How to Fix Starfield Error 0xc000001d on Windows 11 25H2

Few things are more disappointing than buying or downloading a massive RPG like Starfield only to be greeted by error code 0xc000001d the moment you try to launch it. This crash-on-launch error affects players on both Steam and Xbox Game Pass, and it continues to appear on the latest Windows 11 2025 Update (version 25H2).

The good news? This error almost always has a fixable root cause. In the vast majority of cases, it comes down to AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) being disabled in your system’s BIOS a CPU instruction set that Starfield absolutely requires to run. But outdated GPU drivers, corrupted cache files, or conflicting background apps can also trigger it.

In this comprehensive troubleshooting guide, you’ll find 10 proven fixes for the 0xc000001d error on Windows 11 25H2, organized from most likely to resolve the issue to last-resort options.

1. Enable AVX (Advanced Vector Extensions) in BIOS

This is the #1 fix because Starfield requires AVX support from your CPU. If AVX is disabled or your processor doesn’t support it at all the game will crash immediately with error 0xc000001d every single time.

First, Check Whether Your CPU Supports AVX

Before changing BIOS settings, confirm that your processor actually has AVX capability. Download the free utility HWiNFO, open it, and look under the Features section of the CPU summary. If AVX shows a green indicator, your CPU supports it. If it’s grayed out or missing, your hardware cannot run Starfield a CPU upgrade would be the only option.

Option A: Enable AVX via Command Prompt

Step 1: Click the Start menu, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator”.

Step 2: Type the following command and press Enter:

bcdedit /set xsavedisable 0

Step 3: Restart your computer for the change to take effect, then try launching Starfield.

Option B: Enable AVX Directly in BIOS/UEFI

If the command-line approach doesn’t resolve the issue, you may need to enable AVX at the firmware level:

Step 1: Restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup by pressing the appropriate key during boot typically F2, F10, Delete, or Esc depending on your motherboard manufacturer.

Step 2: Navigate to the “Advanced Settings” or “Overclocking” section (the exact location varies by manufacturer).

Step 3: Find the setting labeled “AVX”, “AVX Instructions”, or “Advanced Vector Extensions” and set it to Enabled.

Step 4: Save your changes and exit. Your PC will reboot automatically. Launch Starfield to see if the error is resolved.

2. Update Your Graphics Card Drivers

Outdated or corrupted GPU drivers are another common trigger for the 0xc000001d crash. Starfield receives ongoing optimization patches from both NVIDIA and AMD, so running the latest drivers is essential especially after upgrading to Windows 11 25H2, which may have reset or replaced your driver with a generic version.

Step 1: Right-click the Start button and select “Device Manager”.

Step 2: Expand the “Display adapters” section to reveal your graphics card.

Step 3: Right-click your GPU and select “Update driver”.

Step 4: Choose “Search automatically for drivers” and let Windows find the latest available driver.

Step 5: If Windows says your driver is already up to date, download the newest driver directly from your GPU manufacturer’s website for the best results:

• NVIDIA: nvidia.com/Download
• AMD: amd.com/en/support
• Intel: intel.com/download-center

Restart your PC after installing the new driver, then launch Starfield.

3. Delete the GPU Cache

Corrupted DirectX shader cache files can interfere with Starfield’s launch. Clearing these cache files forces your system to rebuild them fresh which often eliminates the 0xc000001d crash.

Step 1: Press Win + R to open the Run dialog. Type the path for your GPU manufacturer and press Enter:

• AMD GPUs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\AMD\DxCache
• NVIDIA GPUs: %LOCALAPPDATA%\NVIDIA\DxCache

Step 2: Select all files inside the DxCache folder and delete them.

Step 3: Open the Run dialog again (Win + R), type %LOCALAPPDATA%\Starfield\, and press Enter.

Step 4: Find and delete the pipeline.cache file in the Starfield folder.

Step 5: Restart your PC and launch Starfield. The game will regenerate fresh cache files on its first boot.

4. Reset Starfield Save and Configuration Data

Corrupted save files or leftover configuration data can prevent Starfield from launching properly. Resetting this data forces the game to rebuild its configuration from scratch. This fix has resolved the issue for many Xbox Game Pass users in particular.

Step 1: Open File Explorer and navigate to the following path:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Packages\BethesdaSoftworks.ProjectGold_3275kfvn8vcwc\SystemAppData\wgs

Step 2: Delete all files and folders inside the wgs directory.

Step 3: Navigate to Starfield’s installation folder. For Xbox Game Pass installs, this is typically:

C:\XboxGames\Starfield\Content

Step 4: Inside the Content folder, delete everything except the DATA folder. The DATA folder contains essential game assets do not remove it.

Step 5: Make sure the Starfield.exe file is also deleted from the installation directory.

Step 6: Open the Xbox app, go to Starfield’s game page, click the three-dot menu (⋯) next to the Play button, and select “Manage”.

Step 7: Switch to the “Files” tab and click “VERIFY AND REPAIR”. This scans for missing or damaged files and redownloads them automatically.

Once the repair finishes, launch Starfield and check if the error is gone.

5. Verify and Repair Game Files (Steam Users)

If you own Starfield on Steam rather than Xbox Game Pass, you can use Steam’s built-in file verification tool which is equally effective at fixing file corruption issues.

Step 1: Open Steam and go to your Library.

Step 2: Right-click Starfield and select “Properties”.

Step 3: Go to the “Installed Files” tab (previously called “Local Files”) and click “Verify integrity of game files”.

Steam will compare your local files against its servers and replace anything that’s corrupted or missing. After verification completes, launch the game.

6. Close Unnecessary Background Applications

Starfield is a resource-intensive game. If other programs are consuming significant CPU, RAM, or disk resources, the game may fail to launch. Freeing up system resources can prevent the crash.

Step 1: Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.

Step 2: On the “Processes” tab, look for applications using high CPU or memory that you don’t actively need.

Step 3: Right-click each unnecessary program and select “End task”.

Pay special attention to:

• Web browsers (especially Chrome with many tabs open)
• Recording or streaming software (OBS, Discord overlays, NVIDIA ShadowPlay)
• Other games or launchers running simultaneously
• Antivirus real-time scanning consider temporarily disabling it while gaming

For the cleanest launch environment, restart your PC before opening Starfield.

7. Run Starfield as an Administrator

Permission restrictions in Windows 11 25H2 can occasionally prevent games from accessing system resources they need. Running Starfield with elevated privileges bypasses these restrictions.

Step 1: Navigate to Starfield’s installation folder and find Starfield.exe.

Step 2: Right-click Starfield.exe and select “Run as administrator”.

If this fixes the crash, set it to always run with admin rights:

Step 3: Right-click Starfield.exe, select “Properties”, go to the “Compatibility” tab, check “Run this program as an administrator”, then click “OK”.

8. Disable GPU Overclocking

If you’ve overclocked your graphics card using tools like MSI Afterburner, EVGA Precision, or your GPU manufacturer’s software, the overclock may be causing instability specifically with Starfield. Some games are more sensitive to overclocked hardware than others.

Step 1: Open your overclocking software (e.g., MSI Afterburner).

Step 2: Click the reset button to restore GPU clock speeds, memory speeds, and voltage to their default factory values.

Step 3: Save the profile and close the software. Launch Starfield to test.

If the game runs fine at stock speeds, you can gradually reintroduce your overclock at lower values to find a stable middle ground.

9. Update or Reset Your BIOS

An outdated BIOS can cause compatibility issues especially after major Windows updates like 25H2. Updating your motherboard’s firmware can resolve obscure conflicts that other fixes miss.

Step 1: Identify your motherboard model. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter. Look for “BaseBoard Manufacturer” and “BaseBoard Product”.

Step 2: Visit your motherboard manufacturer’s support page (ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, ASRock, etc.) and download the latest BIOS update for your specific model.

Step 3: Follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully to flash the BIOS update. Warning: Interrupting a BIOS update can permanently damage your motherboard, so ensure your PC is plugged into a reliable power source and don’t shut it down during the process.

If a BIOS update doesn’t help (or no update is available), try resetting your BIOS to factory defaults. Enter the BIOS setup during boot and look for “Load Optimized Defaults” or “Reset to Default Settings”. This can clear conflicting configurations that may be causing the error.

10. Keep Starfield Updated and Reinstall as a Last Resort

Bethesda regularly releases patches that fix bugs and improve stability. Make sure your game is fully updated before assuming the error is on your end.

For Steam: Open Steam Library right-click Starfield Properties Updates at ensure “Always keep this game updated” is selected.

For Xbox Game Pass: Open the Xbox app go to Starfield updates install automatically, but you can manually check by clicking the three-dot menu.

If you’ve tried every fix above and the error persists, a clean reinstall is your last option:

Step 1: Uninstall Starfield through Steam or the Xbox app.

Step 2: Manually delete any remaining files from the installation directory.

Step 3: Restart your PC.

Step 4: Reinstall the game. If you were using Xbox Game Pass, consider trying the Steam version (or vice versa) to rule out platform-specific issues.

Still Stuck? Contact Bethesda Support

If none of the solutions above resolve the 0xc000001d error, your issue may require individual investigation by Bethesda’s support team. They can provide personalized troubleshooting based on your specific hardware and software configuration.

Submit a support ticket here: Bethesda Support Starfield

Wrapping Up

Starfield error 0xc000001d is almost always caused by AVX not being enabled in your system’s BIOS so start there. If your CPU supports AVX and it’s already enabled, work through the other fixes: update your GPU drivers, clear the shader cache, verify game files, and close resource-heavy background apps.

With Windows 11 25H2, you may also find that a fresh GPU driver install (rather than just an update) is needed after the OS upgrade, since major Windows updates occasionally replace drivers with generic versions. If your hardware supports AVX and you’ve worked through every step in this guide, you should be back to exploring the Settled Systems in no time.