When trying to play Outriders, some PC players are getting an error screen that reads, “An Unreal process has crashed: UE4-Madness.” Long with this comes some debug text, most of which mentions “OUTRIDERS_Win64_Shipping.” There are a few reasons why this crash would occur and a few fixes to try. However, making things more complicated is the fact that the Outriders servers are having issues (even for those playing solo), which could also have a hand in generating this error.
How to fix the Unreal process has crashed: UE4-Madness error in Outriders
Usually, when this type of message comes up, it means that the game engine itself has crashed. Unfortunately, that’s a lot harder to troubleshoot and fix than a network connection issue. Even with the fixes below, there’s no guarantee the game will start working. Each person’s PC has different programs installed and running and different hardware configurations, so there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
If the UE4-Madness crash happens when a player is trying to launch Outriders, there are a few fixes to try:
- Verify game file integrity
- Run game as administrator
- Update RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner
- Lower CPU core usage
Verify game file integrity
The first fix is the easiest. Verify the file integrity of Outriders using whatever storefront application it’s installed through. There’s a chance a file may have corrupted, and that could be causing the crashing.
Run game as administrator
Issues with file permissions can cause games to crash. Launching Outriders as an administrator would allow it to write wherever it needed to. This fix is most likely to work if the game is installed in a non-default location.
Update RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner
These two useful programs are notorious for causing issues with games. Making sure their updating is the best way to ensure compatibility. However, if the game still crashes, it’s worth a shot to completely exit both RivaTuner and MSI Afterburner and try to relaunch it.
Lower CPU core usage
Some users have reported that the Outriders UE4-Madness error can occur when launching it with a CPU with over 16 cores. This is going to be rare as only AMD’s Threadripper series features over 16 cores. However, owners of these monster CPUs can use Ryzen Master software to disable all but 16 cores and attempt to launch the game.
