I’ve encountered a crash dump on launching the game

(This FAQ entry is for users on PC. If you're on a Mac, please read THIS FAQ Entry instead for assistance)

If you receive a crash dump on game launch, please bear in mind a crash dump is the generic response for any type of crash – deleting the crash dump file will not help. There are a few troubleshooting techniques we suggest you undertake in order to get the game running. 

Stage 1

First of all please bear in mind the minimum specifications have increased for Football Manager 2018, so even if you able to previously run the game you may not be able to this version. If your system is old or you're unsure, please create a thread on our Tech Forums and post your DXDIAG so we can access and see if you are able to run the game.

We would also suggest adding the crash dump file. The location of the dump will be listed within the error message popup, but by default you should be able to find it here - C:\Users\<YOUR WINDOWS USERNAME>\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2018\crash dumps

Stage 2 

For all other crashes on launch, if you're running any custom graphics/logos/skins/editor file or any additions of any type, remove them for the time-being as a test and see if the game launches. If you find it does, then we'd suggest slowly adding the packs/folders back in slowly piece by piece to identify which specific one is causing the issue. If you find out do let us know so we can investigate to see why this is happening.

Then once you've removed them, do as follows:

Delete Cache
Delete Preferences 
Reverify Cache 

If this doesn't help, generally a crash dump on game start is related to a system or conflicting error, so we suggest the following steps to be completed in the following stages. We suggest after each stage trying the game to check and see if the troubleshooting guide fixes the issue. 

Stage 3

- Make sure your Graphics Card drivers and installed and fully up to date

Stage 4

- Check any programs which are known to cause issues with FM and/or Steam

Stage 5

- If running on a laptop with dual graphics cards, make sure they are configured for the correct card to run with FM

Stage 6

- Make sure your Anti-Virus isn’t interfering with Steam or FM as this can cause problems when installing or launching the game

Stage 7

- Make sure your Windows Updates are up to date and that your DirectX is not corrupted

Stage 8

If you have completed all of the above without being able to resolve your issue, please create a thread within our technical issues/crashes PC sub forum which can be found here - https://community.sigames.com/forum/564-crashes-and-technical-issues-pc/

Please include as many details as possible and list any troubleshooting techniques you’ve tried already so they can help you in the most efficient way.