If you are experiencing crashes, instability, or performance issues in Ships At Sea, please follow the steps below in order:
1. Check System Requirements
First, ensure that your PC meets the minimum system requirements for Ships At Sea:
Minimum Requirements
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10 (64-bit)
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 1300X / Intel Core i5-9400
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 1070 or Radeon RX 5500 XT Minimum 6 GB VRAM (Very Important)
If your PC does not meet these requirements, you can still play the game using GeForce NOW.
2. Close Background Applications
If your system meets the requirements:
- Close all non-essential applications
- Temporarily disable antivirus or antimalware software
- Disable overlays and background recording tools if possible
Background applications can interfere with performance and stability.
3. Check for Malware or Viruses
Malware or background infections can cause crashes or severe performance issues.
Please ensure your system is clean by running a full virus and malware scan.
4. Verify Game Files (Highly Recommended)
Corrupted or missing files can cause crashes, especially after updates.
Please verify your game files via Steam by following this guide:
https://support.miscgames.com/kb/ships-at-sea/verify-integrity-of-game-files
5. Reinstall GPU Drivers (Clean Installation)
If crashes continue, perform a clean GPU driver installation:
- Download the latest GPU drivers for your graphics card, but do not install them yet
- Download and run Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to remove old drivers
- Perform a clean installation of the drivers downloaded in step 1
In some cases, older GPU drivers may provide better stability. If issues started after a recent driver update, testing an earlier version can help.
6. Intel Processor Crash Issue (13th & 14th Gen)
Who is affected?
Players using Intel 13th and 14th generation processors (e.g. 13700, 13900K, 14700, 14900K) who experience:
LowLevelFatalError – Could not decompress shader group with Oodle
What’s the problem?
A known hardware/BIOS-related issue involving high clock rates and Unreal Engine 5 shader decompression can cause instability on these CPUs.
How to fix it (short explanation)
- Disable CPU overclocking in your BIOS OR
- Use Intel XTU to reduce the Performance Core multiplier
This greatly improves stability in most cases.
7. Overclocking Warning ⚠️ (CPU & GPU)
If your CPU or GPU is overclocked, this can cause:
- Random crashes
- Shader compilation errors
- Instability during physics-heavy situations (ports, weather, cargo, multiplayer)
Even if your overclock is stable in other games, Ships At Sea can place sustained load on:
- Physics
- Buoyancy
- AI
- Simulation systems
Recommendation
- Test the game with stock (non-overclocked) settings
- Ensure temperatures are within safe limits
- Avoid aggressive overclock profiles
If crashes stop when running at stock speeds, the overclock is likely the cause.
8. Reset User Settings (Last Resort)
If crashes still occur, you can reset your user settings:
Steps:
- Enable Show hidden files in Windows
- Navigate to:
C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Local\SAS\Saved\SaveGames - Delete the file: UserData.sav
- Start the game again
This file only contains settings and will be recreated automatically.
9. Final Notes
- Ensure your GPU drivers are up to date
- Restart your PC after driver updates
- Some crashes are caused by outdated or faulty video drivers
You can download drivers directly from: