.
Verify Game Integrity on Steam
Steam has a built-in feature that will allow you to verify the integrity of the game. Once performed, Steam will check if the files on your local machine are the same as the files on Steam servers. In case something is unsynchronized, Steam will download and repair any file-related concerns.
Here’s how you can perform this method:
- Open Steam and go to Library
- Right-click DiRT 3 and select Properties
- Go to the Local Files option then click Verify integrity of game files…
- Wait for Steam to validate DiRT 3’s files
- Re-launch DiRT 3 to see if you can play it properly.
Perform Clean Boot
There’s a chance that another program, such as your antivirus, is causing these crashing issues. You can try performing a clean boot to make sure that no other programs are running in the background. To perform a clean boot, you can follow the steps below.
- Open the Run tool by pressing the Windows Key + R
- Type msconfig and hit Enter
- Go to the Services tab section
- Check Hide all Microsoft services
- Click the Disable all button
- Click apply and restart your computer
Run the game after the restart and check if there’s still a crashing issue.
Download and Install the Latest Patch
DiRT 3 crash is likely to be a bug that comes along with the previously released patch. Installing the latest patch could fix these problems. You can download the newest DiRT 3 update by simply launching the game on Steam.
Reinstall DiRT 3 and Steam
If you already tried all the recommended fixes above but the issue still sticks around, it’s likely that the current version of DiRT 3 or Steam installed on your PC is the main culprit. The uninstall-reinstall method may work for you.