How to fix the Fatal Application Exit error in Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak

Even the mightiest monster can be bested by an outdated driver.

Image via Capcom

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It is always an exciting moment for a game when an expansion comes out. Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has been released and, with it, brought a whole host of new content for players to dive into. However, sometimes new content brings new bugs into the game. Some players have reported that Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak has crashed with a “fatal application error” message displayed. If you’ve run into this frustrating problem, here is what is likely causing the issue and how to fix it.

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Fatal Application Error and how to fix it

Screenshot by Gamepur

There are generally three potential problems that cause Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak to display a fatal application error. Each one is fairly straightforward to fix, though they might require making some changes to game files or your operating system.

Incompatible Operating System

Checking the System Requirements for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak will tell you that the game has only been officially tested on Windows 10 (64-bit) or newer operating systems. That means that if you try to play it on an older version of Windows, you’re likely to run into problems. Playing the game on an incompatible operating system can cause a fatal application error to appear and for the game to crash.

To fix this issue, you can set the game’s executable file to run in compatibility mode, which can provide a temporary solution but might cause other issues to pop up. For a permanent fix, you’ll need to upgrade to Windows 10.

DirectX Issues

Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is designed to run on DirectX 12, so those using older versions of the API might run into issues like a fatal application error when launching the game. Alternatively, sometimes running DirectX 12 causes problems that are fixed when switching to DirectX 11, so it is worth switching versions to fix the problem.

To fix this issue:

  • Open the Install Folder for Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
  • Open the config.ini file in a text editor
  • Find the line that lists the DirectX number the game uses at launch and change it

Outdated Drivers

If you’re certain you have the correct operating system to run Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak, then it is likely that you have an outdated graphics card driver that is causing the fatal application error. Just like when the game crashes on startup, you’ll need to open up your Device Manager and check to see if your graphics driver needs updating.

  • Open Device Manager – Type Device Manager into the Windows search box and open it. You should see a list of devices installed on your PC.
  • Click “Display Adapters” – This is where your graphics card is located. Expand the list and right-click on your card.
  • Click “Update Driver” – This should give you the option to automatically search for drivers or to manually install a driver saved on your PC. Click on “Search Automatically for drivers” and your computer will search online for new drivers to install.