How to Fix Grounded Not Launching, Crashing, or Freezing

Grounded is a fun survival game where you‘re shrunk down to the size of an ant and must explore, craft, and survive in a dangerous backyard world. But like any game, you may sometimes run into issues with Grounded not launching, crashing to desktop, or freezing unexpectedly.

Not to worry – with a few troubleshooting steps, you‘ll be back to battling spiders and collecting resources in no time. In this guide, we‘ll walk through the top fixes to try when Grounded won‘t launch or continuously crashes on your PC.

Troubleshooting Overview

Here‘s a quick overview of the solutions we‘ll cover:

Update your graphics drivers
Run Grounded as administrator
Allow Grounded through your firewall and antivirus
Disable overlays and background apps
Verify integrity of game files
Update Windows and clean out hard drive space

Let‘s look at each of these fixes in more detail. With a bit of trial and error, you should be able to resolve any launch issues with Grounded.

Step 1: Update Your Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers are a common reason behind game crashing or freezing. Let‘s make sure you‘re running the latest drivers for your GPU:

For NVIDIA cards:

Open the GeForce Experience app
Click the "Drivers" tab in the top menu
Check for any available driver updates and install them
Restart your PC once the updates are complete

For AMD cards:

Go to AMD‘s driver download page
Use the auto-detect tool to find drivers for your specific GPU
Download and run the installer to update your graphics drivers
Restart your computer when done

GeForce Experience driver update screenshot

With new graphics drivers installed, try launching Grounded again to see if it resolves any crashing issues.

Step 2: Run Grounded as Administrator

Sometimes running a game as an admin can help avoid conflicts with other apps. Here‘s how to do it:

Open your Steam library and right-click on Grounded
Select "Properties" then click the "Local Files" tab
Click "Browse…" to open the game folder
Right-click the Grounded app and choose "Properties"
Go to the Compatibility tab and check "Run this program as an administrator"
Click OK and launch the game from Steam again

Running as admin makes sure Grounded has the necessary permissions andPriority to run smoothly.

Step 3: Allow Grounded Through Your Firewall and Antivirus

Overzealous antivirus or firewall software can block games from launching properly. Let‘s add exceptions for Grounded:

Windows Security Firewall:

Open Windows Security settings
Click "Firewall & network protection"
Select "Allow an app through firewall"
Click "Change settings" and then "Allow another app…"
Browse to the Grounded .exe file and add it

Windows Defender Antivirus:

Go to Virus & threat protection settings
Click "Manage ransomware protection"
Go to "Controlled folder access" and click "Allow an app"
Browse to the Grounded .exe and add it

Third-party antivirus:

Open your antivirus settings
Find the option to whitelist/exclude programs from scans
Add the Grounded app and folder to the exclusions list

This prevents your security tools from interfering with Grounded‘s normal operation.

Step 4: Disable Overlays and Background Apps

Sometimes other programs running in the background can cause issues with games. Let‘s close out any unnecessary apps:

Disable the Steam in-game overlay
Close background apps like web browsers, Razer Synapse, MSI Dragon Center, etc.
Disable or uninstall third-party gaming overlays like Razor Cortex
End tasks for any tools you don‘t need open while playing

This prevents other apps from hogging resources and lets Grounded run more smoothly. Fewer programs running means fewer potential conflicts.

Step 5: Verify Integrity of Game Files

Corrupted or missing game files can prevent Grounded from working properly. Verifying the integrity checks for any damaged files and redownloads them:

In your Steam library, right-click Grounded
Select “Properties” then go to the “Local Files” tab
Click “Verify integrity of game files”
Steam will automatically scan and replace any corrupt files

Once complete, try launching the game again to see if your issue is fixed.

Step 6: Update Windows and Free Up Hard Drive Space

An outdated OS or full hard drive can sometimes cause stability issues for games.

Make sure Windows is fully updated by checking for new updates
Free up HDD space by deleting unused files and cleaning system temporary files
Defrag your hard drive if you haven‘t in awhile to optimize file storage

Keeping Windows updated and giving Grounded room to operate can prevent freezing or crashing during gameplay.

Summary

With a bit of luck, one of these troubleshooting tips should get Grounded back up and running smoothly again. Don‘t forget to also check the Grounded technical help site for more game-specific fixes.

The key solutions covered were:

Updating graphics drivers
Running Grounded as administrator
Adding exceptions in antivirus/firewall
Closing background apps and overlays
Verifying integrity of game files
Updating Windows and freeing up storage space

Persistence is key – try restarting your PC after each step and testing if Grounded launches properly. Don‘t hesitate to reach out for more help in the Grounded community forums if you‘re still experiencing issues. Happy surviving!