• We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.

Chargrilled

Recruit
33 Badges
Nov 5, 2022
6
7
  • Prison Architect
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Stellaris: Humanoids Species Pack
  • Stellaris: Apocalypse
  • Cities: Skylines - Parklife
  • Stellaris: Distant Stars
  • Cities: Skylines Industries
  • Stellaris: Megacorp
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Expansion Pass
  • Cities: Skylines - Green Cities
  • Cities: Skylines - Campus
  • Stellaris: Ancient Relics
  • Stellaris: Federations
  • Crusader Kings III
  • Crusader Kings III: Royal Edition
  • Stellaris: Necroids
  • Stellaris: Nemesis
  • Crusader Kings II
  • Stellaris: Synthetic Dawn
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor
  • Surviving Mars
  • Cities: Skylines - Mass Transit
  • Stellaris - Path to Destruction bundle
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Together for Victory
  • Cities: Skylines - Natural Disasters
  • Stellaris: Leviathans Story Pack
  • Stellaris: Digital Anniversary Edition
  • Hearts of Iron IV: Cadet
  • Stellaris
  • Cities: Skylines - Snowfall
  • Cities: Skylines - After Dark
  • Cities: Skylines
  • Europa Universalis IV
As the title says, Victoria 3 is causing consistent, reproducable blue screens and hard freezes on my system in the mid and late game.

The blue screens are always 'ntoskrnl.exe' and 'IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL'.
Half of the time I don't even get to see a blue screen with an explanation because my system just locks up and I have to cycle the power to reboot it.

Before anyone tries to tell me it's my hardware/OS:
  • My system is more than powerful enough to run the game maxed.
  • Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic multiple times, no issues detected
  • Stress test with AMD Adrenalin, no stability issues
  • CPU and GPU are not overclocked, just custom (better) fan curves
  • Plenty of RAM (32GB)
  • Minimal programs running in the background, just browser and Steam
  • Fully updated Windows 11
  • Can play literally any other game for hours and not have a single crash.
  • Even tried lowering shadows from 4096x4096 to 1024x1024. This increased the time between crashes but they still happen.
The issues are so bad you can even pinpoint the day I bought the game using Windows Reliability History.

Img1.png


This is unacceptable for a full price release. If I'd bought this game for half the price on Early Access I still wouldn't expect an issue this bad to exist, let alone take this long to be fixed.
Just a warning to anyone checking here before buying - I'm already telling friends not to buy the game because this is just ridiculous.
 
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
Are you using external hardware in any way? That seems to be what ntoskrnl does from a quick look around, and I'm wondering if maybe the game is installed or sending logs there or sthing weird? No idea otherwise tho, sorry :/ Shame to hear it's being a shitter for you tho, it has a lot of promise and has been interesting to investigate despite having plenty of issues at this early juncture
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Are you using external hardware in any way? That seems to be what ntoskrnl does from a quick look around, and I'm wondering if maybe the game is installed or sending logs there or sthing weird? No idea otherwise tho, sorry :/ Shame to hear it's being a shitter for you tho, it has a lot of promise and has been interesting to investigate despite having plenty of issues at this early juncture
No external hardware at all unfortunately. I agree the game is fun, but yes this makes it practically unplayable.

Forgot to add to the list of troubleshooting, my GPU is on the latest drivers.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Before anyone tries to tell me it's my hardware/OS

It's either your hardware, your OS or your drivers. If a user-mode application like a game is capable of causing a blue screen, that is by definition a kernel/OS bug. Or a hardware failure. Those are the only options, this has nothing to do with Victoria 3 your PC is just borked.

But because I'm a nice guy, here's some recommended debugging steps:
  • update drivers
  • do a stress test on your CPU, make sure it covers AVX (if you have a defective CPU it can sometimes be only certain instructions that cause problems)
  • run memtest64 to check all 32GB of your memory
  • try running the game with a different graphics card
  • try running the game with a different CPU
  • try running the game with different memory modules
 
  • 4
  • 1
  • 1
Reactions:
You don't understand. If something Victoria 3 is doing causes a blue screen, it cannot be the fault of the game, quite literally by definition. Because it is the job of "kernel mode" (the OS and drivers), to not allow a blue screen to happen, regardless of what happens in "user mode" (your applications). So it must be a fault in your OS/Drivers/Hardware even if victoria 3 is causing it. What you are doing is like parking your new car in your driveway, getting out, and having it swallowed by a sinkhole. And then calling the car manufacturer to complain because this never happened with the old car.

And yes, I am literally ignoring everything you write on purpose because it's irrelevant hogwash. I am only writing this in a vain attempt to help you realise you're wasting your time trying to find a fix that involves Victoria 3. If you can't accept that, I shan't bother responding again. It's your time to waste.
a lot of people claim their drivers are up to date, but i know i haven't update my drivers in a while and used a driver updater just before started playing vic3

i had about 120 drivers that is out of date.

I somehow doubt most people will have the diligence to hunt down all those 120 drivers by themselves manually. Or even knowing the drivers are out of date to begin with
 
  • 2
  • 1
Reactions:
Victoria is very CPU-heavy. It might expose a fault in your CPU, mainboard or power supply that doesn't manifest with other games, most of which are GPU-bound.
I've stressed the CPU with AVX and non-AVX tests via P95 and others several times.
Also ran Intel's own Processor Diagnostic Tool which reported the CPU is perfectly fine.
Every other Paradox game + CPU-heavy ones like Cities Skylines all run fine, I've only had this issue with Vic 3.

At this point I've stopped trying to fix it, every conceivable test and tool I use tells me my hardware is fine.

I'll play the game again in a year or so when it works and has actual content.
 
You ran the Windows memory diagnostic tool, but have you run memtest?

I hope it’s an issue with your OS install, but in my limited experience, IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL most often indicates a hardware failure, possibly exacerbated by heat.

EDIT after a reread: yeah, I’m about 80% certain that’s a faulty ram stick. Or at best, one that needs to be reseated.
 
Last edited:
  • 1
Reactions:
I've been having consistent BSOD with the same error message; google has helpfully told me that it's normally related to Nvidia drivers, but they're up to date now and no dice. Perfomance monitor isn't reporting any faulty hardware, i've manually reacquired my drivers, run a disk health check in powershell, and adjusting graphical settings has given smoother gameplay but no end to this. Any ideas beyond the ram one?
 
One important thing is that sometimes having the latest drivers can be a problem. Video drivers are notoriously buggy, and it might be worth rolling back a couple of versions to see if that fixes it. There's a rollback option in device manager, if you find your GPU right clock and select "properties" you should see it. Or you can try uninstalling the driver and manually installing an old version from Nvidia's website although I think those are harder to get hold of now.

A quick thing you can test is turning off your antivirus if you have one installed. Occasionally real-time protection can cause BSODs, but that's less common now that windows has a proper API for it.

Also, I can't recommend memtest64 highly enough as an option. I know it's a pain in the arse but I have wasted weeks before looking for the source of intermittent blue screens when I could have just run memtest. It'll take a few hours, but you can just leave it running overnight and come back to it in the morning, it's super easy to see if there are any errors reported.
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
It has been found that increasing your virtual ram to 32GB~64GB drastically decreases likelihood of vic3 crashing.
 
I've been having consistent BSOD with the same error message; google has helpfully told me that it's normally related to Nvidia drivers, but they're up to date now and no dice. Perfomance monitor isn't reporting any faulty hardware, i've manually reacquired my drivers, run a disk health check in powershell, and adjusting graphical settings has given smoother gameplay but no end to this. Any ideas beyond the ram one?
If you’re having the IRQL error in the original post, then you need to test your memory.

That’s one of the biggest things you haven’t checked yet. Run memtest. Swap out RAM sticks. RAM failure might not be the cause in this case, but it’s so common that you it should be one of the earliest things you test for.
 
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Perfomance monitor isn't reporting any faulty hardware
That's a sufficient, but not necessary condition. If <insert piece of software here> reports that your hardware is defective, it almost certainly is. But it doesn't work the other way. The bluescreens are a very strong indication that your hardware is, in fact, defective.
 
  • 1
  • 1Like
Reactions:
Thanks for the replies everyone. Running memtest overnight has failed to produce any sign of memory errors. I'm currently leaning towards the issue being my cpu, and something heat or driver related being funky; I see no reason that an i7-8700k would be sitting at 92% consistently during gameplay when it's several models better than suggested. (I'll get in before the comments to say that none of my temperature sensors are flagging, everything is a good 50 degrees below thermal limits, but I'm sure someone will be able to correct me)
 
  • 1
Reactions:
Thanks for the replies everyone. Running memtest overnight has failed to produce any sign of memory errors. I'm currently leaning towards the issue being my cpu, and something heat or driver related being funky; I see no reason that an i7-8700k would be sitting at 92% consistently during gameplay when it's several models better than suggested. (I'll get in before the comments to say that none of my temperature sensors are flagging, everything is a good 50 degrees below thermal limits, but I'm sure someone will be able to correct me)
Damn. I was hoping it was memory related. That’s one of the cheaper options.

Well, this same advice applies:

But because I'm a nice guy, here's some recommended debugging steps:
  • update drivers
  • do a stress test on your CPU, make sure it covers AVX (if you have a defective CPU it can sometimes be only certain instructions that cause problems)
  • run memtest64 to check all 32GB of your memory
  • try running the game with a different graphics card
  • try running the game with a different CPU
  • try running the game with different memory modules

(if you have access to someone else’s RAM, it’s not a bad idea to try swapping for a test. That’s because memtest is really good, but it’s still not perfect.)

Best of luck. Vic3 seems to be one of those games that shows any flaws in your set up earlier than a lot of other applications.

So, you know, grand strategy game AND stress test. It’s multipurpose! :p
 
(if you have access to someone else’s RAM, it’s not a bad idea to try swapping for a test. That’s because memtest is really good, but it’s still not perfect.)
I can attest to that. I had some bad RAM once that caused a lot of crashes, but memtest didn't find anything.

@IgnisGlaciem if can't borrow someone else's RAM but you have multiple RAM stick in your mainboard, you could try removing one and see if that helps.
 
  • 1
Reactions:
I've stressed the CPU with AVX and non-AVX tests via P95 and others several times.
Also ran Intel's own Processor Diagnostic Tool which reported the CPU is perfectly fine.
Every other Paradox game + CPU-heavy ones like Cities Skylines all run fine, I've only had this issue with Vic 3.

At this point I've stopped trying to fix it, every conceivable test and tool I use tells me my hardware is fine.

I'll play the game again in a year or so when it works and has actual content.
Unfortunately, that proves nothing. Each game and application is unique in how system resources are being used. Specifically, the use pattern.

Case in point: Many years ago, I had an AMD Athlon system with a VIA KT266A chipset. That system worked great. Ran all the different games I had. Until I bought Age of Mythology. I had no end of troubles. It would run for roughly 30 minutes or so, and then the system would lock up. Or throw a hissy fit with a blue screen. I could tweak with the various chipset timing options in the BIOS (back then, you could still do that), and with the proper set of tweaks I could make Age of Mythology last longer before it would crash. But with those tweaks, all my other games would start experiencing problems.

After some time I found memtest86, and ran it. Lo and behold, it turned up a considerable amount of memory errors. But only with 1 particular memory pattern test. All the other tests were completed without error. So, out with the old RAM, and in went the new RAM. But alas, errors did not disappear. In the end, it turned out that the memory controller in the VIA chipset was the actual cause of all the trouble. So I threw out the motherboard, installed a new one, and didn't have a single issue since.

As others have already stipulated, the only thing that can trigger blue screens are the OS kernel, and everything that runs in the context of the kernel (such as device drivers). Basically, everything in the system that is unable to access the screen in order to display a dialog box. IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL is basically the kernel equivalent of the user mode Access Violation error. In other words, some piece of code, running in the context of the kernel, tried to access a memory location to which it had no access rights. This can either be because the memory location is off limits, or the memory location is non existing.

It can be caused by faulty hardware, faulty drivers, faulty kernel software or third party software that runs in kernel mode (such as a virus scanner). To check if any of the officially installed files of the OS has been compromised in some way, you can run both SFC and DISM (in that order). These tools check every installed OS file against official ones on install media, and replace them if a mismatch is found.

Here is a full checklist of recommended steps to check your system.
 
Last edited:
So I have no way of confirming, but the issue seems to be with Intel Virtualization Technology.

I had this enabled in BIOS to run virtual machines. Turned it off and I've got my current game to 1929, frequently fighting 3000 batallion wars with no BSOD, just the already known CTDs.

For anyone else having this issue, worth a try and something to put on the Devs radar, though not sure what they could do to negate it.