Intel integrated GPU issues and fixes

This document lists many community-sourced and CS-suggested fixes for crashing
issues for Intel integrated GPUs.

Please note that Intel integrated GPUs are well below the minimum requirements
for the game and there’s no guarantee any of these fixes will work for you, or that
the developers will ever support them.

If a particular fix worked or didn’t work for you, or if you find a new potential fix, you
can message paep3nguin#9170 or Gallepan
#9344 in the technical-help channel on the official genshin discord. There’s also a
community-made Intel Gang discord server: https://discord.com/invite/aX8KRGX

Table of contents:
Symptoms
How to tell if you have an Intel integrated GPU

Potential solutions
A note for Windows 10 users
Adjusting system/game settings for performance
Choosing the right driver version
How do I tell what driver version I have?
What driver versions work?
How do I install a different driver version?

1.1 news
Yes, 1.1 seems to fix the crashes! You’ll likely still have to keep your settings low but
stuff seems to be much improved.

Symptoms
● Game launches then crashes within <30 seconds
● Game crashes randomly during gameplay/cutscenes/entering a new area or
dungeon
● Game freezes during gameplay, sometimes audio continues working

Things that are not symptoms specific to Intel iGPUs:

● Any sort of error code pop up in the launcher or in-game when entering
● Crashing at the epilepsy warning
● For these, please check the main fixes sheet
How to tell if you have an Intel integrated GPU
1. Press “Win + R” to open the run dialog
2. Type in “dxdiag” and press enter
3. In the “DirectX Diagnostic Tool” window, click on the “Display” tab at the top
4. Under the “Device” section, check the “Manufacturer”, if it’s Intel and the
“Name” says something like “Intel UHD Graphics XXX”, you have an intel
integrated GPU and this sheet applies to you.

Potential solutions
You may want to attempt several of the described fixes here. It’s suggested to start
by attempting to adjust your system/game settings for performance before trying a
new driver version.

If you want an all-in-one fix

A discord user has put together a script to instruct users on how to install an older
driver for certain intel GPU’s (compatibility) is listed on the repo, along with another
script to run the game at a lower graphics preset, resolution and at high priority. Feel
free to give the developer (Lyceris/Lacia) feedback on the discord server mentioned
in the readme.md.
A. https://github.com/Lyceris-chan/GenshinImpact/tree/master
B. Download and unzip the files, then follow the instructions
A note for Windows 10 users
An intrepid reddit user did a bunch of investigation and found that the most likely
cause for the crashes may be DX12 issues (edit: may not be the issue, but steps still
worth trying):
https://www.reddit.com/r/Genshin_Impact/comments/j1tzp8/possible_fix_for_gens
hin_impact_crashing_after/g7tv1wu?
utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

For Windows 10 users, you may want to try the following steps first before diving into
anything else:
A. Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows 7 or 8:
a. Right click "C:\Program Files\Genshin Impact\Genshin Impact Game\
GenshinImpact.exe"
b. Select “Properties”
c. In the compatibility tab, set "Run this program in compatibility mode" to
"Windows 7" or “Windows 8”
d. Check "Disable fullscreen optimizations" and "Run this program as
administrator"
e. See this video if you want a walkthrough:
https://youtu.be/5c_MAg8etbM
B. Download DX11
 a. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35
C. Attempt to force DX11:
a. Right click "C:\Program Files\Genshin Impact\Genshin Impact Game\
GenshinImpact.exe"
b. Select “Create shortcut” and send the shortcut to your desktop
c. Right click the created shortcut
d. Select “Properties”
e. At the end of “Target”, add “ -force-d3d11”

f. Click “Ok”
g. Run the game using the shortcut
D. Attempt to force DX12:
a. Another reddit user suggested that the game is actually DX11 by
default and DX12 solves crashes, but causes extreme lag
b. If you’re willing to give it a shot, repeat the previous steps, but with “ -
force-d3d12” instead. Of course, remove “-force-d3d11” first.
E. Attempt to use an older driver version without DX12:
a. Drivers from ~2017/2018 are best
b. Follow the instructions under the “How do I install a different driver
version?” section: #heading=h.5jhxvi716f31

Adjusting system/game settings for performance

This set of suggestions aims to maximize your system’s performance and minimize
the game’s performance impact. Each letter is a separate idea, you’re free to try as
many of these as you’d like, none of them should conflict.

A. Close any processes you're not using, such as browser and discord
B. Adjust windows graphics performance parameters:
a. In the start menu, search for "Graphics settings"
b. Under "Graphics performance preference", click "Browse"
c. Choose the Genshin impact .exe file at "C:\Program Files\Genshin
Impact\Genshin Impact Game\GenshinImpact.exe"
d. Select "Options"
e. Select "High performance"
f. The result should look something like this:

C. Adjust power plan performance to high performance:

a. May be able to click battery icon in system tray, otherwise:
b. Search for "Power & sleep settings in the start menu"
c. Click "Additional power settings"
d. Pick a high performance plan
D. Adjust the in-game performance parameters:
a. If you can launch the game:
 i. Use the lowest graphics settings defaults
ii. Set render scale to 0.8
iii. Limit frame rate to 30
b. If you can’t launch the game:
i. Open the pre-launch configuration page (hold shift while
pressing "Launch" in the launcher, don't let go until the pop-up
appears)
ii. Check "Windowed" and set a reasonable resolution, set
"Graphics quality" to "Fastest"
iii. Note that this must be done every time the game launches
E. Set the CPU priority of GenshinImpact.exe to "high" or "realtime" (realtime can
be dangerous, may freeze your entire computer, try at your own risk, so high is
recommended)
a. Instructions here: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/89548-set-
cpu-process-priority-applications-windows-10-a.html
b. Note that the game may sometimes reset to default priority, so keep an
eye on the process in task manager
F. Set game to run in Windows 7 compatibility mode (may want to try Windows
8, too):
a. Right click "C:\Program Files\Genshin Impact\Genshin Impact Game\
GenshinImpact.exe"
b. In the compatibility tab, set "Run this program in compatibility mode" to
"Windows 7"
c. Check "Disable fullscreen optimizations" and "Run this program as
administrator"
d. See this video if you want a walkthrough:
https://youtu.be/5c_MAg8etbM
G. Use a smaller, custom resolution
a. Go to: Intel Control Panel > Display > Custom Resolutions
b. Add 900x600
c. Use this resolution for the game
H. Limit the FPS of the game even further
a. Game itself allows 30 fps limit (see step D), if you want to set it even
lower, you can do so with custom software
b. Download RivaTuner: https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/rtss-
rivatuner-statistics-server-download.html
c. Add the main game .exe: "C:\Program Files\Genshin Impact\Genshin
Impact Game\GenshinImpact.exe"
d. In Rivatuner Statistics Server, find framerate limit, set to something
lower, 15, 20, 25
I. While in the game, refrain from alt tabbing out (or switching windows) mid-
game as this may increase the chances of crashing.
===
Below this line, the fixes may be dangerous as they modify the general functionality
of your system in ways that are not typically done and not just of Genshin Impact
===

J. Increase the size of the Windows page file

a. The page file is used when RAM is not sufficient
b. Instructions here: https://www.tomshardware.com/news/how-to-
manage-virtual-memory-pagefile-windows-10,36929.html
c. You may want to ensure your system is using “System managed size”
or manually set a larger size
K. Increase the amount of dedicated video memory for your graphics card
a. Instructions here: https://appuals.com/how-to-increase-intel-graphics-
dedicated-video-memory/

Choosing the right driver version

Many users have reported that the driver, the software controlling the GPU hardware,
is the source of many crashes and that a different driver version may help.

How do I tell what driver version I have?

Follow the instructions under “How to tell if you have an Intel integrated GPU” (link)
and check the “Driver” section under dxdiag. The driver version is the first two
numbers next to “Version”. In the screenshot below, the version is 25.

What driver versions work?

Users have reported that driver version 26 seems to crash frequently, and that
version 22 seems to work the best. Version 24 and 27 may also work.
How do I install a different driver version?
C. First option is to search your computer manufacturer’s site for drivers. If you
see version 22, 24, or 27, give that a shot.
a. Another potential (even older) driver that might help:
https://software.intel.com/content/www/us/en/develop/blogs/new-
intel-graphics-driver-for-windows-10-and-windows-781-15404501.html
b. Version 24 driver download:
https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27988
D. You can also attempt to roll back your graphics driver to an older version
(since your system has likely updated it before), though this leaves you at the
mercy of whatever driver came installed with your system, so A is preferred:
a. In Windows settings, go to System > Display
b. Click “Advanced display settings”
c. Click “Display adapter properties”
d. Click “Properties”
e. Selected the “Driver” tab
f. Select “Roll back driver”
E. Some users report that a modded intel graphics driver can improve
performance and solve their issues. Instructions included here, but note that
this is an extremely dangerous operation and has the potential to break your
computer's graphics output, meaning your computer may simply no longer be
able to output an image to the screen/monitor, which would require a
Windows recovery or reinstall. The modded driver also is not supported in any
way and has not been updated since 2008. This is a last-resort fix only for the
technically knowledgeable. If you don't know what you're getting into, don't try
this. This driver only works for the 6, 7, and 8 series Intel processors with
integrated GPUs.
a. Start by disabling driver signature enforcement with these steps:
i. Hold down the Shift key while choosing the “Restart” option in
Windows
ii. Your computer will restart with Advanced Options
iii. From the list of options displayed, select the “Troubleshoot” tile
iv. Next, select “Advanced options” and hit the “Startup Settings”
tile
v. You will see the following screen on restart. Press the 7 (number
seven) keyboard key to activate the “Disable driver signature
enforcement” option
b. Afterwards, download the modded driver here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yPXcMhjezTDRFIxHIjuUZcM-
8R0Wmcyl/view
c. Install the driver using the included instructions.