"Computer Restarting During Gaming | 10 Solutions?"

A spontaneous restart while gaming ruins the immersion and can even cause you to lose progress. If your computer is flickering while gaming or restarting often, it's an even more severe issue. There can be several reasons behind this problem. This article will explore why your PC might be restarting while gaming and provide 10 practical solutions.

Why does my computer always restart when I play games?

There are several reasons why your computer might be restarting during gameplay, most of which have to do with the game you're playing and its demands on your graphics processing, power, and resources. Sometimes, the PSU (power supply unit) of your system can be problematic if it's not providing enough power to run the game.

Sometimes, a graphics card or device driver can be the culprit. You might also experience restarts due to incorrect power settings, or random CPU reboots after running at full power for a while.

Here are some common issues reported by users that cause their computer to restart while gaming.

• Overheating issue: Every computer has a temperature threshold. If it exceeds this limit, the system will automatically restart to protect itself.
• Power Supply Unit (PSU) issue: If the PSU is unable to provide sufficient power, your computer may shut down.
• Driver issues: Incompatibility between your graphics card or device drivers and the game.
• Oversclocking your PC: Overclocking to boost performance can sometimes lead to instability.
• Unmet system requirements: If your computer does not meet the minimum requirements for the game.
• Malware infection: A computer virus or malicious software can negatively impact your computer's overall performance.

?Related Reading: Blue Screen While Playing Games

How to Solve the Problem of a Computer Restarting During Gaming

Here are some practical solutions to address the issue of your computer restarting while gaming, let's delve into them in detail:

1. Method 1: Cool Down Your Computer
2. Method 2: Disconnect External Devices
3. Method 3: Scan Your Computer for Malware
4. Method 4: Check Your Computer's Hardware
5. Method 5: Update Your Graphics Card Drivers
6. Method 6: Install the Latest Windows Updates
7. Method 7: Disable Windows Restart on Failure
8. Method 8: Run a System File Checker Scan
9. Method 9: Change Power Settings
10. Method 10: Disable Overclocking Settings

Method 1: Cooling Down Your Computer

The most common reason is an overheating issue. When a CPU gets too hot, it is designed to shut down or restart to prevent damage. If your computer is unable to handle gaming, it could be due to insufficient resources or overloading. Aging thermal paste can lead to decreased cooling efficiency, causing overheating and subsequent restarts.

Other causes of overheating could be due to a subpar motherboard or cooling system with inefficient heat sinks. Ensure that your computer has proper ventilation and fans to expel heat, or consider giving it a break occasionally to cool down before restarting.

Method 2: Disconnect External Devices

External peripherals can also sometimes cause issues with your computer restarting while gaming, so it's worth checking them to see if that resolves the problem.

Peripheral devices include mice, keyboards, USB devices, flash drives, printers, and monitors. Unplug everything, see if that solves the problem, then plug them back in one at a time to find the problematic device and remove it. If that doesn't work, try the next solution.

Method 3: Scan Your Computer for Malware

Since malware issues can also cause computer restarts while gaming, it's recommended to scan for malware, preferably with a full scan. Here's how:

Step 1: Search for Virus & threat protection, and open it.

Step 2: Tap on Scan Options, and check Deep Scan.

Step 3: Click on Scan Now at the bottom to start the scan.

If any external software is detected, try uninstalling it from your system and launch the game. If not, proceed to the next step.

You can also use a third-party antivirus software, such as Total AV, to scan for malware.

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Method 4: Check Your Computer's Hardware

Software and hardware need to work in harmony to ensure optimal computer performance. Software issues can often be resolved through updates, but to check if your hardware is functioning correctly, troubleshooting methods are required. Here are the steps to conduct a comprehensive hardware check and generate a report: 1. **System Information**: Access your computer's System Information tool, which provides details about your hardware components. On Windows, you can find this by typing "System Information" in the search bar. For macOS, use "About This Mac" in the Apple menu. 2. **BIOS/UEFI Check**: Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or UEFI settings during startup (usually by pressing F2, F10, or Del depending on your system). Check for any error messages or outdated settings. 3. **Memory Diagnostic**: Run a memory diagnostic tool to check for RAM issues. On Windows, use "Windows Memory Diagnostic." For macOS, choose "Memory" under "Hardware Tests" in the Startup Disk options. 4. **Hard Drive/SSD Health**: Use a utility like CrystalDiskInfo (for both Windows and macOS) to assess the health of your storage device and look for any warnings or errors. 5. **Graphics Card Test**: Run a GPU stress test with software like FurMark (Windows) or GPU Stress Test (macOS) to check for stability and overheating issues. 6. **Processor Performance**: Monitor your CPU usage using Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (macOS) to ensure it's not consistently running at high levels, which could indicate a problem. 7. **Power Supply Test**: If possible, test your power supply unit (PSU) with a multimeter or use a diagnostic tool specific to your PSU model. 8. **Peripheral Devices**: Check the functionality of your keyboard, mouse, printers, and other peripherals by connecting them to another computer or using troubleshooting tools provided by their manufacturers. 9. **Temperature Monitoring**: Install a tool like HWMonitor (Windows) or iStat Menus (macOS) to monitor component temperatures. Abnormally high temperatures could signal an issue. 10. **Create a Report**: Compile all the gathered information into a report, including hardware specifications, diagnostic results, and any error messages encountered. If you encounter any problems during these checks, consult your computer's user manual or contact the manufacturer for further assistance.

Step 1: Press Windows + R. Type perfmon /report in the dialog box that appears, and press Enter.

Step 2: The software will gather data for over 60 seconds and display the results. Now, click on the Diagnostics Results section to view the status of your computer components in the subsections.

Check the "Diagnostics Report"

Method 5: Update your graphics driver

Most issues in games typically stem from graphics card drivers or device drivers. These drivers act as mediators between hardware and software, so keeping them up to date is crucial for smooth compatibility and performance with your computer. Here's how to update your graphics and device drivers in American English: 1. **Identify Your Graphics Card**: - For NVIDIA: Go to "Device Manager," expand "Display adapters," and note down the name of your NVIDIA card. - For AMD: Do the same, but search for an AMD card under "Display adapters." - For Intel: Check under "Display adapters" for Intel HD Graphics or Iris Graphics. 2. **Update NVIDIA Drivers**: - Visit the [NVIDIA website](https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx). - Enter your graphics card model and OS info. - Download and install the latest driver. 3. **Update AMD Drivers**: - Go to the [AMD website](https://www.amd.com/en/support). - Select your product type, series, and OS. - Download and install the newest driver. 4. **Update Intel Drivers**: - Head to the [Intel website](https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/download-center.html). - Search for "Graphics Drivers" and choose your specific Intel Graphics model. - Download and install the correct driver. 5. **Update Other Device Drivers**: - In "Device Manager," locate devices with drivers you want to update (like sound cards or network adapters). - Right-click the device, then choose "Update driver." - Opt for "Search automatically for updated driver software," and let Windows find and install updates. 6. **Manually Update Drivers**: - If Windows can't locate the latest drivers, visit the manufacturer's website for that device. - Download the newest driver package and follow the installation instructions. 7. **Restart Your Computer**: After updating, restart your PC to implement the changes. 8. **Verify the Updates**: Launch your game and check if the issue is resolved. If not, further troubleshooting may be needed or contact the game's support team. Remember that updating drivers can occasionally create problems, so create a system restore point beforehand in case you need to undo changes.

Step 1: Press Windows + X or right-click the Windows icon to open the Quick Access menu. Then, open Device Manager.

(2) Expand the “Display adapters” entry to see your graphics driver.

Step three: Right-click on the graphics driver and select “Update Driver” from the options.

Update the graphics card driver:

Step 4: In the next window, choose Search automatically for updated driver software.

This will install the best available drivers for your device. Now, check if the computer restarts while playing games issue is resolved.

Method 6: Install the latest Windows updates

Users also report that updating the operating system to the latest version helps resolve issues with the computer restarting while gaming. Here are the steps to update your Windows operating system:

Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings.

Step 2: Go to Windows Update in Windows 11 or Update & Security in Windows 10.

Step 3: Click Check for Updates to get the latest version.

Method 7: Disable Windows Automatic Restart

The Windows Automatic Restart feature is a built-in function that restarts your computer when updates are needed or if an issue occurs. Disabling this might solve the problem of your computer restarting during gaming. Here's how to do it:

Step One: Search for and open “Advanced system settings” from the Control Panel.

Step 2: You can see the Settings button under 'Startup and Recovery'. Click on it.

Click the Startup and Recovery settings.

Step Three: Now, to disable the automatic restart, uncheck the “Automatically restart” option under the “System Failure” section.

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Method 8: Run the System File Checker

Since we know that operating system files are responsible for the smooth and error-free running of the Windows OS, any corruption or loss of these files can affect the system in various ways. If you suspect that there might be an issue with your operating system files, running a System File Checker scan can detect and repair damaged or missing files. Here's how to do it:

Step 1: Open the Windows search and type CMD.

Step 2: Open a Command Prompt as an Administrator.

Step 3: Allow Command Prompt to make changes to your computer. Now, type SFC /scannow in the Command Prompt and hit “Enter.”

This will check the integrity of the system's files and repair or replace them as needed.

Method 9: Change Your Power Settings

If your power supply isn't up to snuff, your computer may exhibit strange behavior. Since your graphics card needs a steady supply of power to work properly, you'll want to make sure that your power supply is in good working order. A failing power supply can also cause a PC to restart during gameplay; you can diagnose this issue with a power supply tester.

Step 1: Search for and open the “Control Panel” app.

Step 2: Click Power Options.

Step 3: Click “Change plan settings.”

Click Change plan settings.

Step 3: Click Change advanced power settings.

Click "Change advanced power settings":

Step 4: Find “Processor Power Management” > “Minimum Processor State,” and set it to 5% or lower, then click “OK.”

Set the processor state to “0%”

Step 5: Restart your computer and see if the changes took effect.

Method 10: Disable Overclocking Settings

Many users also found that undervolting or reducing the overclock helped. Overclocking is done to increase performance, but if the system wasn't designed for that level of performance, it can cause instability, leading to frequent restarts and issues while gaming.

If there are any overclocking settings, remove them. Uninstall any apps that function as game boosters. If the issue persists, you can perform a system restore to reset all settings to default, which will result in data loss.

Expert Tip: How to Backup Game Saves on Your Windows PC

While a computer restart can cause you to lose your game saves, you can avoid this by getting into the habit of backing up your game files intelligently. You can use an incremental backup method to back up your game saves to the cloud.

Thus, when your game save files are missing from your computer, you can recover them, and the Todo Backup tool will do the job for you in this regard.

Todo Backup Home is an excellent backup and recovery tool that lets you back up your system, disks, partitions, files, and computer applications, and even help you back up your PC game saves. In addition, it allows you to back up Steam cloud saves, custom data, configuration files, and even entire game disks.

It also allows you to transfer your operating system from one computer to another, create full, incremental, and differential backups, and store the backups in different locations. It also lets you reinstall Windows without losing your games. It comes with numerous features and advanced backup options to cater to your needs.

Key features of Todo Backup include:

• Includes system imaging and bootable media creation
• Ability to install Windows from one PC to another
• Backup to the cloud with 250GB of free cloud storage space provided by the software
• Excellent backup management: options to delete, merge, split, and compress backups
• Users can schedule backups daily, weekly, or monthly and create automatic backups

Here is how it could work:

Step 1: To begin the backup process, click the Select Backup Items button.

Step 2: Identify the four types of backups: files, disks, operating systems, and e-mail.

Step 3: A list of both local and network files will appear on the left-hand side of the screen. Expand the directories and select the files you want to back up.

File Backup

Step 4: Choose where you want to save your backup, following the on-screen instructions.

Make sure the backups are encrypted, and set up a backup schedule by clicking on "Options" within "Backup Options." You can also choose to start a backup at a specific time by clicking "Options" within "Backup Schedule." There are many other customizable options for you to explore.

Step 5: You can store the backup file on your computer, on the tool's cloud service, or on a network-attached storage (NAS) device.

Step Six: Todo Backup, another tool, lets customers back up files to a third-party cloud drive or to the company's own cloud storage.

If you want to back up to a third-party cloud drive, choose “Local Disk,” then scroll down and add a “Cloud Device.” Enter your account information.

Click “Cloud,” register and log in to your account with the tool, and store the backup file in the tool's cloud storage service.

Step 7. Click Backup Now to start the backup process. When it's done, the backup will appear as a card on the left side of the screen. Right-click it to learn more about how to delve into the backup job.

In short

If there's an incompatibility between the game and the computer, issues like PC restart while gaming are more likely to occur. That's why it's essential to manage both to ensure a smoother gaming experience. This article presents you with ten practical solutions to tackle the problem of PC restarting while playing games.

If you have to lose your game progress or reinstall the game, you need to back up your saved games to avoid losing data, and the Todo Backup tool is an ideal solution for all your backup needs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Computer Restarting During Gaming

Question: What makes a computer restart for no reason?

There can be various reasons for a computer to restart, but some of the most commonly reported issues by users include overheating, power supply problems, outdated graphics card drivers, random crashes of the CPU, viruses, and overclocking issues.

The main issues that can cause a computer to restart while gaming are not meeting the minimum system requirements, overheating, and power supply unit failure. These problems put stress on the CPU, which may initiate a restart to prevent damage to itself.

3. Why does my computer freeze and reboot for no reason?

Computer overheating seems to be the cause of random freezing and restarts. Overheating can occur if the cooler or CPU fan isn't working, or when you're trying to run your computer at peak performance.