After investigating this particular issue, it turns out that there are several different causes that might be causing this error code. Here’s a list of potential culprits that might be responsible for the apparition of this ‘fatal error’ with Starbound on a Windows computer: Now that you know every potential culprit, here’s a list of verified methods that some affected users have successfully deployed to get to the bottom of this issue:
Method 1: Putting VSync to False in Starbound
As it turns out, in a lot of documented cases, this issue occurs whenever VSync is enabled on a PC configuration where the GPU / CPU components are not powerful enough to sustain this graphical feature. However, unlike other games, Starbound prefers to prevent the game from starting in situations like this instead of letting it run with performance issues. If you find yourself in this scenario, follow the instructions below to discover the config file of Starbound and modify the starbound.config so that VSync is set to False in order to prevent it from becoming active when you launch the game. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide that will guide you through the entire process: If the issue is still not resolved as you’re still encountering the same ‘fatal error’ when launching Starbound, move down to the next potential fix below.
Method 2: Update GPU driver to the Latest version
According to some affected users, you can also expect to see this issue in instances where you’re trying to use a severely outdated GPU driver to render the game. Several affected users have confirmed that they managed to fix the issue by updating the GPU drivers plus the physics module to ensure that every component that is handling in-game rendering is using the latest available iteration. If this scenario is applicable and you know for sure you haven’t updated your GPU drivers in a while, follow the instructions below for step-by-step instructions on updating the current GPU drivers to ensure that the Starbound Fatal error doesn’t repeat itself: In case Device Manager didn’t find a new driver version in your case, you can also use the proprietary software provided by your GPU manufacturer to make sure that you’re using the latest driver version compatible with your GPU model: GeForce Experience – Nvidia Adrenalin – AMD Intel Driver – Intel If you were already using the latest GPU driver version or updating the driver version didn’t fix the issue in your case, move down to the next potential fix below.
Method 3: Verifying the Integrity of the Game in Steam
If none of the methods above have worked in your case, you should start considering a corruption-fueled inconsistency that is affecting the Steam installation of Starbound. Several affected users that found themselves in a similar scenario have reportedly managed to fix the issue by using the integrity check feature on Steam in order to detect and fix corrupted game files. If you’re launching the game through Steam and you haven’t tried this yet, follow the instructions below to automatically scan every Starbound game file and replace every corrupted item with a healthy equivalent: In case this problem is still not fixed, move down to the next potential fix below.
Method 4: Running the Game in Compatibility Mode (with Admin Access)
According to some users that were also encountering this issue on Windows 10, you can also expect to see this issue if you’re dealing with some kind of compatibility issue. Keep in mind that Starbound was originally designed to run on Windows 7, and if you’re trying to render a modded built that’s not modified to be supported on Windows 10, you can expect to see the ‘fatal error’ prompt every time you attempt to launch the game. Fortunately, other users that found themselves in a similar scenario have reported that they were finally able to launch the game normally after they forced their game executable to launch in compatibility mode with Windows 7 (and ensure that admin rights are given to it). If you haven’t tried this fix yet, follow the instructions below for step by step instructions on how to do so: If the same ‘fatal error’ prompt is still occurring at startup, move down to the final potential fix below.
Method 5: Reinstalling the Game
If none of the fixes above have been effective in your case, the last potential fix that you can deploy is to essentially uninstall the game and ensure like any leftover files (mods, custom files, user preference data, etc.) are also deleted and will not be a part of a future installation. Some users that were also dealing with this issue have confirmed that they finally managed to fix this issue by reinstalling the game and deleting any remnant data before reinstalling it using the official channels. To make things easier for you, we’ve put together a step-by-step series of instructions:
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