A blue screen of death (BSOD) means Windows hit an error it could not recover from and stopped to protect your data. When it happens during games, the cause is usually something stressed by gaming: the graphics driver, memory, an overclock, heat or the power supply. The screen itself gives the first clue.
Read the stop code
Every blue screen shows a stop code, such as VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE, MEMORY_MANAGEMENT or IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL, and sometimes the name of a file like nvlddmkm.sys (NVIDIA’s driver) or amdkmdag.sys (AMD’s). Take a photo of it or note it down. Microsoft’s bug check code reference explains what each code means.
If the PC restarts too fast to read it, open Event Viewer after rebooting, or use the free tool BlueScreenView or WinDbg to read the crash dump files saved in C:\Windows\Minidump.
Graphics driver problems
Codes mentioning video or a graphics driver file point to the GPU driver. Do a clean reinstall: download the latest driver, remove the old one with Display Driver Uninstaller in Safe Mode, then install the new one. If the problem started after a driver update, try the previous version instead.
Overclocks and memory
Undo any overclock on the CPU, GPU or RAM, including the XMP or EXPO memory profile, and see whether the crashes stop. Unstable memory produces a wide range of different stop codes, which is itself a clue. Test it with Windows Memory Diagnostic, or with MemTest86 for a more thorough check. If one stick fails, test them one at a time to find it.
Heat and power
Monitor temperatures during play with HWiNFO. A graphics card or processor that overheats can crash the system. Clean dust from fans and filters and check that all fans spin. Blue screens or instant reboots under heavy load can also indicate a power supply that cannot keep up, especially after a graphics card upgrade.
Other drivers and software
Recently installed hardware, an outdated chipset driver, anti-cheat software or system utilities that hook deep into Windows can all trigger blue screens. Update the chipset driver from your motherboard maker’s website, and update the BIOS if the motherboard maker lists stability fixes. Uninstall recently added software one by one if the crashes started after installing it.
System files and storage
Run sfc /scannow and then DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth in an administrator command prompt to repair Windows files. Check your SSD’s health with the manufacturer’s tool. If nothing helps and the stop codes keep changing, test the hardware one component at a time; a reinstall of Windows only makes sense once hardware has been ruled out.
