How to Fix Path of Exile 2 Freezing PC Issues

Path of Exile 2, the highly anticipated sequel from Grinding Gear Games, offers players a Diablo-like experience, but some users have encountered frustrating PC freezes. This guide outlines solutions to resolve these issues until an official patch arrives.

Troubleshooting Path of Exile 2 PC Freezes

Players have reported complete system freezes requiring hard restarts, particularly during loading screens or gameplay. Here are several troubleshooting steps:

1. Graphics Settings Adjustments: Experiment with these in-game settings:

   • Switch the rendering API to Vulkan or DirectX 11.
   • Disable V-Sync.
   • Disable Multithreading.

2. CPU Affinity Workaround (Advanced): If the above steps fail, a more involved solution, suggested by Steam user svzanghi, can mitigate the issue. This method allows for a less disruptive game restart instead of a full PC reboot. However, it requires repetition each time you launch the game.

   • Launch Path of Exile 2.
   • Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), and click "Details".
   • Right-click on POE2.exe.
   • Select "Set Affinity".
   • Uncheck "CPU 0" and "CPU 1".

This workaround lets you force-quit the game via Task Manager and relaunch without a full system restart. However, you must repeat this for each game session.

For more Path of Exile 2 tips, strategies, and build guides (including optimal Sorceress builds), be sure to check out The Escapist.