NVIDIA RTX GPUs repeatedly crash during the introduction of the 'Hell Is Us' demo; developer proposes a temporary workaround.
Hell Is Us, the highly anticipated game from developer Rogue Factor, is causing a headache for NVIDIA RTX 40 and 50 series GPU users. The recently released PC demo on Steam has proven to be a major letdown for these gamers, as they're unable to advance past the opening cinematic.
That's not great, especially considering the developers are trying to create a positive first impression. In an attempt to address the issue, Rogue Factor released an update on June 3, stating that the problem is under investigation, with signs pointing towards NVIDIA drivers as the culprit.
If you can't wait to jump into the game and are willing to give it a shot, there's a workaround available.
- Dial back the graphics: Before you enter the game's main menu, lower your settings to the bare minimum. Hell Is Us features a pre-launch window that allows you to customize these settings.
- Turn off special effects: Disable super resolution, frame generation, and other advanced graphics settings. Rogue Factor recommends turning off DLSS, XeSS/Xe, and FSR[1][3].
The good news, theoretically, is that you should be able to ramp up your graphics settings once you've bypassed the opening cinematic and crashes no longer occur.
Diving into the game's Steam discussions, it appears that some users have continued to experience crashes, even after following the workaround guidelines. Some of these users own RTX 30-series GPUs, suggesting that the problem might be more widespread than initially thought.
Various users have claimed that running the game in windowed mode or disabling HDR has solved the problem for them[1]. Ultimately, it seems best to scale back all graphics settings until you've moved past the cinematic and can adjust them via the in-game menu.
Hell Is Us runs on Unreal Engine 5, which has been notorious for odd bugs and performance issues on PC since its release. The game also puts a heavy strain on your hardware. The suggested system requirements on Steam include an NVIDIA RTX 2080 Ti or AMD RX 6750 XT with at least 11GB of VRAM, as well as an 11th Gen Intel Core i7 or AMD 7000-series Ryzen 5 CPU[1].
Despite not keeping a close eye on the game's development, what I've seen so far looks impressive, with it set to release on September 4, 2025. It's a semi-open world exploration/melee combat game with a third-person perspective, set in a demon-infested country that has experienced a civil war. I'm planning to test out the demo myself, as my PC exceeds the recommended specs, but I think I'll hold off until the developers officially resolve this annoying bug.
[1] https://t.co/vXOLPWEuqK[2] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1838360/Hell_Is_Us/[3] https://www.pcgamesn.com/hell-is-us/trailer-hardware-ratings[4] https://twitter.com/RogueFactor_inc/status/1665419870603866113
- Users with RTX 30-series GPUs have reported experiencing crashes even after following the workaround provided by Rogue Factor, suggesting that the issue might be more widespread than initially thought.
- Despite the performance issues on PC, particularly those related to PC hardware and NVIDIA drivers, Hell Is Us, running on Unreal Engine 5, looks impressive with its semi-open world exploration/melee combat gameplay.
- To potentially bypass the opening cinematic crashes, users can try running the game in windowed mode or disabling HDR, as suggested by some users in the game's Steam discussions.
